Margaret Bondfield

The Life and Times of Britain’s First Female Cabinet Minister

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

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Beskrivning

A groundbreaking biography of Margaret Bondfield, the remarkable political pioneer and working-class woman who rose to become the first female Cabinet Minister in the 1929 Labour government. Rising from modest semi-rural, semi-industrial origins in the West Country, and years of apprenticeship in shops in Brighton, Bondfield became the first woman to chair the TUC, one of the first female Labour MPs, the first woman to hold government office (1924) and in 1929, the first female Cabinet Minister. Most of her life was lived in the public eye, but what lay behind her public achievements? In this remarkable book, historian Nan Sloane looks beyond the public façade to reveal Bondfield's hidden personal story, from her complicated personality with a difficult background, a private life which was either secret or non-existent, and a lifelong struggle with imposter syndrome. Drawing on newly uncovered archival material, including Bondfield's own diaries, this is a fresh and vitally needed reassessment of Margaret Bondfield’s influential life and contribution. A vital and timely biography that restores Bondfield to her rightful and prominent place in British political history.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2026-02-19
Mått:240 x 10 x 160 mm
Vikt:510 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:248
Förlag:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN:9781350513655

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Mer om författaren

Nan Sloane is an author, speaker and trainer with an interest in the role of women in the public space, particularly in politics and the Labour Party. Her books include Uncontrollable Women: Radicals, Reformers and Revolutionaries (2022), The Women In the Room: Labour’s Forgotten History (2018), In Our Own Words: A Dictionary of Women's Political Quotations (2016), and A Great Act of Justice: The Flapper Election and After (2009).

Recensioner i media

Nan Sloane’s new biography of Margaret Bondfield illuminates the remarkable life of a woman who rose from unpromising beginnings to the Cabinet table. This enjoyable account of a real political pioneer reminds us of a woman who, though a national figure in her day, is almost unknown now, and restores her to her proper place in the political life of her times.

Innehållsförteckning

AcknowledgementsIllustrationsAbbreviations1. Introduction: A Niche in History2. We Were Not Given to Tears3. Eager, Attractive and Vivacious4. The Right Thing to Do5. Organise and Educate!6. Not Sex, But Class7. They Want to See Something Done8. Bread and Roses9. The End is Not Yet10. Events Beyond Control11. Isn’t It Glorious!12. Are You Really Going to Russia?13. An Unprecedented Double14. A Strange Adventure15. That Detestable Affair16. Some Woman Was Bound to be First17. I Had Not Stopped Growing18. Epilogue: This Remarkable WomanBibliographyReferencesIndex