H. Pelling – författare

Now in its eleventh edition, this book provides a concise introductory account of the Labour Party from its foundation up to Tony Blair''s leadership, and the subsequent redrafting of the party''s statement of aims in its constitution. It describes the main groups involved in the foundation of the party and the main influences on its changes of policy. It also describes the role of the trade unions within the party and their relations with the parliamentary leadership and the rank-and-file members. It concludes by discussing the problems Labour has faced in gaining an effective parliamentary majority, and the solutions which have been devised by successive generations of the party''s leadership. This book thus provides the essential background for an understanding of current politics.

This book, by the author of the best-seller 'Winston Churchill' , is a concise reassessment of the first postwar British Governments based upon original sources - a task not previously attempted by any scholar. While sympathetic to Labour's aims in the 1945 general election campaign - which itself receives fresh treatment - Henry Pelling exposes areas of difficulty and weakness in the Government's strategy and uncovers the doubts and hesitations of its leaders. Much of the evidence comes from official papers recently released to the Public Record Office; but the private papers of Attlee, Morrison, Bevin and Dalton, among others, have been drawn upon to add details to the story. For the first time, too, there is a study of the importance of Marshall Aid, as well as of the friction that is occassioned behind-the-scenes with the Truman Administration and the US Congress. Highly readable, this book makes a major contribution to recent history and to a better understanding of the present political and international situation.

A Short History of the Labour Party is the classic account of the rise of the Labour Party from its foundation through to Tony Blair's second term as Prime Minister. Thoroughly revised and updated, it describes the events that led to the inception of the party, the role of the trade unions within the party, the successes and failures of the twentieth century and the revival of the party's fortunes under Kinnock, Smith and then Blair. It closes with an analysis of the current crisis that the Party faces over its foreign policy choices since 9/11 including the war in Iraq. This book thus provides the essential background for an understanding and appreciation of today's political debates.