Paul Addison
Partisans in Whitehall
Ministers at War: Winston Churchill and his War Cabinet
By Jonathan Schneer
Oneworld 323pp £20 order from our bookshop
In British politics both world wars were unifying in some ways and divisive in others. The need to close ranks against the enemy and set aside peacetime quarrels for the duration of the conflict was self-evident. Hence the formation of coalition governments, the suspension of civil liberties and the rise of temporary dictators – Lloyd George in 1916 and Churchill in 1940. But wars also generated discontent. As Asquith discovered in the First World War, and Chamberlain in the Second, no prime minister could survive an apparently endless run of military defeats. In the Second World War, the long march to victory posed problems of its own. With the defeat of Germany in prospect from 1943 onwards, party conflict began to revive, but a long and hazardous war had still to be fought and the rage of the party contained.
Jonathan Schneer’s new book is a history of the struggle for power at the top during the Second World War. The subtitle, ‘Churchill and his War Cabinet’, is a little misleading. A true history of the War Cabinet would need to encompass all aspects of its agenda: military, diplomatic, social,
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
'The eight years he has spent in solitary confinement have had a devastating impact on his mental health ... human rights organisations believe his detention is punishment for his critical views.'
@lucyjpop on the Egyptian activist and poet Ahmed Douma.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/ahmed-douma
'We nipped down Mount Pleasant ... me marvelling at London all over again because the back of a Vespa gives you the everyday world like nothing else can.'
Ali Smith writes this month's diary.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/temple-of-vespa
We were saddened to hear of the recent passing of the novelist Elspeth Barker, a valued contributor to Literary Review over the years. (1/2)