Britain's Second Labour Government, 1929-31: A Reappraisal. By John Shepherd, Jonathan Davis and Chris Wrigley.

Abstract

There is good coverage of the second Labour government in C.L. Mowat’s book on the inter-war years. General histories of the party also contain a summary of the facts. Given this, the desideratum is for some new analysis or unknown facets to be brought to light. The present book, containing 13 chapters, has been ably edited. It derives from a conference held in 2009. The choice of what is included is justified, but with completely free reins, there might have been room also for chapters on foreign policy and women. Labour was generally lauded for its handling of foreign affairs and had concentrated to a marked extent on women’s issues during the election. Philip Snowden managed to uphold Britain’s share of German reparations at the 1929 Hague Conference. Arthur Henderson’s involvement in the League of Nations’ disarmament efforts led to his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934. Margaret Bondfield became the first female cabinet minister in 1929.