The Wild Men
- Author David Torrance
- Narrator Nathaniel Priestley
- Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
- Run Time 9 hours and 40 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Biography and non-fiction prose, Biography: historical, political and military, History, Political ideologies and movements, Political leaders and leadership, Political parties and party platforms, Political structures: democracy, Politics and government, Social and cultural history, Society and Social Sciences.
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What to expect
'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, four 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 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, four 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.
The Economist -
Thoroughly researched… The Wild Men brings superbly to life figures whom history should not have forgotten.
The Daily Telegraph -
A highly readable, enjoyable and informative book.
Financial Times -
A meticulously researched collective biography.
New Statesman -
Excellent
Daily Express -
Superb
The Spectator
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