Menzies at War

Description

In the months following his resignation as PM in late August 1941, Menzies swayed between relief at his release from the burdens of office as PM and despair that his life at the top had come to so little. Many followers of Australian political history, including Liberal party supporters, forget that Robert Menzies had many years in the political wilderness not knowing he would end up being Australia's longest-serving prime minister. This book focuses on the period between 1941, when Menzies lost the prime-ministership, to 1949, when he regained it. In the interim he travelled around the world, spending an extended time in Britain during World War II, set up the Liberal Party and, the author argues, developed the leadership qualities that made him so successful. Anne Henderson refers to this time as his real political blooding. Shortlisted for The Prime Minister's Literary Awards.

Anne Henderson is deputy director of The Sydney Institute, which she has operated with her husband, political commentator Gerard Henderson, since 1989. She also edits The Sydney Papers Online and co-edits The Sydney Institute Quarterly. She is the author of several books, most recently the acclaimed biographies Enid Lyons: Leading lady to a nation, and Joseph Lyons: The people's prime minister.