Robert Gilbert Vansittart Vansittart's Books

Faithful Witness

The Confidential Diaries of Alan Don, Chaplain to the King, the Archbishop and the Speaker, 1931-1946

By: EDITED BY ROBERT BEAKEN; FOREWORD BY ARCHBISHOP JUSTIN WELBY

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Faithful Witness

The Confidential Diaries of Alan Don, Chaplain to the King, the Archbishop and the Speaker, 1931-1946

By: EDITED BY ROBERT BEAKEN; FOREWORD BY ARCHBISHOP JUSTIN WELBY

In May 1931, Alan Don travelled from Dundee to Lambeth Palace to become Chaplain to Archbishop Cosmo Lang. During that journey he began a diary. He kept it faithfully for the next fifteen years, during which he also became Chaplain to the King and to the Speaker of the House of Commons. These positions afforded him a ringside view of some of the most momentous events in both British and world history – including the abdication of Edward VIII, the coronation of George VI, the rise of Hitler and the trauma of the Second World War. Now, for the first time, these fascinating diaries are laid open. They offer a wealth of detailed insight into the ecclesiastical, royal and parliamentary affairs of Britain and her élite during two historically significant decades. They also open a window on the history of the Church of England and its role in the social, political and military upheavals of the 1930s and 40s. Anyone who wants to know more about how Great Britain survived those turbulent times, will be amply rewarded by this engaging, perceptive and revealing eye-witness account.

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Page Count

1063

Publisher

SPCK

Published Date

ISBN 10

0281083991

ISBN 13

9780281083992

British Subversive Propaganda during the Second World War

Germany, National Socialism and the Political Warfare Executive

By: Kirk Robert Graham

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British Subversive Propaganda during the Second World War

Germany, National Socialism and the Political Warfare Executive

By: Kirk Robert Graham

This book offers the first in-depth intellectual and cultural history of British subversive propaganda during the Second World War. Focussing on the Political Warfare Executive (PWE), it tells the story of British efforts to undermine German morale and promote resistance against Nazi hegemony. Staffed by civil servants, journalists, academics and anti-fascist European exiles, PWE oversaw the BBC European Service alongside more than forty unique clandestine radio stations; they maintained a prolific outpouring of subversive leaflets and other printed propaganda; and they trained secret agents in psychological warfare. British policy during the occupation of Germany stemmed in part from the wartime insights and experiences of these propagandists. Rather than analyse military strategy or tactics, British Subversive Propaganda during the Second World War draws on a wealth of archival material from collections in Germany and Britain to develop a critical genealogy of British ideas about Germany and National Socialism. British propagandists invoked discourses around history, morality, psychology, sexuality and religion in order to conceive of an audience susceptible to morale subversion. Revealing much about the contours of mid-century European thought and the origins of our own heavily propagandised world, this book provides unique insights for anyone researching British history, the Second World War, or the fight against fascism.

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Page Count

308

Publisher

Springer Nature

Published Date

ISBN 10

3030716643

ISBN 13

9783030716646

Neville Chamberlain

A Biography

By: Robert Self

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Neville Chamberlain

A Biography

By: Robert Self

History has not looked kindly upon Neville Chamberlain. Despite a long and distinguished political career, his trip to Munich in 1938 and the 'appeasement' of Hitler have forever overshadowed his many other achievements and blighted his reputation, his name now synonymous with the futility of trying to reason with dictators and bullies. Yet, as this biography shows, there is much more to this complex and intriguing character than is generally supposed, and even the infamous events of 1938 are open to more charitable interpretations than is usually the case. Appeasement brought the British government crucial time in which to rearm, and in particular allowed the RAF to drastically increase the number of fighter aircraft it could muster for the Battle of Britain during the summer of 1940. Based on the study of over 150 collections of private papers on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as exhaustive exploration of British government records held in the National Archives, it is no exaggeration to say that the author has surveyed virtually all the existing archival material written by or to Chamberlain, as well as a high proportion of that referring to him. As such, this volume will no doubt establish itself as the definitive account of Chamberlain's life and career, and provide a much fuller and fairer picture of his actions than has hitherto been the case.

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Page Count

614

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1351915169

ISBN 13

9781351915168

Britain, America and the War Debt Controversy

The Economic Diplomacy of an Unspecial Relationship, 1917-45

By: Robert Self

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Britain, America and the War Debt Controversy

The Economic Diplomacy of an Unspecial Relationship, 1917-45

By: Robert Self

This volume throws important new light upon a pivotal period of transition in the Anglo-American relationship and sets the stage for its equally dramatic transformation during and after the Second World War. Based upon extensive research in previously unpublished archival material on both sides of the Atlantic, for the first time this book offers a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the war debt problem from its origins at the end of the First World War until its final removal with the launch of Roosevelt's Lend-Lease programme in 1940-41. This work will be of great interest to diplomats and journalists, as well as to students and scholars of political, diplomatic, economic and international history.

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Page Count

276

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1134268912

ISBN 13

9781134268917

Leadership and Responsibility in the Second World War

Essays in Honour of Robert Vogel

By: Robert Vogel

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Leadership and Responsibility in the Second World War

Essays in Honour of Robert Vogel

By: Robert Vogel

Leadership is crucial in every conflict and the willingness to accept responsibility is a vital dimension of leadership. Leadership and Responsibility in the Second World War examines of how well political, diplomatic, and military leaders, particularly in Great Britain, handled the daunting challenge of a worldwide conflagration. It seeks to determine if a connection can be delineated between leadership, responsibility, success, and failure -specifically if any connection can be found between reluctance to shoulder responsibility and failure to produce results. In so doing, the authors challenge widely accepted views on major wartime controversies, such as the role of Neville Chamberlain and his Conservative Party at the outbreak of the war, the reasons why the British failed to reach an alliance with the Soviet Union in 1939, and the motives that drove Claus von Stauffenberg to attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Leadership and Responsibility in the Second World War provokes reflection about questions of character, context, and circumstances in wartime leadership.

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308

Publisher

McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published Date

ISBN 10

0773527311

ISBN 13

9780773527317

When Capitalists Collide

Business Conflict and the End of Empire in Egypt

By: Robert Vitalis

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When Capitalists Collide

Business Conflict and the End of Empire in Egypt

By: Robert Vitalis

Robert Vitalis's empirically rich study challenges the left-nationalist paradigm through which twentieth-century Egyptian history and politics has generally been interpreted. He argues with those who explain Egyptian economic development primarily in terms of class and of power struggles between British and Egyptian entrepreneurs and politicians. Vitalis offers a rare, detailed view of the objectives and political strategies of both international firms and Egypt's own big business rivals. He highlights the career of Muhammad Ahmad 'Abbud, modern Egypt's most successful businessman. Vitalis's argument can be effectively applied to many other developing countries and his book makes a major contribution to ongoing debates regarding class, underdevelopment, and nationalism. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1995.

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