author
Arthur Greenwood
1880–1954
A leading Labour voice in Britain between the world wars, he was known for his firm stand against appeasement as Europe moved toward World War II. Before his rise in Parliament, he worked as a teacher and helped shape Labour policy through the party’s research department.
1 Audiobook
The War and Democracy
by R. W. (Robert William) Seton-Watson, Arthur Greenwood, John Dover Wilson, Alfred Zimmern
About the author
Born in Hunslet, Yorkshire, in 1880, Arthur Greenwood trained as a teacher and studied at the University of Leeds. His early work in education and public policy led him into government service during World War I, and he soon became an important figure in the Labour movement.
Greenwood entered Parliament in 1922 and went on to hold several senior posts in Labour governments, including Minister of Health, Minister without Portfolio, Lord Privy Seal, and Paymaster-General. He became especially well known in the late 1930s for speaking out strongly against appeasement and urging resistance to Nazi aggression.
Although best remembered as a politician, he also wrote on public questions, including health, education, war, and democracy. His career linked ideas and action: he was one of those public figures who moved between writing, policy work, and high office at a moment when Britain was facing enormous change.