Great British Prime Ministers

Details

When: Thursdays, Feb 10 – Mar 10 10:00 am - noon
No class Feb 24

Where: The Hampton Inn

Cost: $125.00 for 4 session(s)

Type: In Person

Category:

• Humanities Courses
• World History

Instructor: Richard A. Cosgrove , PhD, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Richard A. Cosgrove

The prime minister is the chief executive of the British parliamentary system as well as leader of a legislative majority in the House of Commons. The appearance of this office is customarily dated to 1721, although the term had no legal status until 1906. Sixty individuals, 58 men and two women, have held this position for various lengths of time. How do you define greatness in a prime minister? Does the prime minister dominate the politics of his/her era? Does the prime minister meet the challenges of national crisis in wartime? Consider the legacy of twelve outstanding prime ministers from Sir Robert Walpole to Margaret Thatcher and examine their accomplishments in historical context.

Week 1: Sir Robert Walpole, William Pitt the Younger and Robert Jenkinson

Week 2: Sir Robert Peel, Henry Temple and Benjamin Disraeli

Week 3: William Gladstone, Robert Cecil and David Lloyd George

Week 4: Winston Churchill, Clement Atlee and Margaret Thatcher