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Stanley Baldwin

Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC, JP, FRS was a British Conservative politician who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars. Three times Prime Minister, he is the only premier to have served under three monarchs.

Baldwin first entered the House of Commons in 1908 as the Member of Parliament for Bewdley. In 1922, Baldwin was one of the prime movers in the withdrawal of Conservative support from Lloyd George; he subsequently became Chancellor of the Exchequer. In May 1923, Baldwin became Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader. He called an election on the issue of tariffs and lost the Conservatives' 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 Sir Austen Chamberlain (Foreign Secretary), Winston Churchill (at the Exchequer) and Neville Chamberlain (Health). The latter two ministers strengthened Conservative appeal by reforms in areas formerly associated with the Liberal Party. However, continuing sluggish economic growth and declines in mining and heavy industry weakened his base of support and his government also saw the General Strike in 1926 and the 1927 Trades Disputes Act to curb the powers of trade unions.

Baldwin lost the 1929 General Election and his continued leadership of the party was subject to extensive criticism. In 1931, Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald formed a National Government, most of whose ministers were Conservatives and which won an enormous majority at the 1931 General Election. As Lord President of the Council, Baldwin took over many of the Prime Minister's duties due to MacDonald's failing health.

In 1935, Baldwin replaced MacDonald as Prime Minister of the National Government, and won the 1935 General Election with another large majority, which still remains as the last time when a political party has received over 50% of the popular vote in a UK General Election. During this time, he oversaw the beginning of the rearmament process of the British military, as well as the very difficult 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, Hitler's re-occupation of the Rhineland and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

Baldwin retired in 1937 and was succeeded by Neville Chamberlain. At that time, he was regarded as a popular and successful prime minister, but for the final decade of his life he was vilified for having presided over high unemployment in the 1930s and as one of the "Guilty Men" who had tried to appease Adolf Hitler and who had – supposedly – not rearmed sufficiently to prepare for the Second World War. By 2004, however, historians generally painted a more positive portrait of his governments and modern scholars generally rank him in the upper half of British Prime Ministers.

Born 3rd August 1867 in Bewdley, Worcestershire, England
Died 14th December 1947 in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, England

I am one of those who would rather sink with faith than swim without it.

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