Leo Amery

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery CH, PC (22 November 1873 – 16 September 1955), usually known as Leo Amery or L. S. Amery, was a British Conservative Party politician and journalist, noted for his interest in military preparedness, India and the British Empire.

Contents 1 Early life and character 2 Journalism, starting a political career and his first two wars 3 Wilderness years 4 Rearmament and appeasement 5 India Secretary 6 Retirement from politics 7 Personal life 8 References

[edit] Early life and character

Leopold Amery was born in Gorakhpur, India to an English father and a Hungarian Jewish mother (who was the sister of the orientalist Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner) and who had come to India from England. Her parents had settled in England and converted to Protestantism. Amery's father deserted the family when the children were young and his mother made great sacrifices to educate her two sons.

Leo Amery was educated at Harrow, where he was a contemporary of Winston Churchill. Their two lives were destined to interconnect repeatedly. There is a noted story of Churchill pushing the year-older Amery into the school swimming pool. Churchill made amends later, but the two were never close. Amery was multidimensional like Churchill, was just as intelligent and in his own way as much or more a visionary. But he lacked Churchill's glamour, his oratorical ability and his brilliance as a writer. He was competent, hard working, honourable, honest and able, but had a tendency to become a bit of a bore on certain topics from time to time. He never built a core of supporters and a broad following in the land. Nevertheless, he was a great success in life, rising from difficult circumstances to become an outstanding student, a very successful journalist and author, a great administrator, a successful businessman and an effective cabinet minister. Few people bear comparison to Winston Churchill.

He gained a First at Balliol College, Oxford. He was elected a fellow of All Souls College. Undoubtedly bright, he could speak Hindi at the age of three and could converse in French, German, Italian, Bulgarian, Turkish, Serbian and Hungarian.

[edit] Journalism, starting a political career and his first two wars

During the Second Boer War he was a correspondent for The Times. In 1901, his articles in the Times on the reform of the army in southern Africa and specifically attacking the British General Sir Redvers Henry Buller contributed to the sacking of the latter. He later edited the Times History of the South African War. He was also a member of the Coefficients dining club of social reformers set up in 1902 by the Fabian campaigners Sidney and Beatrice Webb.

In 1911, he was elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham South. During the Great War his language skills led to his employment as an Intelligence Officer in the Balkans. Later as an under-secretary in Lloyd George's national government he helped draft the Balfour Declaration (1917). He also encouraged Jabotinsky in the formation of the Jewish Legion of the British Army. He was First Lord of the Admiralty (1922 - 1924) under Andrew Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin then later Colonial Secretary (1924-1929).

[edit] Wilderness years

Throughout his political career, Amery was a great exponent of Imperial unity, seeing the British Empire as a force for justice and progress in the world. He strongly supported the evolution of the dominions into independent nations bound to Britain by ties of kinship, trade, defence and a common pride in the Empire. He also supported the gradual evolution of other colonies, particularly India, to the same status. In this he differed from Churchill, a free trader, who was less interested in the Empire as such, and more in Britain itself as a great power. Amery felt that Britain was too weak by itself to maintain its great power position.

Amery was very active in imperial affairs during the 1920s and thirties. He was in fact in charge of colonial affairs and relations with the dominions from 1922 to 1929. In the 1930s he was a member of the Empire Industries Association and was a chief organizer of the huge rally celebrating the Empire at the Royal Albert Hall in 1936 marking the centenary of Joseph Chamberlain's birth. He maintained a very busy speaking schedule (just under 200 between 1936 to 1938), many of the devoted to imperial topics, especially Imperial Preference.

Amery was not invited to join the National Government formed during the 1930s. He remained in Parliament, but joined the boards of several prominent corporations. This was necessary as he had no independent means and had depleted his savings during World War I and when he was a cabinet minister during the 1920s. Among his directorships were the boards of several German metal fabrication companies (representing British capital invested in the companies), of the British Southern Railway, the Gloucester Wagon Company, Marks and Spencer, the famous shipbuilding firm Cammell Laird, and the Trust and Loan of Canada. As well he was chairman of the Iraq Currency Board.

In the course of his duties as a director of German metal fabrication companies, visiting factories, Amery gained a good understanding of German military potential. Hitler became alarmed at this situation and ordered a halt to non German directors. Amery spent a lot of time in Germany during the 1930s in connection with his work. He was not allowed to send his director's fees out of the country, so he took his family on holiday in the Bavarian Alps. He had a lengthy meeting with Hitler on at least one occasion. He also met at length with the Czech leader, Benes, the Austrian leaders Dollfuss and Schuschnigg and Benito Mussolini of Italy.

[edit] Rearmament and appeasement

In the debates on the need for an increased effort to rearm British forces, Amery tended to focus on army affairs, with Churchill speaking more about air defence and Roger Keyes talking about naval affairs. Austen Chamberlain was until his death, a member of this group as well. While there was no question that Churchill was the most prominent and effective, Amery's work was not insignificant. He was a driving force behind the creation of the Army League, a pressure group designed to keep the needs of the Royal Army before the public.

In the 1930s, Amery, along with Winston Churchill, was a bitter critic of the appeasement of Nazi Germany, often openly attacking his own party. Being a former Colonial and Dominions Secretary, he was very aware of the views of the dominions and strongly opposed giving Germany back her colonies, a proposal seriously considered by Neville Chamberlain.

On the rearmament question, Amery was consistent. He advocated a higher level of expenditure, but as well a reappraisal of priorities through the creation of a top level cabinet position to develop overall defence strategy, so the increased expenditures could be spent wisely. He thought that either he or Churchill should be given the post. When a ministry for the coordination of defence was finally created under a political lightweight Sir Thomas Inskip, he regarded it as a joke. Churchill said the appointment was the most curious since Caligula made his horse a consul.

When the war came, he was one of the few anti-appeasers who was opposed to co-operation with the Soviet Union in order to defeat Nazi Germany. This came from a life-long fear of Communism.

It is commonly believed that when Neville Chamberlain announced his flight to Munich to the cheers of the House, Amery was one of only four members who remained seated (the others were Churchill, Anthony Eden and Harold Nicolson) There is, however, some debate as to whether Amery did in fact remain seated, or whether he just appeared to because he was so short!

Amery differed from Churchill in hoping through the 1930s to foster an alliance with Italy to counter the rising strength of Nazi Germany. A united front of Britain, France and Italy would, he felt, have prevented a Nazi takeover of Austria, especially if supported by Czechoslovakia. For this reason he was in favour of appeasing Italy, by tacitly conceding her claims to Ethiopia. A promising start was made in the so-called Stresa Front of 1935, but the move by Britain to impose economic sanctions on Italy after the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1936, drove Italy, he felt, into the arms of Germany.

Another feature of Amery's outlook was a significant distrust of the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This stemmed from the thrust of the American Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, to use all his influence to pressure Canada to oppose Empire Free Trade, perhaps Amery's most cherished project. While the pressure was unsuccessful with Canadian Conservative prime minister, Richard Bedford Bennett, his Liberal successor, William Lyon Mackenzie King, adopted a more pro-American stance.

He is famous for two moments of high drama in the House of Commons early in World War II. On 2 September 1939, Neville Chamberlain had spoken in a Commons debate and said he would not declare war on Germany immediately for having invaded Poland, a speech which greatly angered Amery and was felt by many present to be out of touch with the temper of the British people. As Labour Party leader Clement Attlee was absent, Arthur Greenwood stood up in his place and announced that he was speaking for Labour. Amery called out to him across the floor, 'Speak for England Arthur!' -- which carried the undeniable implication that Chamberlain was not.

The second incident occurred during the notorious Norway Debate in 1940. Amery famously attacked Chamberlain's government, quoting Oliver Cromwell at the end:

You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!

This debate led to 42 Conservative MPs voting against Chamberlain and 36 abstaining, leading to the downfall of the Conservative government and the formation of a national government under Churchill's premiership. Amery himself noted in his diary that he believed that his speech was one of his best received in the House, and that he had made a difference to the outcome of the debate.

[edit] India Secretary

During World War II he was Secretary of State for India, despite the fact that that fate of India had been a keen issue of dispute between Churchill and Amery for many years. Amery was disappointed not to be given a post in the War Cabinet, but he was determined to do all he could in the position he was offered.

[edit] Retirement from politics

At the 1945 general election, he lost his seat to Labour's Percy Shurmer, a Post Office worker. He was offered but refused a peerage because this might, when he died, have cut short his son Julian's political career in the House of Commons. However, he was made a Companion of Honour. In retirement, Amery published his three volume autobiography, My Political Life (1953-5).

[edit] Personal life

Leo Amery was a noted outdoorsman, especially famous as a mountaineer. He continued to climb well into his sixties, especially in the Swiss Alps, but also in Bavaria, Austria, Yugoslavia and Italy. He enjoyed skiing as well.

Amery distanced himself from his Jewish origins, probably due to anti-Semitism among the British establishment which he sought to join. It is quite likely he never informed his children of their Jewish heritage. His son, John Amery (1912–1945), had a troubled early life and between 1942 and 1945 made pro-Nazi broadcasts from Berlin. After the war he was tried and executed for treason. Another son, Julian Amery (1919–1996) was a Conservative politician who served in the cabinets of Harold Macmillan and Edward Heath.

[edit] References

• Amery, L.S., "My Political Life, Vol. 3 The Unforgiving Years: 1929-1940" , Hutchinson & Co,. Ltd, London, 1955
• Faber, David Speaking for England: Leo, Julian and John Amery: The Tragedy of a Political Family, Free Press, 2005, ISBN 0-7432-5688-3
• Bibliography

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Charles Howard	Member of Parliament for Birmingham South 1911–1918	Succeeded by (constituency abolished)
Preceded by (new constituency)	Member of Parliament for Birmingham Sparkbrook 1918–1945	Succeeded by Percy Shurmer
Political offices
Preceded by The Lord Lee of Fareham	First Lord of the Admiralty 1922–1924	Succeeded by The Viscount Chelmsford
Preceded by James Henry Thomas	Colonial Secretary 1924–1929	Succeeded by The Lord Passfield
Preceded by —	Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs 1925–1929
Preceded by The Marquess of Zetland	Secretary of State for India 1940–1945	Succeeded by The Lord Pethick-Lawrence