David Lloyd George: The Great Outsider

by Roy Hattersley

A biography of David Lloyd George who was the authentic radical of British history and rose from his 'cottage bred' origins to become Prime Minister of Great Britain, acclaimed in 1918 as 'the man who won the war'.

Genres: Biography, History, Politics, Nonfiction

709 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Roy Sydney George Hattersley, British Politian and author.

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lack of Talent

David Lloyd George: The Great Outsider is an absolute slog. Poorly written, with no ideas, originality or explanation. British politician Roy Hattersley needs to stay clear of writing anymore books, it’s clearly a waste of everyone’s time. He has no talent for it. Unfortunately this is the type of book where I read a page, which was so incoherent and misdirected that I had to read it again. It also took me over 18 months to finish as I couldn’t face the text, then when I returned I faced the same problem again. This is unfortunate. David Lloyd George was a huge figure in British politics, he was, as Hattersley points out ‘The Great Outsider.’ A Welshman born in Manchester, he was not from the ruling class that many of his peers hailed from. As a result, he pretty much went to war with them. Famously he said that a Duke cost as much as Dreadnaught, lasted much longer and caused just as much trouble. Although essentially an Anglophobe, he did want to improve the condition of the poor in the United Kingdom, introducing state pensions and declaring a war on poverty.

Lloyd George was also the Prime Minister of the UK during its darkest hour. After Lord Northcliffe brought down the Asquith government in 1916, which split the liberal party, Lloyd George formed a coalition government with the Conservatives. His war Cabinet included three of them, including Lord Curzon and Andrew Bonar Law. The First World War had been raging for two years and the job needed to be finished. However, Lloyd George’s plan was more of the same, he needed his victory. The Third Battle of Ypres, or Passchendaele was nearly a triumph, but needed in disaster. More men were lost in the mud. Lloyd George wanted the absolute destruction of the Ottoman Empire and advocated Jerusalem should be a British objective to foresee the fracture of the 500 year old empire. In 1917 he welcomed the downfall of Tsar Nicholas II, as he could portray the war as liberalism verses absolutism. One thing he got right was the idea of convoys to combat the U-Boats, something the admiralty pushed back on, but worked so well in WWII.

In Pyrrhic victory, came Versailles, Lloyd George’s time in the sun. He was at the zenith of his power. He wanted to promote Britain and punish Germany, famously positioning himself between ‘Jesus Christ’ Woodrow Wilson and ‘Napoleon’ Georges Clemenceau. If your JC is WW then you have issues. He did in the end stand up for Germany with the land distribution in Upper Silesia and East Prussia and stated that he did as well as he could have hoped. He did also show good negotiation skills. But as we know the whole thing was a disaster, based on ignorance and arrogance with no understanding of the circumstances that faced them. The League of Nations was impotent from the start. Perhaps he should better be remembered for his opening up of suffrage to women, provisions for the blind, education bills and land acts which greatly improved conditions of many people across the British isles. His fall came in 1922, when the Conservatives under Stanley Baldwin forced him from power as they had enough support to go alone. The Liberals were destroyed in the 1924 election, where it became a third rate party behind the Conservatives and Labour. Lloyd George entered the Lords and even tried his hand at Keynesian economics. Interestingly in his later career he felt that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh on Germany and supported them in international disputes, prior to WWII.

David Lloyd George: The Great Outsider is what history should not be. All narrative and no context. What did I learn about Lloyd George? He was difficult and as Hattersley says, had an almost pathological lust for women. But for such an important figure in British history at one of its key times, this book does not do him justice. Roy Jenkins did not want to write this biography as he could not stand Lloyd George, so Hattersley did and he should not have bothered. For me Lloyd George was a difficult character who not many people liked, his policies and legacy is mixed today. I feel that he was out of his depth and should not have been PM. But he was chosen, as a radical, in the crisis of the war. His social reforms did do some good, but his foreign policy was completely wrong and amateurish. Ultimately this book is so poor, someone else needs to come in a write another about a pretty awful character. But a talented biographer can make that readable, that is part of the magic and challenge of a good author or historian. I welcome all applicants.

[Lynne King · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the last Sunday in June 1911, Frances Stevenson (Lloyd George’s second wife) was taken by a friend to morning service at the essentially Welsh Baptist Church in Castle Street, Covent Garden. Lloyd George preached the sermon and she ‘instantly fell under the sway of his electric personality. I listened to his silver voice, observed his mastery over his audience … Although he spoke almost entirely in Welsh, I felt myself in some mysterious way drawn into the orbit of his personality'.

It is really strange but just over a hundred years later, I can relate to Frances Stevenson. My husband John was Welsh and when I first met him and he spoke to me, I was quite overcome. His voice was magical and I think I must have shown my immense liking and enthusiasm as he immediately asked me out and we married soon afterwards. I guess one just knows. Wonderful memories of that period.

Getting back to Lloyd George, well I would certainly never have read this biography as I don’t particularly like Roy Hattersley but it was at the time I was reading one on Roger Casement and then I found that Lloyd George came into the equation. In fact there is only one mention of Casement in this biography when Lloyd George was Secretary of State and in 1916 when the thought had been muted of Home Rule in Ireland and:

...before the bill had passed all its stages in the House of Commons, a member of Roger Casement’s Irish brigade emulated his leader (Casement had made a similar landing in anticipation of the 1916 rising’s success. H had been captured, convicted of treason and shot [sic: he was actually hanged)] by landing on the Irish coast from a German submarine and being instantly captured. His folly provided Lloyd George with the excuse to drop his proposals for both Irish conscription and Home Rule.

Being very pro-Welsh, I was soon intrigued but also equally annoyed by this individual, who by chance, when his father William George died, was taken under the wing of his mother’s brother Richard Lloyd, who arranged his education. If Betsy George had not contacted her brother Richard after the death of her husband, I’m sure that the destiny of Lloyd George would have been completely different but it was the words ‘Tyrd Richard’ (Come Richard) sent in a telegram that sealed his future. Furthermore, Richard Lloyd decided to add “Lloyd” to David’s surname which gave a certain richness to it to match his presence.

So how did the hand of fate bring politics into the equation? Several biographers have attempted to determine this but it appears to have been between 1880 and 1885.

In addition what did Lloyd George do for the UK at that time? Well he was first of all a radical and was the first Welshman to become prime minister and in fact the last liberal to hold this office. Many historians believe that his views and reforms were instrumental in the basic foundation establishment of the welfare state which eventually came into being in 1948.

What I particularly liked about this biography was that:

Lloyd George was a champion of the poor and Hattersley shows how his subject arose from rural Welsh obscurity to Westminster during some of the most turbulent decades of the twentieth century. He charts the great reforms, the first old age pension, sick pay and unemployment benefit of which Lloyd George was architect and engine with his People’s Budget of 1909 but he also sheds light on the complexity of the private man.

In his private life, Lloyd George was well-known for his philandering, in fact he was nicknamed “The Goat” and evidently he was indeed very goatish. What can one possibly say to that? He remained with his wife Margaret until her death and then eventually married Frances, who had been his mistress for over thirty years.

This is a somewhat dry biography but then many are. However, I do like the attention to detail given throughout and if the comment made by Roy Hattersley is true in the Acknowledgement, in that Roy Jenkins suggested that Hattersley write a biography (as he disliked this politician so much he could not envisage writing the book itself), well that may then have been a better biography but then who knows what he might have come up with? Biographies often have different interpretations of the basic documented information…

[Paul Bryant · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this one up, started it, put it down, picked it up weeks later, put it down, you know, is it him or is it me or maybe it’s David Lloyd George? But I think it’s him. Here’s the thing – I need the shelf space and this chunk is 700 pages. I bought this on a whim and now I need room for my more recent whims, which I hope will be more entertaining than this tiresome and bewildering trudge.

Here’s the other thing – he’s writing this for fellow wonks. You can tell because he never steps back to say, for instance, that in the year DLG was elected to the Commons the state of the parties was like this, and the Liberals believed this, Tories that, and DLG took this or that line, and so on. Orienteering. Very important in politics otherwise it’s all just names, names names.

[Jane Routley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author spent so much time telling me that Lloyd George was a pragmatic self-serving womanizer with not beliefs and implying that he was over rated that I went right off the book. Considering that Llloyd George spent his life trying to lessen the gap between rich and poor and that he instituted the age pension, its hard to believe that he had no firm beliefs at all or was completely self serving. I look forward to a less negative biography.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Lloyd George is a fascinating historical figure. A man who began life in a small Welsh village and ended up becoming Prime Minister and an immortal figure in British political history. Credited as the man who 'Won' the First World War and brought about great social changes there is a big difference between Lloyd George the polititian and Lloyd George the private man.

I first learnt about Lloyd George in school, even back then I recall being impressed at what he acheived during his political career. What he achieved in public office was taught to me but nothing much about the man himself. This book fills in alot of the gaps showing the reader that behind the confident, powerful polititian was a man with an Insaciable sexual appetite who kept a mistress for many years, spent as little time at home with his family as possible, was often at odds with his own party and, in the end, seemed to lose all the principals who made him such a formidable radical in the first place.

I came away from the book with more respect for Lloyd George. A man who certainly wasn't perfect (who is?) but undoubtably did alot of good for Britain whilst in power.

[Erez Davidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

David Lloyd George wasn't an easy person to like. Perhaps, this is why Roy Jenkins has declined to write a biography of Lloyd George himself. But for some reason, he didn't have any issue with suggesting to Roy Hattersley that he ought to write one. Hattersley masterfully sketches LG for better and for worse. If there is one thing to be said for certain about this biography, it is that Hattersley doesn't try to glorify his subject.

LG was no saint. He had numerous affairs over the years and rather neglected his children. Yet, he was a self-confident man and an ambitious politician who was one of the main forces behind the transformation of Britain into a welfare state and, as some might argue, an important contributor to the efforts of winning WWI.

The research of this book was excellent and every important event was thoroughly treated by Hattersley. My only quarrel with this book is the prose, which I thought to be fairly tedious. Other than that, this book ought to be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in British politics and history.

[Richard Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and I suppose also the undercurrent of the author's struggle to overcome his dislike for his subject. This latter point is surprising in that I had assumed that the radicalism of LG would have been something Roy Hattersley would have found sympathetic - similarly for Roy Jenkins. The plus side of the book is the politician's insights into and understanding of the nuances of another politician's life - the compromises, the cynicism of having to manoeuvre amongst friends, allies and opponents. It is long but LG had a very long and complex life both personally and politically and curtailing the narrative would entail cutting out substantial matters in his life

[John Bithell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough and thoroughly well researched and written.

[Shane Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally enjoyed this; can be heavy going at times and there's a lot of assumption made by Hattersley that people will know more about the period or certain incidents which can make certain parts of it frustrating. All in all though, it was interesting to read and would recommend for anyone with an interest in British politics or 20th Century history.

[Adrian Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a slog. It's a long book but it didn't have to be even though LG led a long and busy life. But too much extraneous detail for my un-scholarly liking. The book does come alive in its middle period from 1905-1922 when clearly LG was in his prime. Shame we have to wade through a lot before and after as well.

[Allan Heron · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's pretty clear that Hattersley really doesn't like Lloyd George, but there is much to dislike about the man. In fact, notwithstanding his main political achievements he's a pretty poor excuse for a Liberal.

The book is worth reading precisely because it's not hagiography but it takes too long to get going and many readers may have given up by then.

[Barbora Jirincova · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is very readable. I like the author´s style. It is full of admiration and healthy criticism at the same time.

[Stephen Morrissey · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an age of political "outsiders", Roy Hattersley's scintillating portrait of David Lloyd George, "The Man Who Won the War", is a stark reminder that outsiders have long strode the halls of Parliament. Growing up in Wales, Lloyd George earns early fame as a Nonconformist, pining for the disestablishment of the Anglican Church within Welsh boundaries. From then on, Lloyd George ascends the political ranks of London, with sharp wit and winding speeches that catch the attention of crowds and politicians alike.

The biography truly picks up during Lloyd George's tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he initiates the "People's Budget" that dramatically overhauls the welfare policies of Britain and, for the first time, sets about to correct the ill-gotten gains of capitalism. Lloyd George's relentless focus on taxes for appreciation from sitting on property, for instance, are sure to warm the hearts of modern-day Labour acolytes of men like Jeremy Corbyn.

After succeeding Asquith as Prime Minister, Lloyd George becomes singularly focused on winning the war against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Perhaps what is most surprising, beyond Lloyd George's obvious competencies in organizational effectiveness and munitions production, is his timidity towards Field Marshal Haig and his slaughter-heavy strategy on the Continent. One wonders whether Lloyd George could have pressed harder for a more dramatic turn of strategy that saved more lives, or at least more British lives.

In the end, Lloyd George is the ultimate outsider: a politician familiar to American politics, but altogether strange in that he ascended to the height of national power. Hattersley goes to great lengths to show the personal faults of the man, who left his wife in solitude while pursuing dalliances with various women, including Frances Stevenson.

In the end, Lloyd George becomes sidelined by his appeasement-like views towards Hitler's Germany in the days before the Second World War. Perhaps that was to be expected from a man who gyrated so often in his political career, and sought ambition and power, with few fixed principles and many ones he was willing to negotiate on.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine and interesting biography of the great outsider. Unfortunately my reading was stopped at circa page 422 by a momentous private event so I only completed the reading 3 months later . For this reason I shan’t attempt a detailed analysis ,
Other than to say Hattersley is a good if not great biographer - I don’t rate him as highly as Andrew Robert’s for example - and his subject is clearly a remarkable man

LiG did huge amounts to establish a safety net for the poor and working class. He introduced inter Allia , unemployment insurance , state pensions for the low paid. On land he fought against the vested interests of the aristocracy and landowning class - for example
Fighting to ensure a landowner would not get untaxed uplift on value of land which has been improved by others

In the First World War he was given great credit for organising munitions production to new levels needed by the war effort. As PM after 1916 he was given credit for pursuing a non negotiable victory and for trimming back the willingness of some generals to risk large numbers of men in battle.

His love life was complicated to say the least. He seems always to have been a man without set or inflexible principle . He was a great pragmatist. However it is the case that he fought and initiated a great many improvements for the lot of the poor and needy. Through the period 1908 to 1923 when he was at his zenith .

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where to start? This book covered Lloyd George's life in great detail from his upbringing in the Non Comformist chapel to his attempts to cling on to power in his waining years. His great asset was his oratory which was honed in the local debating societies. At the time he became an MP he had to support himself which made it very difficult for people with limited means to become a member of parliament. He was up against a very well established political setup especially when trying to ntroduce social welfare issues. Not only the establishment but the press who represented the ruling class also the King along with the Lords were to block many of the welfare bills eventually leading to the rule that after three rejections by the Lords the Bill could be passed by Parliament.
The part of the book dealing with the First World War showed difficult it was for the politicians to have any influence over the generals and also at the start of the war how ill prepared they were.
For the period he was very lucky to avoid the scandal of his many affairs which could have ended his career.
The intrigues in the political parties and the manouvering to acheive his aims were all covered in great detail .

All in all a very interesting book.

[David C Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A massive life and times biography of the seminal English radical politician of the first half of the 20th century. Incredible detail on the parliamentary/political battles from nondenominationalism to Versailles as well as an honest accounting of Lloyd George’s unpleasant, devious and self centered character. (His carelessness and cruelty toward women, whatever his “needs”, is astounding.) I’m not sure that “outsider” completely accounts for DLG’s egoism although there is a touch of the Groucho Marx in Duck Soup: “Whatever it is, I’m against it.” He was a destructive and grandiloquent orator whose speeches caught the attention of Hitler, no mean demagogue. His best work was when he initiated the beginnings of the welfare state around 1908. He imparted energy and drive to the wartime government but never faced down the generals. In another political system he might have become a strong man like Franco or Mussolini. (His praise of Hitler in the late 30s - and advocacy of a negotiated peace in 1940 - did him no credit.) It’s surprising that none of his enemies tried to take him down over his private life (among his conquests was his daughter in law); the Boy’s Club, I guess.

[paul cadman · Rating 5 out of 5]

reads well impressive scholarship

I used to really admire Lloyd George as a radical and outstanding speaker. I still do, but I think a large part of his critics are correct about the trust being wasted. Hattersley’s quotes of Keynes opinions of LlG may be substantially correct after all. I also think Hattersley gets LlG right in his ambition and restless pursuit of power and his overall character. As a teenager having just read the Limehouse speech I asked my grandmother about him who was born in 1899, she said he was a ‘tricky devil!’ The allure and charisma is I think still apparent now. I would like to know more about LlG the womaniser but it’s not a fit topic for any serious book and Hattersley is by no means squeamish on the topic but I expect students will never know the half of it. He did more good than bad and excoriated the establishment. More than good enough.

[Peter Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at the Lloyd George Museum in Llanystumdwy (the village where he was brought up as a child, and where he is now buried). I don’t think that the lovely, but obviously ardently pro Lloyd George, folk there would not be terribly keen on this accurate warts and all portrayal.
It details his: incredible degree of self-centredness, philandering, frequent abandonment of his family in favour of London or even further afield, and other flaws. However it does, in equal measure, laud him for his: social conscience, key role in the creation of UK’s welfare system, and his crucial contributions to the victory of the Allied powers in World War one. So all in all it is a balanced and very readable biography that I can heartily recommend. (providing you are looking for a Lloyd George biography…. :-) ).

[Andrew Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's taken me about 5 months to get through this - partly because it is a long book with small text - and partly because, at times, it gets bogged down in a great deal of, at times, confusing detail. I've no doubt that for someone with more knowledge of the period it covers (particularly that of the First World War, and of Lloyd George's Premiership) this is welcome - but for the novice it is, at times, too much.

[As a stylistic note, it also lacks the subsections that many books employ making it harder to find appropriate junctures at which to stop reading mid-chapter]

[Chris Purser · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fair portrayal of a politician who achieved much and could have achieved more but for a genius for making enemies out of allies. Hattersley dispassionately describes Lloyd George's inconsistencies and unprincipled egotism but also acknowledges his wit, charm and ability to get things done. A long read, and sometimes exhausting, but worth the journey.

[Richard Budworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hefty tome. Great work in amassing the evidence but hard to see the wood from the trees at times. A paragraph distilling the essential sources with an authorial overview would have helped with, for example, Asquith’s resignation. A bit of a trudge.

[Stephen Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit long for my taste. The author gave little insight into L G and what made him such a charismatic leader.

[David Kemple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable telling of a fascinating character’s life!

[Stephen Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars rounded up to 4)

[Steven Heywood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fair portrayal of a politician who achieved much and could have achieved more but for a genius for making enemies out of allies. Hattersley dispassionately describes Lloyd George's inconsistencies and unprincipled egotism but also acknowledges his wit, charm and ability to get things done. A long read, and sometimes exhausting, but worth the journey.

[Peter Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good - but not great. Too much detail on some inconsequential stuff and too much background knowledge presumed on behalf of the reader. Some lovely phrases used by Hattersley who is an accomplished wordsmith. However I sort of wish that Roy Jenkins had overcome his prejudice against Lloyd George and written the book.

[Ben GS · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a tome!