Attlee: A Life in Politics

by Nicklaus Thomas-Symonds

Clement Attlee - the man who created the welfare state and decolonised vast swathes of the British Empire, including India - has been acclaimed by many as Britains' greatest twentieth-century Prime Minister. Yet somehow Attlee the man remains elusive and little known. How did such a moderate, modest man bring about so many enduring changes? What are the secrets of his leadership style? And how do his personal attributes account for both his spectacular successes and his apparent failures? When Attlee became Prime Minister in July 1945 he was the leader of a Labour party that had won a landslide victory. With almost 50 per cent of the popular vote, Attlee seemed to have achieved the platform for Labour to dominate post-war British politics. Yet just 6 years and 3 months after the 1945 victory, and despite all Attlee's governments had appeared to achieve, Labour was out of office, condemned to opposition for a further 13 years. This presents one of the great paradoxes of twentieth-century British how Attlee's government achieved so much, but lost power so quickly. But perhaps the greatest paradox was Attlee himself.
Attlee's obituary in "The Times" in 1967 stated that 'much of what he did was memorable; very little that he said'. This new biography, based on extensive research into Attlee's papers and first-hand interviews, examines the myths that have arisen around this key figure of British political life and provides a vivid portrait of the man and his politics.

Genres: Biography, Politics, History, British Literature

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Nicklaus Thomas-Symonds FRHistS is a British academic, barrister and politician who has been Paymaster General, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he has been Member of Parliament for Torfaen since 2015.

Reviews

[Luke Nichol · Rating 4 out of 5]

How a middle class man became a socialist through his experiences of poverty and working in London before he reached and after he reached parliament? - Attlee's life battled the economic depression, the need for rearmament and stood by Churchill despite their political differences. One of the architects of the NHS and state education, Attlee is a strong reminder of what a prime minister should be.

[Colin Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting period of some great changes in the UK. The starting of the NHS, the Welfare State and independence for India, although this was rushed partition and the Kashmir issues are still ongoing and Nationalisation. Railways went well but road transport and the Iron and Steel industry was a disaster. The book did show Attlee, great servant to the country as a lack lustre boring man. The writing is much the same with not even a hint of humour.

[Jesse Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very boring book, especially given the inherent drama in the events it details. This feels like a grad thesis edited down into a book. It's a workman-like recitation of meeting minutes, party speeches, and policy deliberations -- all drawn from memoirs and official archives. It's mostly a drag to read -- there's no art or care to the writing, no authorial injection of suspense or drama. Robert Caro, this is not. You're far better off reading John Bew's vastly-superior "Citizen Clem."

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the author does a very good job of providing a critical appraisal of Attlee.

I read the 2nd addition with a prologue justifying his style of writing so it gives you a heads up that he is critical of Attlee at some points.

Overall I think it's an excellent if not brief coverage of Attlee in office. I feel that he enjoys Attlee work on India as it gains a lot of prominence within the book.

From a subbing point of view, I would have liked maybe some headings or subtitles within chapters. The author likes to summarise the chapter and then go into depth but jumps around chronologically within a time period (usually two to three years). I found myself re-reading sections and double checking dates to orientate myself in terms of timings. I appreciate that Attlee had a very busy Premiership and party leadership but this could have been edited slightly better.