Aneurin - Nye - Bevan was one of the pivotal Labour Party figures of the post-war era in Britain. As Minister for Health in Attlee's government, his role in the foundation of the National Health Service, the world's largest publically-funded health service, changed the face of British society forever. The son of a coal miner from South Wales, Bevan was a life-long champion of social justice and the rights of working people, as such becoming one of the leading proponents of Socialist thought in Britain. In this book, acclaimed author Nicklaus Thomas-Symonds provides the first full biography of Bevan in over two decades. Drawing on first-hand interviews as well as recently released sources, he provides a unique portrait of one of the great British statesmen of the twentieth century.

Based on new research and previously unpublished sources, a major biography of one of the great British statesmen of the 20th century

IntroductionPART ONE: BOY TO MAN, 1897-1919Chapter 1: The Welsh Valleys Childhood, 1897 - 1911Chapter 2: The South Wales Coalfield 1911 - 1919PART TWO: THE MAKING OF ANEURIN BEVAN, 1919-34Chapter 3: Local Politics, 1919-28Chapter 4: Monmouthshire County Council and Parliament, 1928-34PART THREE: ESTABLISHING HIMSELF ON THE NATIONAL STAGE, 1934-45Chapter 5: London and Jennie LeeChapter 6: Working Class Unity, 1935-1939Chapter 7: The Second World War, Part I: 1939 to 1942Chapter 8: The Second World War, Part I: 1942 to 1945PART FOUR: CABINET MINISTER, 1945-51Chapter 9: The Labour Government, 1945-1951Chapter 10: The Creation of the National Health ServiceChapter 11: Bevan's Record on Housing, 1945-51Chapter 12: ResignationPART FIVE: IN OPPOSITION, 1951-60Chapter 13: The Bevanites, 1951-55Chapter 14: The Pragmatic Bevan, 1955-57Chapter 15: The Final Years, 1958-60ConclusionFurther Reading