CiNii Books - Macmillan

This is part of a wide-ranging series which provides critical studies of key political figures in world history since 1500. The books are not biographies, though inevitably they contain much biographical data; rather they are succinct interpretative essays analyzing the major features of the career within the context of its own time. Harold Macmillan (Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer under Eden until Suez, then Prime Minister 1957-63) presided over the dissolution of the British Empire and the first stages of irreversible economic decline. It was an unlucky end to a political career that had seen Britain's steady extinction as a Great Power. His ultimate reputation will depend on how posterity judges his understanding of these changes, and his skill in adapting himself and his country to meet them. This account of his career is a step towards a mature assessment. Turner argues that Macmillan was more successful and farsighted that his recent reputation allows, but also that his "unflappable" image was the creation of a devious, highly strung political operator, who used his position in government ruthlessly to reinforce his party's dominant position in British politics. The study traces Macmillan's rise to influence under Churchill during World War II, and explores the origins and nature of his political ideas and political ambitions. It analyzes his adroit political manoeuvring after Suez, which destroyed Eden and allowed Macmillan to snatch the premiership for himself under the nose of his life-long rival R. A. Butler. It also assesses the achievements and failures of his premiership: the stop-go economic policies, the special relationship with the US, the decolonization process, and the first failed attempt of Britain to join the European Common Market. Short, analytical, and contextual, this book should serve both students (placing Macmillan in national and international politics) and specialists (with its judicious evaluation of a figure who is only now coming properly into historical focus).

Table of Contents

Introduction: Supermac 1894-1986
Macmillan in profile. Part 1: the last Edwardian. Part 2: launching a career, 1922-1940
ambition
confusion and despair
return and confusion
the middle way
in the wilderness. Part 3: the Second World War, 1938-1945
appeasement
war
IV???. Part 4: the greasy pole, 1945-1955
opposition
Europe
opportunity
defence
to the front rank. Part 5: the opportunity, 1955-1956
a great European
Cyprus
Egypt, 1955
the treasury
Suez
the reckoning. Part 6: the world's a stage I - from Suez to the Paris Summit
not quite a superpower
Part 7: the world's a stage II - from the Paris Summit to the Test-ban Treaty
the nuclear threat
Cuba
Skybolt and the Test-ban Treaty. Part 8: imperial retreat
winding down the Empire
the Congo and the limits of power
imperial overstretch in Africa?
the end of informal empire
still at the top table?. Part 9: towards Europe. Part 10: "is it too good to last?" - policy and politics at home, 1957-1963
managing the economy - the first phase
managing the economy - the second phase
managing the economy - the last phase
managing the party
Lloyd, Profumo and encircling gloom
dusk. Part 11: Macmillan in perspective.

Volume: : pbk ISBN 9780582553866

Description

Harold Macmillan presided over the dissolution of the British Empire and the first stages of irreversible economic decline. It was an unlucky end to a political career which had seen Britain's steady extinction as a Great Power, and his reputation will depend on how posterity judges his understanding of these changes, and his skill in adapting himself and his country to meet them. This short but trenchant study of his aims, abilities and achievements concentrates on the premiership, against the background of his political education and rise to power.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Introduction: Supermac 1894-1986 1. The last Edwardian 2. Launching a Career 1922-40 3. The Second World War 1938-45 4. The Greasy Pole 1944-55 5. The Opportunity 1955-56 6. From Suez to Paris Summit 7. From the Paris Summit to Test-Ban Treaty 8. Imperial Retreat 9. Towards Europe 10. 'Is it too good to last?' Policy and Politics at Home 1957-63 11. Macmillan in perspective

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