Curzon: Imperial Statesman"Elegant biography . . . a fast-moving, entertaining, and finely written story." --Simon Schama, The New Yorker George Nathaniel Curzon's controversial life in public service stretched from the high noon of his country's empire to the traumatized years following World War I. As viceroy of India under Queen Victoria and foreign secretary under King George V, the obsessive Lord Curzon left his unmistakable mark on the era. David Gilmour's award-winning book is a brilliant assessment of Curzon's character and achievements, offering a richly dramatic account of the infamous long vendettas, the turbulent friendships, and the passionate, risky love affairs that complicated and enriched his life. Born into the ruling class of what was then the world's greatest power, Curzon was a fervent believer in British imperialism who spent his life proving he was fit for the task. Often seen as arrogant and tempestuous, he was loathed as much as he was adored, his work disparaged as much as it was admired. In Gilmour's well-rounded appraisal, Curzon is seen as a complex, tragic figure, a gifted leader who saw his imperial world overshadowed at the dawn of democracy. |
Contents
Ancestral Silence I | 1 |
Eton 18721878 I | 12 |
Oxford 18781883 | 23 |
Women and Work 18821885 | 40 |
The Journey to Westminster 18851887 | 53 |
Travel with a Purpose 18871890 | 65 |
The Coming Man 18901895 | 81 |
Hearts and Souls | 100 |
Picking Up the Pieces | 362 |
The Conversion of a Diehard 19091911 | 381 |
Suffragists and Other Targets 19111914 | 397 |
Lord Curzon at Home | 413 |
In Search of a Role 19141915 | 432 |
Air Board and War Cabinet 1916 | 448 |
The Second Lady Curzon | 461 |
Eastern Questions 1917 | 472 |
Number Two at the FO | 121 |
Sailing to Bombay | 135 |
The Governance of India | 149 |
Let India Be My Judge | 164 |
The Problem of the Princes | 182 |
Guarding the Frontiers | 191 |
The Viceroys Routine | 204 |
Proconsular Zenith | 225 |
Fatal Appointments 19021903 | 247 |
The Gulf Bengal and Tibet | 268 |
England 1904 | 278 |
Kitcheners Conspiracy | 296 |
The Breaking of the Viceroy | 318 |
Every Mans Hand | 347 |