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Continuing the Politico's Great Statesmen series - a life of one of the most influential Britons of the 20th century, critically acclaimed on first publication and reissued owing to popular demand
Clement Attlee is seen in popular myth as a small, unassuming and modest man (Churchill once said that he had 'plenty to be modest about'). In fact he was a subtle and skilful political operator – swift, decisive, ruthless and cunning. Inspired by the squalor of the living conditions he had seen in the East End of London, he determined to put an end to poverty – with the result that his government revolutionised British society. The welfare state and the National Health Service were created, and money was found to build new schools and expand higher education – even at a time just after the Second World War when Britain was virtually bankrupt. This book concentrates on his political career, but also gives ample coverage to his childhood and his family life. 'Beckett gets near to the essence of Attlee' Roy Jenkins 'An incisive personal history of the complex yet remarkable politician Clement Richard Attlee... engrossing yet sympathetic study' Morning Star 'Excellent updated edition of... Beckett's fascinating and extremely well-researched biography' Islington Tribune About Francis Beckett Francis Beckett is a freelance journalist, writing regularly for The New Statesman, The Guardian and The Times Educational Supplement about education as well as politics and contemporary history. His other books are: Enemy Within, about Britain's Communists was published in 1995 to critical acclaim; and The Rebel Who Lost His Cause, about the extraordinary personal and political odyssey of his own father, published in 1999. He is a former Labour Party press officer and a former president of the National Union of journalists. His first play, The Sons of Catholic Gentlemen, was broadcast by LBC in September 1997.
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