Ernest Bevin: from Devon Farm Boy to Foreign Secretary

by Professor Andrew Thorpe

Thursday 9 February 2017
Thorpe Ernest Bevin

Ernest Bevin (1881-1951) rose from humble origins in the South West to become one of the leading figures in twentieth-century British politics. This lecture will trace his development as founder of Britain’s largest trade union, power-broker of the inter-war Labour party, key minister in Churchill’s war cabinet, and Foreign Secretary in Attlee’s post-war Labour government, assessing both his own contribution and what it tells us more generally about the development of modern British politics. 

Andrew Thorpe is Professor of Modern British History and Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of Humanities at the University of Exeter. Among his publications are: The British General Election of 1931 (1991); Britain in the 1930s (1992); The British Communist Party and Moscow, 1920-1943 (2000); Parties at War: Political Organization in Second World War Britain (2009); and A History of the British Labour Party (4th edn. 2015).  He is currently researching and writing on the life and political career of the Labour leader, Arthur Henderson (1863-1935) and co-editing (with Richard Toye) the political diaries of Cecil Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth (1869-1948) for the Royal Historical Society. 

More Upcoming Talks

Talks are held in the Digby Hall, Hound Street, Sherborne, starting at 8pm.

Complimentary tea and coffee are available from 7.15pm.

27 Sep
2016

China, the Modern Nation

by Jane Macartney

Tuesday 27 September 2016
In the 20th century few countries experienced such dramatic political, social and cultural change as China. The recently retired China Foreign Correspondent for The Times is well placed to offer an exciting new account of its recent history.
11 Oct
2016

Without Let or Hindrance: the story of passports

by Martin Lloyd

Tuesday 11 October 2016
The evolution of an indispensable, if sometimes taken-for-granted, document.