Baldwin Papers : A Conservative Statesman, 1908–1947

Stanley Baldwin was Conservative party leader and three times prime minister during the 1920s and 1930s. He was also, and has remained, a controversial figure. This selection of his letters and reported conversations, assisted by an extensive commentary, are indispensable for understanding early twentieth-century British politics and public life.

As Conservative party leader from 1923 to 1937 and three times prime minister, Stanley Baldwin was one of the pre-eminent public figures of interwar Britain. This edition of his letters, reports of his private conversations and related documents and illustrations, has two purposes. It publishes sources giving considerable insight into the nature and conduct of Conservative politics and government, with inside accounts of such national events as the destruction of the Lloyd George coalition, the protectionist election, and the Abdication. It also provides a documentary life and portrait of an intriguing, much-liked but controversial statesman. The personal qualities of few modern politicians have aroused so much puzzlement and criticism as Baldwin's. This volume will therefore be indispensable for understanding his character and career and for future studies of British politics and public life in the 1920s and 1930s.