To Build a New Jerusalem: Labour Movement from the 1890s to the 1990s

by A. J. Davies (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  1996

  $3.27

  In August 1892, Keir Hardie took up his seat in Parliament as the first independent Labour MP. Hardie's world was a bleak one of factories, cities, fledgling trade unions and manual work. Today, over a century on, the computer terminal has replaced the cloth cap and the party leader, Tony Blair, is on the verge of becoming the first Labour Prime Minister for nearly 20 years. This work traces the development of the Labour Party and explores the lives and careers of the individuals who shaped it - Hardie, who left school at eight; vain and handsome Ramsay MacDonald; pedagogic Clement Atlee and avuncular Jim Callaghan - and analyzes recurring and contentious issues such as defence, the economy, welfare and Europe. At a time when a new Labour is resurgent in Britain under Blair's leadership, this assessment discusses how the current party directly stems from its past.

• Used

  Hardcover
  1992

  $3.27

  100 years ago the British Labour Movement started to create its own societies and political parties. Today, a century on, Andrew Davies looks at the history and character of the British Left . Throughout the world the Left is in turmoil, but in Britain the crisis seems especially severe. Why should this be? How many of the Left's present problems spring from its historical development? Who is and has been on the Left in the past, and why. Is the Left likely to recover its self-confidence and strength by the beginning of the 21st century?