Richard Haldane and the modernization of the British State
About this Event
Few British statesmen who did not rise to the rank of Prime Minister achieved more than Richard Haldane (1856-1928). An intellectual and a philosopher who was once offered a University chair, Haldane was also an effective administrator and a reformer, who played a key role in modernising the British state at the beginning of the twentieth century. His achievements included the reform of university education, the medical service, the early welfare system, constitutional and law reform, the creation of the military machine which took on the German army in France in 1914-18, and the establishment of MI5 and MI6. A Fellow of the British Academy, he was elected as Lord Rector of the University of Edinburgh in 1905 and served in both the pre-war Liberal governments and in the first Labour government in 1924, as Lord Chancellor. Yet he remains little known.
This lecture and panel hosted by Sidney Sussex College, the Cambridge History Faculty and the Centre for Geopolitics at Cambridge, Cambridge brings together academics, public intellectuals and statesmen to discuss some of his achievements and legacy for twenty-first century Britain.
Drinks reception to follow.
Photo credit: unknown author (1913), Wikimedia Commons
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
