Balfour: The Last Grandee

by R.J.Q. Adams

A scion of two great families, Arthur James Balfour was born to wealth and privilege and possessed intellect and charm in legendary abundance. On succeeding his uncle as Prime Minister in 1902, it seemed that he had come into his inheritance: a true grandee, his path to the summit of power seemed to be almost without obstruction. He held office longer than any other Cabinet minister and dealt with successes and defeats with similar equanimity during his 50-year career. Balfour was a Conservative but never a true-blue Tory like the powerful squirearchy who viewed him with awe but often found him difficult to understand. He was in fact many different things: a Scottish laird and an English sophisticate; a ferocious partisan and a celebrated philosopher; a champion of Christianity yet a defender of spiritualism; an Imperialist and a Zionist; an Etonian and a reformer of state education. His premiership was eventually destroyed by party strife, yet he was the maker of the 1917 Balfour Declaration as well as the 1926 Balfour Definition of the Commonwealth, and at age 73 he dominated the pivotal 1921–2 Washington Naval Conference. Balfour’s was a remarkable life, unimaginable today no matter one’s talents or wealth.

Genres: Biography, History

496 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

If one is moderately interested in 19th and early 20th century Britain, the career of AJB is an excellent place to start. 20 years old when the second reform act was signed and a backbench during the eastern crisis of 1876, Balfour’s long career went on to include chief secretary for Ireland, being prime minister, the interminable tariff reform struggle, the peers versus the people crisis, before losing the party leadership. A second act included the First World War, the downfall of Asquith, becoming foreign secretary and then watching the collapse of the Lloyd-George coalition. His career as a cabinet minister ended only in 1929. Unfortunately the author is frustratingly laconic in his analysis of much of this and for a such a career 494pp does not feel enough. There is a lot of description of events without enough reflection on the qualities of Balfour.

[Ravi Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive book showing how the grandee aristocrat went on to become the Prime Minister and his typical of the age view of the world and how a country should be run.

His treatment of the Irish during the rent strikes earned him the nickname 'Bloody Balfour', which will not endear him to much, those who survive that episode may hate him from supporting the creation of the Jewish state of Israel, which is also named after him, known as the Balfour Declaration.

Typical out of touch with the world or reality kind of person so true to his class. Typical man of his time with nothing really remarkable to his name other than the two things mentioned above. The book is readable and informative with nothing heavy going and a pleasure to read. Shame about the subject matter.

[Igor Zurimendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it draws a clear picture of Balfour's personality, and treats its subject seriously, I found the writing disjointed. It tries to be a bit too much the biography of Balfour the man - I wanted a biography of Balfour the politician, not the minor philosopher.

[Wendy Cleary · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are only a few books I’ve not been able to finish. This is one of them. I found the writing very dry and old fashioned. It just didn’t interest me.