Anthony Eden: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:33, 18 June 2012

12 June 1897 - 14 January 1977. British Conservative politician. He occupied the position of Foreign Secretary three times in 1935-1938, 1940 - 1945, 1951 - 1955, and was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957.

Robert Anthony Eden was born on 12 June 1897 in County Durham. He got his education at Eton like his father and grandfather. During the First World War Anthony Eden served on the Western Front and received the Military Cross at the Battle of Somme in 1916. After the war Eden thought about staying in the army, but finally decided to continue his education at Oxford. He graduated with a degree in Asian languages. His language knowledge was really helpful in his future career (he was fluent in French, German, Russian, Persian and Arabic).

In 1923 Eden was elected Member of Parliament for Warwick and Leamington. In the government formed by Ramsay MacDonald, Eden got a position as Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs (1931-1934). In 1935 Eden was appointed Foreign Secretary by Stanley Baldwin. However he did not hold his post for a long time. Eden did not support Neville Chamberlain's policies of Appeasement. Consequently in sign of protest he resigned in February 1938.

At the beginning of the Second World War Eden returned to Chamberlain's government as Dominions Secretary. In May 1940, when Churchill got the Prime Minister's post, Eden was appointed at first Secretary of State for War and then he was reappointed as Foreign Secretary. Churchill treated Anthony Eden like his close confidant and lieutenant. At the same time his full power of Secretary of Foreign Affairs was restricted, because Churchill himself carried out the most important treaties with Roosevelt and Stalin.

After the war the Labour Party won the general elections. Anthony Eden received the post of Deputy Leader of the Opposition. In 1951 the Conservatives came back to power and Eden became Foreign Secretary for the third time.

In April 1955, Anthony Eden replaced Winston Churchill as Prime Minister. His popularity among the public was tremendous. In May 1955 the Conservative Party won the general elections and increased their majority more than three times. This was to change, however, in less than a year Eden's rating fell from 70 to 40 percent.

As the Prime Minister Eden was not equally competent in all areas of his political activity. For instance, he did not have enough experience in domestic and economic policy. Taking into account the lack of knowledge in those fields, Eden left them to his deputy Rab Butler and took charge of foreign affairs. Eden tried to reduce international tension by inviting the Soviet leaders Khrushchev and Bulganin to Great Britain.

Under Eden's leadership Great Britain did not join the Messina Talks in 1955, and lost the chance to make the first step to the economic integration with Western Europe. But the real downfall of Eden's career began with the Suez Crisis in 1956. As a result in 1957 Eden resigned because of health condition and loss of the public confidence after the Suez fiasco. After the retirement he lived with his second wife Clarissa Spencer-Churchill, wrote and published his personal and political memoirs. Anthony Eden died in 14 January 1977.

Sources

Hennessy, Peter. The Prime Minister: The Office and its Holders Since 1945. London: Allen Lane, 2000.
BBC History Website: Historic Figures. Accessed: 30.05.2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/eden_anthony.shtml.
The Official Site of the British Prime Minister's Office: Past Prime Ministers. Accessed: 30.05.2012. http://www.number10.gov.uk/past-prime-ministers/sir-anthony-eden/

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 In 1923 Eden was elected Member of Parliament for Warwick and Leamington. In the government formed by [[Ramsay MacDonald]], Eden got a position as Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs (1931-1934).  In 1935 Eden was appointed Foreign Secretary by [[Stanley Baldwin]]. However he did not hold his post for a long time. Eden did not support [[Neville Chamberlain]]'s policies of [[Appeasement]]. Consequently in sign of protest he resigned in February 1938.
-At the beginning of the Second World War Eden returned to Chamberlain's government as Dominions Secretary. In May 1940, when [[Churchill]] got the Prime Minister's post, Eden was appointed at first Secretary of State for War and then he was reappointed as Foreign Secretary. Churchill treated Anthony Eden like his close confidant and lieutenant. At the same time his full power of Secretary of Foreign Affairs was restricted, because Churchill himself carried out the most important treaties with Roosevelt and Stalin.
+At the beginning of the Second World War Eden returned to Chamberlain's government as Dominions Secretary. In May 1940, when [[Winston Churchill|Churchill]] got the Prime Minister's post, Eden was appointed at first Secretary of State for War and then he was reappointed as Foreign Secretary. Churchill treated Anthony Eden like his close confidant and lieutenant. At the same time his full power of Secretary of Foreign Affairs was restricted, because Churchill himself carried out the most important treaties with Roosevelt and Stalin.
 After the war the Labour Party won the general elections. Anthony Eden received the post of Deputy Leader of the Opposition. In 1951 the Conservatives came back to power and Eden became Foreign Secretary for the third time.