Burying Caesar: Churchill, Chamberlain and the Battle for the Tory Party |
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Graham Stewart
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Pages: 544 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0753810603
Pub: Phoenix
Pub date: 2000-03-02
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 364073
Editorial Review:
For despairing students of the Conservative Party's recent troubled history--from Margaret Thatcher's downfall to the civil strife of the Major years--this sizeable book will come as both salutary reminder and, perhaps, some kind of solace. Because one of its central inferences is that the commanding heights of the Conservative Party have long been a scene of vicious internecine struggle, not least in the crucial years 1929-1939, when Neville Chamberlain went head to head for the leadership, and then the premiership, with Winston Churchill.
The narrative divides naturally into two parts; indeed as the author admits his book is almost two volumes in one. The first section exhaustively details how Neville Chamberlain slipped into high office despite the junking of his brother Austen as Tory leader; it simultaneously outlines the backbench machinations of a consequently aggrieved and resentful Churchill. The second part of the book tells the better-known tale: of how, in the face of expansionist Nazi Germany, Churchill's robust policy of rearmament came to be preferred to Chamberlain's well- meaning but fatal "appeasement". Together the two sections of Burying Caesar make for a useful, enlightening, sometimes gripping saga that should more than satisfy the most gluttonous of political history buffs. --Sean Thomas
Reader Reviews:
Stuck on what to buy for your father's birthday? (1/1 people found this helpful)
- look no further! This is one of the more interesting books on British politics I have read. It has changed my view on Chamberlain, who comes out as a much stronger figure than historians normally portray - many writers who are keen on Churchill (as the author clearly is) tend to paint Chamberlain as a two dimensional cartoon character. And to generalise yet again, unlike most books on recent British political history this one is actually quite fun to read - there are some amusing anecdotes and withering asides which I hadnt come across before.
Excellent - wonderfully written and very insightful (1/1 people found this helpful)
This book, despite it's academic subject, gives a gripping and exciting account of the relationship between Churchill and Chamberlain in the context of 1930s politics. Graham Stewart has an excellent literary style, and is obviously extremely knowledgeable on the subject. I would heartily recommend this to anyone with even a passing interest in politics, history or biography.
Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> History -> Archaeology
Books -> Subjects -> History -> Political History -> Democracy
Books -> Subjects -> History -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Society, Politics & Philosophy -> Government & Politics -> Political Science & Ideology -> Conservatism
Books -> Subjects -> Society, Politics & Philosophy -> Government & Politics -> Countries & Regions -> UK -> Political Parties
Books -> Special Features -> Search Inside!
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
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Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback