Balfour

British Prime Ministers of the 20th Century

by E.H.H. Green

Arthur James Balfour was a Conservative politician and prime minister from 1902-05. His early career was closely linked with that of his uncle, Lord Salisbury, becoming a member of his cabinet in 1887 and succeeding him as prime minister in 1902, resigning in 1905. He served as Foreign Secretary from 1916-19 and in a letter of 2 November 1917 to Lord Rothschild, leader of the British Jewish community, Balfour wrote that Britain favored 'the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people', the so-called 'Balfour Declaration'.

Genres: Politics

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though usually not ranked among the greatest prime ministers in British history, Arthur Balfour was nonetheless a very significant figure in many respects. The nephew of his predecessor as premier, the Marquess of Salisbury, Balfour was the last person to become prime minister largely as a result of his family connections. And while he led the Conservative Party to three successive electoral defeats, he nonetheless guided it through a key period in ts ideological development, one that addressed issues that had long been deferred by Salisbury and other Conservative leaders of the previous generation.

All of this illustrates the need for a book that gives Balfour his due as a political leader, and this is what Ewen Green has done in this concise yet informative work. As a longtime student of British politics in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Green supplies insights gained from his long study of the ideology of the Conservative Party in that era. In the process he credits Balfour for his many accomplishments over the course of his career, which continued up to nearly the end of his long life. As a result, while limited in the coverage of Balfour's time as prime minister, this is an excellent short survey of his life and career, one that is necessary reading for anyone interested in Balfour, his ideas, and his achievements within the context of a momentous period in the history of the British Isles.

[Chris Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this some years ago (2007) when reading around the political figures of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This series is a useful set of overviews of British Prime Ministers with all the essential facts about their lives and political careers. Balfour's time as Prime Minister is little known other than by students of politics and before reading this book I was only vaguely aware that he had lost three general elections as leader of the Conservative Party, including one in which he uniquely amongst incumbent Prime Ministers lost his own seat. I had not known that he was responsible for the famous entente cordiale between the British and the French which was so mixed up in political events leading to the first world war. He is however well known for the so called "Balfour Declaration" issued in 1917 after he stepped down as Prime Minister and became British Foreign Secretary. This letter to the head of the British Jewish community paved the way for the creation of the State of Israel with all the impact that has had on world events since.
As with others in the series a succinct but informative account of the life and career of a political figure who may not be well known to modern readers but whose influence has been long lasting.