70-677: Stanley Baldwin of the Conservative Party formed the second Baldwin ministry upon his reappointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by King George V after the 1924 general election . His second ministry ended following the so-called " Flapper Election " of May 1929. Members of the Cabinet are in bold face. Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley , (3 August 1867 – 14 December 1947)
140-575: A JP for the county of Worcestershire . Baldwin married Lucy Ridsdale on 12 September 1892. Following the birth of a still-born son in January 1894, the couple had six surviving children: Baldwin's youngest daughter, Lady Betty, was severely injured by shrapnel in March 1941 as a result of a bombing raid which destroyed the Café de Paris nightclub she was attending. She required facial reconstruction surgery from
210-508: A National Government , most of whose ministers were Conservatives, which won an enormous majority at the 1931 general election . As Lord President of the Council and one of four Conservatives among the small ten-member Cabinet, Baldwin took over many of the Prime Minister's duties when MacDonald's health deteriorated. This government saw an Act delivering increased self-government for India,
280-404: A Disarmament Convention, and then said: when I speak of a Disarmament Convention I do not mean disarmament on the part of this country and not on the part of any other. I mean the limitation of armaments as a real limitation...and if we find ourselves on some lower rating and that some other country has higher figures, that country has to come down and we have to go up until we meet. Germany left
350-536: A divisive issue. The election was inconclusive: the Conservatives had 258 MPs, Labour 191 and the reunited Liberals 159. Whilst the Conservatives retained a plurality in the House of Commons, they had been clearly defeated on the central issue: tariffs. Baldwin remained prime minister until the opening of the new Parliament in January 1924, when his administration was defeated in a vote on its legislative programme set out in
420-574: A further election. Thus Baldwin turned towards a degree of protectionism which would remain a key party message during his lifetime. With the country facing growing unemployment in the wake of free trade imports driving down prices and profits, Baldwin decided to call an early general election in December 1923 to seek a mandate to introduce protectionist tariffs which, he hoped, would drive down unemployment and spur an economic recovery. He expected to unite his party but he divided it, for protectionism proved
490-489: A humanitarian welfare state which would guarantee a minimum living standard for those unable to work or who took out national insurance . In 1927, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society . In 1929 Labour returned to office as the largest party in the House of Commons (although without an overall majority) despite obtaining fewer votes than the Conservatives. In opposition, Baldwin was almost ousted as party leader by
560-672: A landslide majority of 223 for the Conservative party, primarily at the expense of an unpopular Liberal Party . Baldwin campaigned on the "impracticability" of socialism, the Campbell Case , the Zinoviev letter (which Baldwin thought was genuine, and the Conservatives leaked to the Daily Mail at a most damaging time to the Labour campaign; the letter is now widely believed to have been a forgery ) and
630-542: A measure opposed by Churchill and by many rank-and-file Conservatives. The Statute of Westminster 1931 gave Dominion status to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, while taking the first step towards the Commonwealth of Nations . As party leader, Baldwin made many striking innovations, such as clever use of radio and film, that made him highly visible to the public and strengthened Conservative appeal. In 1935, Baldwin replaced MacDonald as prime minister and won
700-487: A month, wherever the sovereign may be residing at the time, to give formal approval to Orders in Council . Only a few privy counsellors need attend such meetings, and only when invited to do so at the government's request. As the duties of the Lord President are not onerous, the post has often been given to a government minister whose responsibilities are not department-specific. In recent years it has been most typical for
770-467: A position inferior to any country within striking distance of our shores. On 29 March 1934 Germany published its defence estimates, which showed a total increase of one-third and an increase of 250% in its air force. A series of by-elections in late 1933 and early 1934 with massive swings against government candidates—most famous was Fulham East with a 26.5% swing— convinced Baldwin that the British public
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#1733084746963840-522: A rearmament programme as early as 1934 but had to do so quietly to avoid antagonising the public, whose pacifism was revealed by the Peace Ballot of 1934–35 and endorsed by both the Labour and the Liberal oppositions. His thorough presentation of the case for rearmament in 1935, his son argued, defeated pacifism and secured a victory that allowed rearmament to move ahead. On 31 July 1934, the Cabinet approved
910-563: A report that called for expansion of the Royal Air Force to the 1923 standard by creating 40 new squadrons over the next five years. On 26 November 1934, six days after receiving the news that the German air force would be as large as the RAF within one year, the Cabinet decided to speed up air rearmament from four years to two. On 28 November 1934, Churchill moved an amendment to the vote of thanks for
980-755: A terrible thing, in fact, the beginning of the end". In April 1933 the Cabinet agreed to follow through with the construction of the Singapore military base. On 15 September 1933, the German delegate at the Disarmament Conference refused to return to the Conference, and Germany left altogether in October. Baldwin, in a speech on 6 October to the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, pleaded for
1050-558: A year (the fastest rate of growth in the world). One of his legislative reforms was a paradigm shift in his party. This was the Widows', Orphans' and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act 1925 ( 15 & 16 Geo. 5 . c. 70), which provided a pension of 10 shillings a week for widows with extra for children, and 10 shillings a week for insured workers and their wives at 65. This transformed Toryism , away from its historic reliance on community (particularly religious) charities, and towards acceptance of
1120-408: Is evil and should go, the thing will be done; but if they do not feel like that – well, as I say, the future is in their hands. But when the next war comes, and European civilisation is wiped out, as it will be, and by no force more than that force, then do not let them lay blame on the old men. Let them remember that they, principally, or they alone, are responsible for the terrors that have fallen upon
1190-454: Is well also for the man in the street to realise that there is no power on earth that can protect him from being bombed. Whatever people may tell him, the bomber will always get through , The only defence is in offence, which means that you have to kill more women and children more quickly than the enemy if you want to save yourselves...If the conscience of the young men should ever come to feel, with regard to this one instrument [bombing] that it
1260-578: The 1935 general election with another large majority. During this time, he oversaw the beginning of British rearmament and the abdication of King Edward VIII . Baldwin's third government saw a number of crises in foreign affairs, including the public uproar over the Hoare–Laval Pact , the remilitarisation of the Rhineland , and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War . Baldwin stepped down in 1937 and
1330-581: The General Strike in 1926 and introduced the Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act 1927 to curb the powers of trade unions. Baldwin narrowly lost the 1929 general election and his continued leadership of the party was subject to extensive criticism by press barons Lord Rothermere and Lord Beaverbrook . In 1931, with the onset of the Great Depression , Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald formed
1400-576: The House of Lords . Curzon was strong and experienced in international affairs, but his lack of experience in domestic affairs, his personal character quirks and his huge inherited wealth and many directorships at a time when the Conservative Party was seeking to shed its patrician image were all deemed impediments. Much weight at the time was given to the intervention of Arthur Balfour . The King turned to Baldwin to become prime minister. Initially Baldwin
1470-559: The King's Speech . He offered his resignation to George V immediately. Baldwin successfully held on to the party leadership amid some colleagues' calls for his resignation. For the next ten months, an unstable minority Labour government under Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald held office. On 13 March 1924, the Labour government was defeated for the first time in the Commons, although the Conservatives decided to vote with Labour later that day against
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#17330847469631540-530: The League of Nations on 14 October. The Cabinet decided on 23 October that Britain should still attempt to cooperate with other states, including Germany, in international disarmament. However between mid-September 1933 and the beginning of 1934 Baldwin's mind changed from hoping for disarmament to favouring rearmament, including parity in aircraft. In late 1933 and early 1934 he rejected an invitation from Hitler to meet him, believing that visits to foreign capitals were
1610-525: The Liberal David Lloyd George . At a meeting of Conservative MPs at the Carlton Club in October, Baldwin announced that he would no longer support the coalition, and famously condemned Lloyd George for being a "dynamic force" that was bringing destruction across politics. The meeting chose to leave the coalition, against the wishes of most of the party leadership. As a direct result Bonar Law
1680-579: The Luftwaffe was nearing equality with the RAF. Baldwin responded by denying that the Luftwaffe was approaching equality and said it was "not 50 per cent" of the RAF. He added that by the end of 1935 the RAF would still have "a margin of nearly 50 per cent" in Europe. After Baldwin said that the government would ensure the RAF had parity with the future German air force, Churchill withdrew his amendment. In April 1935,
1750-404: The press barons Lords Rothermere and Beaverbrook, whom he accused of enjoying "power without responsibility, the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages". Ramsden argues that Baldwin made dramatic permanent improvements to the organisation and effectiveness of the Conservative Party. He enlarged the headquarters with professionals, professionalised the party agents, raised ample funds, and
1820-460: The Air Secretary reported that although Britain's strength in the air would be ahead of Germany's for at least three years, air rearmament needed to be increased; so the Cabinet agreed to the creation of an extra 39 squadrons for home defence by 1937. However, on 8 May 1935, the Cabinet heard that it was estimated that the RAF was inferior to the Luftwaffe by 370 aircraft and that to reach parity,
1890-511: The British war economy and consequently the entire British war effort. Winston Churchill , clearly believing that this wartime co-ordinating role was beneficial, introduced a similar but expanded system in the first few years of his post-war premiership . The so-called 'overlord ministers' included Frederick Leathers as Secretary of State for the Co-ordination of Transport, Fuel and Power and Lord Woolton as Lord President. Woolton's job
1960-793: The Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State , ranking below the Lord High Treasurer but above the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal . The Lord President usually attends and is responsible for chairing the meetings of the Privy Council, presenting business for the approval of the Sovereign . The Privy Council meets once
2030-513: The Council, solely to preside over a meeting of the Privy Council held in a Commonwealth realm . Examples of this practice are the meetings in New Zealand in 1990 and 1995, when Geoffrey Palmer and James Bolger respectively were acting Lords President. Andrea Leadsom 's appointment in June 2017 was the first in some time where the post holder was not a full Cabinet member. "The Privy Council
2100-758: The Exchequer in Bonar Law 's Conservative ministry. Upon Law's resignation for health reasons in May 1923, Baldwin became prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party . He called an election in December 1923 on the issue of tariffs and lost the Conservatives' parliamentary majority, after which Ramsay MacDonald formed a minority Labour government. After winning the 1924 general election , Baldwin formed his second government, which saw important tenures of office by Austen Chamberlain (Foreign Secretary), Winston Churchill (at
2170-616: The Exchequer) and Neville Chamberlain (Health). The latter two ministers strengthened Conservative appeal by reforms in areas formerly associated with the Liberal Party. They included industrial conciliation, unemployment insurance, a more extensive old-age pension system, slum clearance , more private housing and expansion of maternal care and childcare. However, continuing sluggish economic growth and declines in mining and heavy industry weakened Baldwin's base of support. His government also saw
Second Baldwin ministry - Misplaced Pages Continue
2240-466: The King's Speech: "the strength of our national defences, and especially our air defences, is no longer adequate". His motion was known eight days before it was moved, and a special Cabinet meeting decided how to deal with the motion, which dominated two other Cabinet meetings. Churchill said Germany was rearming and requested that the money spent on air armaments be doubled or tripled to deter an attack and that
2310-699: The Liberals. During a debate on the naval estimates the Conservatives opposed Labour but supported them on 18 March in a vote on cutting expenditure on the Singapore military base. Baldwin also cooperated with MacDonald over Irish policy to stop it becoming a party-political issue. The Labour government was negotiating with the Soviet government over intended commercial treaties – 'the Russian Treaties' – to provide most favoured nation privileges and diplomatic status for
2380-608: The Lord President also to serve as Leader of the House of Commons or Leader of the House of Lords . The Lord President has no role in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council . In the history of British government, the President of the Council is a relatively recent creation. The first certain appointment to the office being that of the Duke of Suffolk in 1529. Although there is a reference to Edmund Dudley serving as 'president of
2450-405: The Luftwaffe would have 800 bombers, compared to the RAF's 48. In the debate in the Commons on 12 November 1936, Churchill attacked the government on rearmament as being "decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent. So we go on, preparing more months and years – precious, perhaps vital, to the greatness of Britain – for
2520-417: The RAF must have 3,800 aircraft by April 1937, an extra 1,400 above the existing air programme. It was learnt that Germany was easily able to outbuild that revised programme as well. On 21 May 1935, the Cabinet agreed to expanding the home defence force of the RAF to 1,512 aircraft (840 bombers and 420 fighters). On 22 May 1935 Baldwin confessed in the Commons, "I was wrong in my estimate of the future. There I
2590-549: The Russian Treaties. In a speech during the campaign Baldwin said: It makes my blood boil to read of the way which Mr. Zinoviev is speaking of the Prime Minister today. Though one time there went up a cry, "Hands off Russia", I think it's time somebody said to Russia, "Hands off England". Baldwin's new Cabinet now included many former political associates of Lloyd George: former Coalition Conservatives: Austen Chamberlain (as foreign secretary), Lord Birkenhead (secretary for India) and Arthur Balfour (lord president after 1925), and
2660-502: The Treasury he served jointly with Hardman Lever , who had been appointed in 1916, but after 1919 Baldwin carried out the duties largely alone. He was appointed to the Privy Council in the 1920 Birthday Honours . In 1921 he was promoted to the Cabinet as President of the Board of Trade . In late 1922 dissatisfaction was steadily growing within the Conservative Party over its coalition with
2730-501: The UK trade delegation; and a treaty that would settle the claims of pre-revolutionary British bondholders and holders of confiscated property, after which the British government would guarantee a loan to the Soviet Union. Baldwin decided to vote against the government over the Russian Treaties, which brought the government down on 8 October. The general election held in October 1924 brought
2800-596: The central issue in the election. He said that he would support the League of Nations, modernise Britain's defences and remedy deficiencies, but he also said: "I give you my word that there will be no great armaments". The main issues in the election were housing, unemployment and the special areas of economic depression. The election gave 430 seats to National Government supporters (386 of these Conservative) and 154 seats to Labour. Baldwin's younger son A. Windham Baldwin, writing in 1955, argued that his father, Stanley, had planned
2870-463: The company of school masters, and in relation to them I once had every qualification as a passive resister." Baldwin then went on to the University of Cambridge , where he studied history at Trinity College . His time at university was blighted by the presence, as Master of Trinity , of Henry Montagu Butler , his former headmaster who had punished him at Harrow for writing a piece of schoolboy smut. He
Second Baldwin ministry - Misplaced Pages Continue
2940-465: The council' in 1497, it was only in 1529 that the role was given the style and precedence of a Great Officer of State by act of Parliament ( 21 Hen. 8 . c. 20). Prior to 1679 there were several periods in which the office was left vacant. During coronations of the monarch, the Lord President carries the Sword of State . In the 19th century, the Lord President was generally the cabinet member responsible for
3010-820: The designation 'British Empire'. In 1930, the first British Empire Games sports competition was held successfully among Empire nations in Hamilton, Ontario , Canada. His government then secured with great difficulty the passage of the landmark Government of India Act 1935 , in the teeth of opposition from Winston Churchill, spokesman for the die-hard imperialists who filled the Conservative ranks. Baldwin did not advocate total disarmament, but believed that, as Lord Grey of Falloden had stated in 1925, "great armaments lead inevitably to war". However, he came to believe that, as he put it on 10 November 1932: "the time has now come to an end when Great Britain can proceed with unilateral disarmament". On 10 November 1932 he said: I think it
3080-410: The earth. This speech was often used against Baldwin as allegedly demonstrating the futility of rearmament or disarmament, depending on the critic. With the second part of the Disarmament Conference starting in January 1933, Baldwin attempted to see through his hope of air disarmament. However, he became alarmed at Britain's lack of defence against air raids and German rearmament, saying it "would be
3150-476: The education system, amongst his other duties. This role was gradually scaled back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but remnants of it remain, such as the oversight of the governance of various universities. During times of National or coalition government the office of Lord President has sometimes been held by the leader of a minority party (e.g. Baldwin 1931–1935, MacDonald 1935–1937, Attlee 1943–1945, Clegg 2010–2015). It has been suggested that
3220-477: The family iron- and steel-making business, and entered the House of Commons in 1908 as the member for Bewdley , succeeding his father Alfred . He was Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1917–1921) and President of the Board of Trade (1921–1922) in the coalition ministry of David Lloyd George and then rose rapidly. In 1922, Baldwin was one of the prime movers in the withdrawal of Conservative support from Lloyd George; he subsequently became Chancellor of
3290-587: The former Liberal Winston Churchill as chancellor of the exchequer. Baldwin created the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies , a volunteer body of those opposed to the strike which was intended to complete essential work. A defining feature of Baldwin's Second term was the 1926 General Strike , Baldwin handled the strike by using powers awarded to him in the Emergency Powers Act 1920 . He deployed
3360-401: The government, there were only two candidates to succeed him: Lord Curzon , the foreign secretary , and Baldwin. The choice formally fell to King George V acting on the advice of senior ministers and officials. It is not entirely clear what factors proved most crucial, but some Conservative politicians felt that Curzon was unsuitable for the role of prime minister because he was a member of
3430-579: The increasingly senile MacDonald, until he once again officially became prime minister in 1935. One central and vitally important agreement was the Statute of Westminster 1931 , which conferred full self-government upon the Dominions Canada , South Africa , Australia , the Irish Free State and New Zealand , while preparing the first steps towards the eventual Commonwealth of Nations , and away from
3500-504: The job of Foreign Secretaries. On 8 March 1934, Baldwin defended the creation of four new squadrons for the Royal Air Force against Labour criticisms, and said of international disarmament: If all our efforts for an agreement fail, and if it is not possible to obtain this equality in such matters as I have indicated, then any Government of this country—a National Government more than any, and this Government—will see to it that in air strength and air power this country shall no longer be in
3570-631: The locusts to eat". Baldwin replied: Lord President of the Council King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee The Lord President of
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#17330847469633640-551: The military and volunteers to keep essential services running. The strike ended when it was found to not be protected by the Trade Disputes Act 1906 , leading to the strike being called off on 12 May lasting just 9 days. Baldwin's government was widely credited for such an effective response to the strike. At Baldwin's instigation Lord Weir headed a committee to "review the national problem of electrical energy". It published its report on 14 May 1925 and in it Weir recommended
3710-521: The office has been intermittently used for Prime Ministerial deputies in the past. A particularly vital role was played by the Lord President of the Council during the Second World War . The Lord President served as chairman of the Lord President's Committee . This committee acted as a central clearing house which dealt with the country's economic problems. This was vital to the smooth running of
3780-511: The party split on the issue of free trade. In a by-election in 1908 he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Bewdley , in which role he succeeded his father, who had died earlier that year. During the First World War he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the party leader Bonar Law . In 1917 he was appointed to the junior ministerial post of Financial Secretary to the Treasury , where he sought to encourage voluntary donations by
3850-534: The pioneering surgeon Archibald MacIndoe . Baldwin proved to be an adept businessman, and acquired a reputation as a modernising industrialist. He inherited £200,000, equivalent to £26,376,221 in 2023, and a directorship of the Great Western Railway on the death of his father in 1908. In the 1906 general election he contested Kidderminster but lost amidst the Conservative landslide defeat after
3920-409: The rich to repay the United Kingdom's war debt, writing letters to The Times under the pseudonym 'FST', many of which were published. He relinquished to the Treasury one fifth of his own fortune (its total estimated at own account as £580,000) held in the form of War Loan stock worth £120,000. Although he entered politics at a relatively late age, his rise to the top leadership was very rapid. In
3990-503: The setting up of a Central Electricity Board , a state monopoly half-financed by the Government and half by local undertakings. Baldwin accepted Weir's recommendations and they became law by the end of 1926. The Board was a success. By 1939 electrical output was up fourfold and generating costs had fallen. Consumers of electricity rose from three-quarters of a million in 1920 to nine million in 1938, with annual growth of 700,000 to 800,000
4060-469: The upper half of British prime ministers. Baldwin was born at Lower Park House (Lower Park, Bewdley ) in Worcestershire , England, to Alfred and Louisa (MacDonald) Baldwin , and through his mother was a first cousin of, and had a lifelong friendship with, the writer and poet Rudyard Kipling . A summer spent with Kipling and his sister with the freedom of farm and forest at Loughton , Essex, in 1877
4130-531: Was a British statesman and Conservative politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars . He was prime minister on three occasions, from May 1923 to January 1924, from November 1924 to June 1929, and from June 1935 to May 1937. Born to a prosperous family in Bewdley , Worcestershire, Baldwin was educated at Hawtreys , Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge . He joined
4200-473: Was also Chancellor of the Exchequer whilst he sought to recruit the former Liberal Chancellor Reginald McKenna to join the government. When this failed he appointed Neville Chamberlain to that position. The Conservatives now had a clear majority in the House of Commons and could govern for five years before holding a general election, but Baldwin felt bound by Bonar Law's pledge at the previous election that there would be no introduction of tariffs without
4270-455: Was among several high-profile British public figures who instituted the policy of appeasement towards Adolf Hitler and failed to rearm sufficiently to prepare for the Second World War . However, some have praised Baldwin for his role in forcing and expediting the abdication of Edward VIII , as rumours circulated about Edward's Nazi sympathies and potential compromises to British national security. Today, modern scholars generally rank him in
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#17330847469634340-507: Was an innovative user of the new mass media of radio and film. By 1931, as the economy headed towards crisis, both in Britain and around the world, with the onset of the Great Depression , Baldwin and the Conservatives entered into a coalition with Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald. This decision led to MacDonald's expulsion from his own party, and Baldwin, as Lord President of the Council , became de facto prime minister, deputising for
4410-448: Was asked to resign from the Magpie & Stump (the Trinity College debating society) for never speaking, and, after receiving a third-class degree in history, he went into the family business of iron manufacturing. His father sent him to Mason College for one session of technical training in metallurgy as preparation. As a young man he served briefly as a second lieutenant in the Artillery Volunteers at Malvern , and in 1897 became
4480-402: Was completely wrong." On 25 February 1936, the Cabinet approved a report calling for expansion of the Royal Navy and the re-equipment of the British Army (though not its expansion), along with the creation of "shadow factories" built by public money and managed by industrial companies. The factories came into operation in 1937. In February 1937, the Chiefs of Staff reported that by May 1937,
4550-445: Was forced to search for new ministers for a Cabinet which he would lead, and so promoted Baldwin to the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer . In the November 1922 general election the Conservatives were returned with a majority in their own right. In May 1923 Bonar Law was diagnosed with terminal cancer and retired immediately; he died five months later. With many of the party's senior leading figures standing aloof and outside of
4620-423: Was now prime minister, MacDonald Lord President of the council. In October that year, Baldwin called a general election . Neville Chamberlain advised Baldwin to make rearmament the leading issue in the election campaign against Labour and said that if a rearmament programme was not announced until after the election, his government would be seen as having deceived the people. However, Baldwin did not make rearmament
4690-437: Was profoundly pacifist. Baldwin also rejected the "belligerent" views of those like Churchill and Robert Vansittart because he believed that the Nazis were rational men who would appreciate the logic of mutual and equal deterrence. He also believed war to be "the most fearful terror and prostitution of man's knowledge that ever was known". With MacDonald's health in decline, he and Baldwin changed places in June 1935: Baldwin
4760-453: Was seminal to the development of both boys. The family was prosperous, and owned the eponymous iron- and steel-making business that in later years became part of Richard Thomas and Baldwins . Baldwin's schools were St Michael's School , at the time located in Slough , Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire ), followed by Harrow School . He later wrote that " all the king's horses and all the king's men would have failed to have drawn me into
4830-451: Was succeeded by Neville Chamberlain. Historical retrospection and analysis of Baldwin's political career have been complex. During his tenure, Baldwin was regarded as a popular and successful prime minister, but for the final decade of his life and for many years afterwards he was vilified for having presided over high unemployment and a struggling economy in the 1930s. Baldwin has been criticized both contemporaneously and more recently as he
4900-480: Was to co-ordinate the then separate ministries of agriculture and food. The historian Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield quotes a PhD thesis by Michael Kandiah saying that Woolton was "arguably the most successful of the Overlords" partly because his ministries were quite closely related; indeed, they were merged in 1955 as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food . On several occasions since 1954, non-British Ministers have served briefly as acting Lords President of
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