Overview
A study of influential British Labour Party politician Aneurin Bevan as a political thinker. Despite his contemporary legacy as an institutional pioneer, many fundamental disagreements remain concerning Aneurin Bevan's politics. In times of intense internal Labour Party conflict, Bevan is regularly invoked by different factions to serve different purposes. Some revere him as a pragmatic institution builder, while others emphasize his political radicalism and dedication to socialism. In response, this book takes a new approach by treating Bevan as a political thinker and reconstructing his political thought. This offers an alternative perspective on a complex figure and provides new insight into Bevan's intellectual development and the ideas that drove his politics, including his analysis of class conflict, his commitment to parliamentary politics, and his outlook on international relations. The book also locates Bevan within the British Labour Party's ideological traditions, highlighting moments of tension and compromise with the core tenets of labourism.
Full Product Details
Author: Nye Davies
Publisher: University of Wales Press
Imprint: University of Wales Press
Dimensions:
Width: 13.80cm
, Height: 1.40cm
, Length: 21.60cm
ISBN: 9781837721412
ISBN 10: 1837721416
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 15 September 2024
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Awaiting stock
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Reviews
""Davies' book provides us with what has long been needed: a thoroughgoing analysis of Aneurin Bevan's political thought. His is a lucid, rigorous and original synthesis of the ideas that guided one of the 20th century's greatest politicians, whose actions changed Britain profoundly. This is an insightful and creative analysis, typified by its location of Bevan's international politics at the heart of his vision. It marks a crucial intervention in the study of the Labour Party and progressive politics in the UK - and in this regard, exposes the paucity of the politics of the left today, which so readily invokes this Welsh hero.""-- ""Dr Huw Williams, Cardiff University"" ""Through a comprehensive analysis of Bevan's political thinking, this excellent book provides a timely reminder of the need for a socialist vision that encapsulates the class struggle, fair pay, public ownership, pluralism, constitutional change, and the need to transform society in the interests of the working class. It is a must read for any politician who cares.""-- ""Beth Winter, Labour MP for Cynon Valley, 2019-24"" ""When canvassers knock on your door, the key question to ask is not ""What will you do?"" but ""What do you believe?"" That's what this book is all about. The creator of the NHS is well known, and the author of The Political Thought of Aneurin Bevan explores the beliefs and values on which Bevan's work was founded. The one cannot be understood without the other; read this book, and you'll never be without the right question again.""-- ""Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales, 2018-24""
Author Information
Nye Davies is a member of the Wales Governance Centre and a lecturer in politics at Cardiff University in Wales.
