In the Name of God, Go!: Leo Amery and the British Empire in the Age of Churchill

by William Roger Louis

Amery (1873-1955) was a leading British imperialist who played a pivotal role in the fall of Neville Chamberlain and the rise of Winston Churchill. Louis, a noted historian of 20th-century Britain, portrays Amery's part in those events as well as in the evolution of the British Empire and Commonwealth. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

200 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1992

About the author

William Roger Louis CBE FBA, also known as Wm. Roger Louis, or Roger Louis, informally, is an American historian, currently distinguished historian at the University of Texas at Austin. Louis is the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford History of the British Empire, the former President of the American Historical Association, the former Chairman of the Department of State Historical Advisory Committee, and the Founding Director of the American Historical Association's National History Center in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[Wyatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enlightening but dense read. I wouldn't recommend this as an introduction to the subject, as a moderate level of knowledge on British imperialism and India policy seems to be implied.

I started reading this to gain a better understand what working with Churchill was like from a diplomatic standpoint, and feel that this book adequately helped shed light in that department. In the process I learned alot about British policy towards India.

[Marks54 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of three lectures turned into essays about the life of Leo Amery. I knew of Amery from my reading of British history but he played a large role in the government of India during WWII. He is an example of one form of Imperialist that wanted to develop a more sophisticated structure of empire around an economy of "Imperial Preference". He also had a significant role in the development of the British Empire during and after WWI, including the famous Balfour Declaration about a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

He was also famous for his parliamentary oratory, including his famous quoting of Cromwell against Neville Chamberlain, in the debates leading to the fall of Chamberlain's government and the rise of Churchill as the Prime Minister. That is the source of the title quote.

For those interested in this area of history, these are fairly short and effective essays that provide good detail in support of broader histories.