Stanley Baldwin: Conservative Leadership and National Values

by Philip Williamson

Overview

This book is both an examination of one of the dominant figures of twentieth-century British politics, and a contribution to the understanding of political leadership and Conservative ideology. It reinterprets the career of Stanley Baldwin, Conservative leader 1923-37 and three times prime minister, in terms of his construction of a "public character," his exploitation of the new mass media, and his exposition of a distinctive Conservative doctrine and language. Baldwin's remarkable ascendancy is shown to have been based on his manipulation of widely-held "national values."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521432276
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/28/1999
Pages:	408
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.94(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction: the historical problem; 1. Public career; 2. Political leadership; 3. Influences: business and ethics; 4. Influences: community and service; 5. Purposes and methods; 6. Capitalism and industrial relations; 7. Democracy and public values; 8. Country and empire; 9. Soul and providence; 10. Armaments and anti-totalitarianism; Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

Williamson's is the best book on Baldwin yet to appear, as well as by far the most favorable...He deserves all possible credit for the diligence of his research, the breadth of his vision and the rigor of his analysis.
—Times Literary Supplement

John Ramsden

"...Williamson's Stanley Baldwin contains many insights and fascinating revelations." The Guardian

"...Williamson's is the best book on Baldwin yet to appear, as well as by far the most favourable." TLS

"...this is a valuable book that must be compulsory reading for any student of inter-war Britain. Baldwin the man - the complicated, complex man - emerges from its pages, full stop." The International History Review

"Williamson effectively shows that Baldwin was neither a gentrified industrialist nor a backwoods Conservative. His sympathies were broad, and his efforts to promote citizenship and self-improvement were impressive. This account is superbly researched, insightful, and elegantly written..." The Journal of Modern History

From the Publisher