Abstract
Clement Attlee, despite the autobiographies written about him, is still something of an enigma to many academics. The original ‘quiet man’ of politics, his time as Labour party leader is almost unique, and Robert Crowcroft has turned his attention to one of the less frequently covered periods, Attlee's leadership during the Second World War.
Generally, Attlee is considered in terms of his time in government, or his time as party leader between 1935 and 1955, but here Crowcroft focuses purely on the war years and Attlee's contribution both to the war effort and to his party. Crowcroft argues, very convincingly, that Attlee is often considered simply to be a lucky man. The leadership came to him in 1935 because of a lack of other, better, options, and he just happened to be in the right place at the right time to win the 1945 election against the heavy-hitting Winston Churchill.
Crowcroft maintains that this was not the case and that Attlee was crucial to the success of the Labour party in 1945, and his book explains how Attlee was able to contribute to that success. In Crowcroft's opinion, and with the notable exception of Kenneth Harris’ Attlee, all other biographies of Attlee fail to shed light on Attlee, leaving him as rather an elusive figure. Equally, the focus of much of the literature on the 1945 election is on how the Conservatives lost the election rather than how the Labour party won it.
It is undoubtedly true that, despite all the studies of Attlee, he still seems to be a far more enigmatic figure than many of his colleagues or Conservative counterparts. However, this is in part due to Attlee's own personality, the lack of television interviews with him, and perhaps even a certain eagerness in some quarters to keep him as a rather elusive jewel in the party's history. Crowcroft has certainly selected a topic here that was ripe for consideration, and his work is very good. The writing style is excellent, and his argument is seamlessly pulled together with a plethora of supporting sources. This is a book that you will want to read and want to finish – always a plus.
While not having the breadth of other autobiographies of Attlee, this book rightly deserves a prominent place in the wartime accounts of the Labour party and the biographies of the original ‘quiet man’.