The tale of the relentless intrigue, burning ambition, and bitter rivalry in British politics during the years preceding the Second World War, exploring the interaction between Westminster and a world primed to explode.

• Preface


• 1: The Conservative Ascendancy


• 2: Empire and Intrigue


• 3: The Politics of Foreign Policy


• 4: Defending the Realm


• 5: Mr. Chamberlain's Quest


• 6: A Cacophony of Voices


• 7: Who Governs Britain?


• 8: Planting the Flag


• 9: The Die is Cast


• 10: State of Siege


• 11: Death in the Fjords


• 12: A New Order


• Conclusion


• Notes


• Index

Robert Crowcroft is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Edinburgh. Educated at the University of Leeds, he has published widely in British political history and has particular interests in leadership, the character of democratic politics, and the Second World War. His first book, Attlee's War: World War II and the Making of a Labour Leader (I.B. Tauris, 2011), was named one of the best books of 2011 in Total Politics magazine. His recent publications (as co-editor) include The Oxford Handbook of Modern British Political History, 1800-2000 (OUP, 2018) and the latest edition of the popular reference book The Oxford Companion to British History (OUP, 2015).