Liberalism and the Social Problem

A fascinating collection of early speeches to Parliament from perhaps the greatest orator and statesman of the twentieth century and the winner of the 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature. **** In 1904 Winston S. Churchill crossed the parliamentary floor and became a member of the Liberal Party. When the Liberals took office, Churchill became the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies becoming the most prominent member of the Government outside the Cabinet (in 1908 he also became a member of the Cabinet). **** The speeches in this collection deal with some of the most important issues of the day, including the adoption of constitutions for the defeated Boer republics of Transvaal and the Orange River Colony and the ’People’s Budget,’ a new wealth redistribution scheme of the Liberal Government. The fight over this plan led to a bitter battle between the Government and the House of Lords, with the House of Lords unsuccessfully challenging the power of the Commons for the first time since the 17th century. This eventually led to the Parliament Act of 1911, restricting the power of the House of Lords by asserting the legislative powers of the House of Commons. **** Not only is this collection noteworthy for its historical context, it also presents a keen insight into the early political thinking and development of one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century; Winston Spencer Churchill, member of parliament, statesman, orator, Nobel Prize winner and the Prime Minister of Great Britain during its greatest hour of need - World War II.