H. H. Asquith: Last of the Romans

H. H. Asquith, the longest-serving British prime minister between Lord Liverpool and Margaret Thatcher, is the subject of Last of the Romans. V. Markham Lester's book challenges previous interpretations by examining Asquith's early career, particularly his tenure as home secretary and barrister, and demonstrating his success as a war leader due to his reliance on rational thought, eloquence, and self-control.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 390 pages
Publication date: 15 May 2023
Publisher: Lexington Books

H. H. Asquith, the longest-serving British prime minister between Lord Liverpool and Margaret Thatcher, is the subject of Last of the Romans, a book by V. Markham Lester. Lester contends that understanding Asquith requires recognizing the classical virtues he acquired early in his education. He challenges many interpretations in earlier biographies by employing unpublished sources and documents made public since the last full-scale biography of Asquith was published more than forty years ago. Previous studies of Asquith have often glossed over his education and early years, contending that his development did not contribute materially to his mature outlook. On the contrary, by examining thoroughly Asquith's early career, particularly his tenure as home secretary and his time as a barrister, this book offers unappreciated insights into Asquith's character and development as a political leader.

Lester further challenges the previous conclusions that Asquith failed as a war leader, demonstrating that Asquith succeeded in meeting the novel challenges of World War I and that his accomplishments have been insufficiently understood. He explains how Asquith's lifelong reliance on rational thought, eloquence, and self-control produced the impressive leadership required to hold the fragile government together as it struggled to handle the unexpected and unprecedented challenges of world war and to lay the foundation for ultimate victory in the Great War.

Weight: 621g
Dimension: 229 x 151 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781498591058