Corruption Brit Politics C

Parliamentary political life in the Edwardian period was generally thought to be remarkably free from corruption; yet suspicions of wrongdoing in high places gathered momentum as the century progressed. This first major study of corruption and scandal in British politics in the early 20th century examines the rumors, innuendos, and accusations which affected the reputation of politicians and political parties, and undermined confidence in the integrity of public life. Setting the era's scandalous events--wartime profiteering, the abuse of patronage, the Marconi Affair, and the Honours Scandal of 1922, which helped ruin the career of Lloyd George--in the context of the beliefs and values of the time, this book reassesses the assumptions, prejudices, and aspirations of an entire political generation.