Alec Douglas-Home was an aristocrat who disclaimed his peerage to become Prime Minister in 1963.

Formed out of a breakaway from the mainstream Liberal party in 1931, the Liberal National party (renamed the 'National Liberal Party' in 1948) preserved a separate identity for almost 40 years. During this time they helped ensure that the Liberals themselves would not return to their former status of a governing party while helping to broaden the electoral appeal of their Conservative allies, contributing significantly to the Tory domination of the British political scene in the middle of ...

First published in 1987. A biographical look into the character and career of Austen Chamberlain. ‘Chamberlain’, thought Lord Beaverbrook, ‘will be a fascinating subject for a biography.’ These pages attempt to justify Beaverbrook’s words.

A total institution is defined by Goffman as a place of residence and work where a large number of like-situated, individuals, cut off from the wider society for an appreciable period of time, together lead an enclosed, formally administered round of life. Prisons serve as a clear example, providing we appreciate that what is prison-like about prisons is found in institutions whose members have broken no laws. This volume deals with total institutions in general and, mental hospitals, in p...

Once teetering on the brink of oblivion, the British Liberal Party has again re-established itself as a major force in national and local politics. David Dutton's approachable study offers new insights into the waning, near death and ultimate recovery of the Liberal Party from 1900 to the present day. Discussions of politics, philosophy and performance are all skilfully interwoven as Dutton demonstrates how the party has become, once more, a formidable player on the political stage.

The ultimate guide to every Prime Minister there's ever been: 55 profiles by 55 different politicians, journalists and academics compiled by leading political commentator Iain DaleWinner of the 2020 Parliamentary Awards for Best Political Book by a Non-ParliamentarianA Times Political Book of the Year 2020*Featuring a foreword by Boris Johnson*-----It has almost been 300 years since Sir Robert Walpole arguably became the fir...

Peter Clarke brilliantly challenges the commonly held view of Britain in the twentieth century as a nation in decline. Adopting a wide perspective, he examines the political. social and economic changes that transformed Britain. He looks at how jobs and prices, food and shelter, and education and welfare, shaped society and explores such areas as architecture, sport and popular culture. Embracing a century of national experience, Hope and Glory superbly conveys the diverse aspects of three...

Understand Irish History is a comprehensive guide to a fascinating history. You will explore Irish reformation and restoration, culture, religion and society as well as more recent conflicts and their impact. Taking you from ancient Ireland to the present day, it will give you an understanding of the background to events that have dominated the headlines in recent years.NOT GOT MUCH TIME?One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started.AUT...

Ireland's bestselling popular historian tells the story of contemporary Ireland - controversial, authoritative and highly readable. Tim Pat Coogan's biographies of Michael Collins and DeValera and his studies of the IRA, the Troubles and the Irish Diaspora have transformed our understanding of contemporary Ireland, and all have been massive bestsellers. Now he has produced a major history of Ireland in the twentieth century. Covering both South and North and dealing with cultural and socia...

How is crime to be defined? Can crime be medicalized? Can crime be explained or even excused in terms of biological or environmental conditions? Can punishment ever fit the crime? And should punishment be primarily reformative or retributive? This book is not an attempt at a kind of literary CSI and it is not directly concerned with the popular interest in forensic science. Nor is it a handbook for crime investigators. It is rather a laypersons introduction to the ways in which many crimin...

A revelatory biography of Australia’s longest-serving prime minister.Robert Menzies claimed the prime ministership in 1939 and led the nation during the early years of the war, but resigned two years later when he lost the confidence of his party. His political career seemed over, and yet he staged one of the great comebacks to forge a new political party, devise a new governing philosophy, and craft a winning electoral approach that as to make him Australia’s long...

Paul Goodman’s Growing Up Absurd was a runaway best seller when it was first published in 1960, and it became one of the defining texts of the New Left. Goodman was a writer and thinker who broke every mold and did it brilliantly—he was a novelist, poet, and a social theorist, among a host of other things—and the book’s surprise success established him as one of America’s most unusual and trenchant critics, combining vast learning, an astute mind, utopian sympathies, and a wonderf...