Political History 147

tones.925 Another party in decline, the old I.L,P.; is studied
by Marwick at the time of the crisis which the growth of
communism inflicted on it.*26 The communist party itself is
described in all its futility by MacFarlane; the book is awfully
dry, but the uproar among the old guard of the party proves
it to be essentially truthful.927 More general and reflective is
Felling's study of the same theme.928 Bromhead discusses the
fate of the house of lords during its declining phase - after the
abolition of its veto and before the curious rise of the new life
senators.929 Several episodes have been studied with care.
Johnson gives a lot of space to the ultimately futile plans
worked out in the first war for the social reconstruction that
never came.*30 Lyman analyses the ineffectual first labour
government, and Symonds a bit superficially one of the more
striking consequences of its collapse.*31 Much has been written
about the fatal return to the gold standard in Churchill's
chancellorship, but all of it is superseded by Moggeridge's
analysis which shows that the fault lay with the very well-
intentioned ignorance of the government's advisers.932 The
second labour government and the crisis that swallowed it

*2*J. M. McEwen, 'The coupon election of 1918 and unionist
members of parliament*, JMH 34 (1962), 1294-306. — Trevor
Wilson, 'The coupon and the British general election of 1918',
ibid. 36 (1964), 24-42.

824 A. J. B. Marwick, 'The independent labour party in the nineteen
twenties*, BIHR 35 (1962), 62-74.

927 L. J. MacFarlane, The British Communist Party: its origin and
development until 193$. L: MacGibbon & Kec: 1966. Pp. 338.
Rev: Hist 52, iO7f.

928 Henry Felling, The British Communist Party: a historical profile. L:
Black: 1958. Pp. via, 204* Rev: EHR 75, igiL

*2> P. A. Bromhead, The House of Lords and Contemporary Politics,
igii - /p57. L: Routledge; 1958. Pp. xiii, 283.

630 [Paul B, Johnson, Land Fit for Heroes: the planning of British recon-
struction, 1916-1919. Chicago: U of Chicago P: 1968. Pp. via,
540. Rev: AHR 75, ia6£]

981 Richard W. Lyman, The First Labour Government, 1924. L: Chap-
man & Hall: [1957]. Pp. x, 302. -Julian Symonds, The General
Strike. L: Cresset: 1957. Pp. xi, 259.

m Donald E. Moggeridge, The Return to Gold in 19*5. CUP: 1969.
Pp. 119-