Nineteenth Century Premiers: Pitt to Rosebery [Hardcover]

Following A Century of Premiers: Salisbury to Blair, Leonard turns his attention to their 19th Century predecessors. In a series of 20 biographical essays, he recounts the principal events of their political careers,?assesses their performance as Prime Ministers, and asks what lasting influence they have had.Introduction William Pitt, the Younger  Reformer turned Reactionary? Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth  better than his reputation? William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville  not quite 'All the Talents' William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland  Whig into Tory Spencer Perceval  struck down in his prime Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool  keeping the show on the road George Canning  in the footsteps of Pitt Frederick John Robinson, Viscount Goderich, 1st Earl of Ripon  inadequate stopgap Arthur Wesley (Wellesley), 1st Duke of Wellington  military hero, political misfit? Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey  In the footsteps of Fox William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne  mentor to a young monarch Sir Robert Peel  arch pragmatist or Tory traitor? Lord John Russell, 1st Earl Russell  from Whig to Liberal Edward Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby  'The brilliant chief, irregularly great' George Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen - failure or scapegoat? Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston  master diplomat or playground bully? Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield  climbing 'the greasy pole' William Ewart Gladstone  from 'stern unbending Tory' to 'the people's William' Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquis of Salisbury  the ultimate High Tory Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery  dying fall?

'Dick Leonard's Nineteenth Century Premiers is a tour de force - exciting to read, often funny, and full of penetrating insights as well as revealing and sometimes hilarious anecdotes. In each chapter, Leonard manages to weave the political activities and achievements of his subjects together with deft and sympathetic accounts of their private llӥ