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Rivals in the Storm

How Lloyd George seized power, won the war and lost his government

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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents Rivals in the Storm by Damian Collins, read by Dyfrig Morris.

A vivid biography in cinematic snapshots of David Lloyd George, one of the world’s greatest statesmen.

Brought up in rural North Wales, David Lloyd George attended neither a grand school nor ancient university. He was very much an outsider. And yet he rose through the ranks with charisma, fierce intelligence and fighting spirit to become, as Churchill put it in his tribute, a man who ‘stood, when at his zenith, without a rival’.

But his rise was not without its hardships, and in Rivals in the Storm, experienced MP and author Damian Collins focuses on the impact of Lloyd George’s personality on other leading politicians, in driving progressive reforms through government, changing the course of the First World War to lead the Allies to victory, and cementing Britain’s alliance with America.

Covering Lloyd George’s emergence as the dominating political personality in Great Britain to the aftermath of his resignation, this fascinating biography takes you inside the rooms where the important decisions happened, and shows the bitter struggles as well as the triumphs of this great man of his or any other age, who nonetheless fell short of his own high expectations.

©2024 Damian Collins (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Europe Great Britain Military Politicians Politics & Activism Imperialism Winston Churchill War
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This is not grand narrative history. Damian Collins chose to be more academic and serious than that. I wish he'd allowed himself a little more political insight and humour. Still, every quote is well judged and the scholarship seems impeccable.

Dyfrig Morris was an inspired choice of narrator. He brings this text, which is sometimes a little plodding, to life. His Welsh is, of course, faultless but he manages Irish, Scottish, French and other intonations brilliantly while never descending into caricature. I felt lucky to have listened to this book rather than to have read it

exceptional narration

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At key moments the quotes from LG make it seem a if he was commenting on his own history.

Churchill is better known, but Lloyd George was the GOAT.

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Lots of description of lengthy meetings which could become tedious but these were necessary to fully expose the extent of the book title" "Rivals in the Storm". A fascinating description of an enigmatic man.

A profile of a remarkable man

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Very enjoyable and accessible book about one of our greatest PMs and political figures. Although unfairly dwarfed by his protege Churchill by those pushing a simplistic hagiographical view of the latter, it is LG who was the original 20th century political titan.
This is an excellent account of a key part of his life and also helping to explain why, unlike Churchill, LG never had a political comeback.

Balanced view of an under-appreciated Prime Minister

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