The Wild Men
- Author David Torrance
- Narrator Nathaniel Priestley
- Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date 18 January 2024
- Run Time 9 hours and 40 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Biography: historical, political and military, Political ideologies and movements, Political leaders and leadership, Political parties and party platforms, Political structures: democracy, Social and cultural history.
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What to expect
Bloomsbury presents The Wild Men by David Torrance, read by Nathaniel Priestley.
A century ago a Labour government took power for the first time, meet the Wild Men who led the way...
'Thoroughly researched… brings superbly to life figures whom history should not have forgotten.' – Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph
'A highly readable, enjoyable and informative book.' – John McTernan, Financial Times
'A meticulously researched collective biography.' – Andrew Marr, New Statesman
'Superb' — New Statesman 'Fascinating' — The Sunday Times
In 1923, five short years since the end of the First World War, and after the passing of the Act which gave all men the vote, an inconclusive election result and the prospect of a constitutional crisis opened the door for a radically different sort of government: men from working-class backgrounds who had never before occupied the corridors of power at Westminster. Who were these ‘wild men’? Ramsay MacDonald, their leader and Labour’s first Prime Minster, was the illegitimate son of a Scottish farm labourer; Arthur Henderson was a Scottish iron moulder; J. H. Thomas, a Welsh railwayman; John Wheatley, an Irish-born miner and publican; and William Adamson, a Fife coal miner. Never before had men from such backgrounds occupied the corridors of power in Westminster.
The Wild Men tells the story of that first Labour administration – its unexpected birth, fraught existence, and controversial downfall – through the eyes of those who found themselves in the House of Commons, running the country for the people. Blending biography and history into a compelling narrative, David Torrance reassesses the UK’s first Labour government a century after it shook up a British establishment still reeling from the War – and how the establishment eventually fought back.
This is an extraordinary period in British political history which echoes down the years to our current politics and laid the foundations for the Britain of today.
A century ago a Labour government took power for the first time, meet the Wild Men who led the way...
'Thoroughly researched… brings superbly to life figures whom history should not have forgotten.' – Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph
'A highly readable, enjoyable and informative book.' – John McTernan, Financial Times
'A meticulously researched collective biography.' – Andrew Marr, New Statesman
'Superb' — New Statesman 'Fascinating' — The Sunday Times
In 1923, five short years since the end of the First World War, and after the passing of the Act which gave all men the vote, an inconclusive election result and the prospect of a constitutional crisis opened the door for a radically different sort of government: men from working-class backgrounds who had never before occupied the corridors of power at Westminster. Who were these ‘wild men’? Ramsay MacDonald, their leader and Labour’s first Prime Minster, was the illegitimate son of a Scottish farm labourer; Arthur Henderson was a Scottish iron moulder; J. H. Thomas, a Welsh railwayman; John Wheatley, an Irish-born miner and publican; and William Adamson, a Fife coal miner. Never before had men from such backgrounds occupied the corridors of power in Westminster.
The Wild Men tells the story of that first Labour administration – its unexpected birth, fraught existence, and controversial downfall – through the eyes of those who found themselves in the House of Commons, running the country for the people. Blending biography and history into a compelling narrative, David Torrance reassesses the UK’s first Labour government a century after it shook up a British establishment still reeling from the War – and how the establishment eventually fought back.
This is an extraordinary period in British political history which echoes down the years to our current politics and laid the foundations for the Britain of today.
Critics Review
[Keir Starmer] could do worse than read this book to ponder what history can teach.
Thoroughly researched… The Wild Men brings superbly to life figures whom history should not have forgotten.
A highly readable, enjoyable and informative book.
A meticulously researched collective biography.
Excellent
Superb
An engrossing account of the perilous course charted by Ramsay MacDonald… David Torrance illuminates all of this brilliantly.
Torrance tells an absorbing, meticulous and balanced story.
Torrance tells the story of each of this engrossing era’s main principals in a series of crisp, meticulously researched chapters. It was a fascinating period, and this is a timely, even racy account.
David Torrance’s lucid account, The Wild Men, tells a lot of the story through a series of well-crafted and elegantly written mini-biographies of the leading players, a good device for navigating a turbulent period of complex events and issues.
In The Wild Men David Torrance, a biographer and clerk at the House of Commons, tells the story of MacDonald’s rise and the first Labour government, its people, policies and purpose, with sympathy and fastidious attention to detail. His reading and research are exemplary…. [A] fascinating portrait.
Lively, interesting [and] based on an impressive amount of archival research. A highly readable guide to a landmark historical episode.
With meticulous reconstruction and careful judgement, this is a fascinating piece of work with some intriguing parallels for our own times.
Torrance’s book is (and I don’t think I have ever described a political history book in these words) riveting. It is a joy to read; it is highly illuminating; it is – to me – a revelation.
Deeply researched.
A timely reappraisal of a momentous period in British politics.
Tightly focussed… even-handed… [an] in-depth study.
An accessible, entertaining and well-researched history… It is a welcome study of a period that should be better known. A collection of rich portraits of the leading figures of the government … Torrance has skilfully brought the history of the first Labour government alive.
Admirable, thoroughly researched and very readable account… Torrance offers rich character sketches and takes us through the often difficult history of the government with exemplary skill.
An insightful, analytical study…. Torrance has conducted some superb and dogged research into previously overlooked archives.
Rooted in robust research, David Torrance’s new book casts fresh light on Britain’s first Labour government.
Much to inform and delight… the book is framed as a series of portraits of the main players and reflects much detailed new research. It is well written, easy to read and will prove an important historical resource.
Authoritative…A compelling account of the first Labour administration.
A fine historical prompt…There is much that [Keir Starmer] – and we – can learn from [the first Labour government].
The great strength of the work lies in the biographical studies of “The Wild Men” themselves, especially the chapters devoted to the Prime Minister.
Torrance…makes excellent use of material from the Royal Archives.
The Wild Men does a good job of shedding light on a key turning point in British political history, while small details such as the attempt to get ministers to continue appearing before the king in “gold embroidered coat, cocked hat and sword” remind us how hidebound parts of the politics system still were.
Excellent.
User Reviews
22/05/2025
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