Great-grandson of a crofter and son-in-law of a Duke, Harold Macmillan (1894-1986) was both complex as a person and influential as a politican. Marked by terrible experiences in the trenches in the First World War and by his work as an MP during the Depression, he was a Tory rebel - an outspoken backbencher, opposing the economic policies of the 1930s and the appeasement policies of his own government.Churchill gave him responsibility during the Second World War with executive command as 'Viceroy of the Mediterranean'. After the War, in opposition, Macmillan was one of the principal reformers of the Conservatives, and after 1951, back in government, served in several important posts before becoming Prime Minister after the Suez Crisis.Supermac examines key events including the controversy over the Cossacks repatriation, the Suez Crisis, You've Never Had It So Good, the Winds of Change, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Profumo Scandal. The culmination of thirty-five years of research into this period by one of our most respected historians, this book gives an unforgettable portrait of a turbulent age.Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize.
Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and the Marsh Biography Award of the English Speaking Union.
'A spellbinding insight into the fascinating character of one of the most remarkable politicians of the twentieth century.' Evening Standard
Great-grandson of a crofter and son-in-law of a Duke, Harold Macmillan (1894-1986) was both complex as a person and influential as a politician. Marked by terrible experiences in the trenches in the First World War and by his work as an MP during the Depression, he was a Tory rebel - an outspoken backbencher, opposing the economic policies of the 1930s and the appeasement policies of his own government.
Churchill gave him responsibility during the Second World War with executive command as 'Viceroy of the Mediterranean'. After the War, in opposition, Macmillan was one of the principal reformers of the Conservatives, and after 1951 back in government, served in key positions before becoming Prime Minister after the Suez Crisis.
Supermac examines key events including the controversy over the Cossacks repatriation, the Suez Crisis, You've Never Had It So Good, the Winds of Change, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Profumo Scandal. The culmination of thirty-five years of research into this period by one of our most respected historians, this book gives an unforgettable portrait of a turbulent age.
'The best biography of a post-war British Prime Minister yet written.' Professor Vernon Bogdanor
'D. R. Thorpe is one of our finest historians, and this is one of his finest books: painstaking, detailed, but always readable.' Observer
'This humane, elegantly written, exhaustively researched biography is the best yet of Macmillan.' David Kynaston, Guardian
'A beautifully judged political biography, written with great flair and insight, and surely the last word on one of our most civilised, cunning and ambiguous prime minsters.' Daily Telegraph
