Was he a far-sighted war hero, or an ambitious networker promoted well above his natural talent? Admired as a modernising chief of staff, a timely decoloniser, and a genuine player on the world stage, Mountbatten nevertheless continues to attract fierce criticism. In this timely new biography, Adrian Smith offers a fresh and convincing perspective, depicting Mountbatten as a quintessentially modern, highly professional figure within the Royal Navy, and at Combined Operations and SE Asia Command, a hands-on officer who enthusiastically embraced new technology; someone who, although an aristocrat, was by instinct a progressive, innovative in his approach to man management. Smith brings Mountbatten to life, acknowledging the essential qualities as well as the obvious weaknesses. Beneath the rich, vain, often ruthless, embodiment of power and privilege could be found a very human, even vulnerable, character - the complex personality of a pivotal figure in the history of twentieth-century Britain and her empire.
By:
Adrian Smith (University of Southampton UK) Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g ISBN:9781350294776 ISBN 10: 1350294772 Pages: 400 Publication Date:22 September 2022 Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Primary
,
Undergraduate
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Adrian Smith is Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the University of Southampton, UK, and the author of Mountbatten, Cold War and End of Empire, 1945-79.