A History of the British Labour Party (British Studies Series) - Hardcover

Thorpe, Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312165048 ISBN 13: 9780312165048

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 1997

Synopsis

The history of the British Labour party is a subject of abiding historical interest and obvious contemporary relevance. Of all subjects in modern history, it is one of the most fascinating but also one of the most controversial. Why was the Labour party formed? What were its aims, and how did it expect to achieve them? Why has it only ever had five periods in office? And how far can it be seen as a success or as a failure?
In this stimulating new book, Andrew Thorpe tries to answer these and other questions. He shows that the party originated in the trade union movement's desire for greater representation, but that it also developed a wider significance as a political party pushing for substantial social and economic change. However, he also suggests that the successes of the party carried within them the seeds of their own undoing.
The book covers the party's history from its foundation in 1900 until the election defeat of 1992, with further discussion of developments since then. The main events in the party's history are discussed, as are the leading personalities, such as MacDonald, Henderson, Attlee, Gaitskell, Wilson, Callaghan, Foot and Kinnock. This is not merely a study of 'high politics', for it tries to relate developments to wider influences within and beyond the confines of the Labour party.
Andrew Thorpe's account will be valuable both to students and to any general readers who want to know where the Labour party came from and where it might be going.

About this title

About the Author

Andrew Thorpe is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Exeter.

From Library Journal

With the next British general election set for May 1 and the most recent polls giving the Labour Party a 25 percentage point lead, the publication of this work occurs with exquisite timing. Thorpe (history, Univ. of Exeter) provides an introduction to the party's history. He begins with its inception as a parliamentary coordinating committee for the Trades Union Congress in 1900 and proceeds to its surprising defeat in the 1992 general election. A slight drawback is the dependence on the table of abbreviations for organizations cited. Thorpe's conclusion summarizes main themes such as the party's popular support and its future prospects. Highly recommended for scholars and informed and lay readers.?Paul Burnam, Ohio Wesleyan Univ. Libs., Delaware
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0312165048
• ISBN 13: 9780312165048
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 300