Word: macmillans
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Macmillan had first been elected to the House of Commons in 1924. During World War II, Winston Churchill dispatched him to North Africa as Minister- Resident at Dwight Eisenhower's Allied headquarters. In the 1950s he held a succession of Cabinet positions, including Minister of Defense, Foreign Secretary, and, just before going to 10 Downing Street, Chancellor of the Exchequer...
Setting out to restore the "special relationship" between Britain and the U.S., Macmillan liked to remind everyone that his mother was an American. He established a close rapport with President Eisenhower and later with President John F. Kennedy, who called him frequently during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. "I was a sort of son to Ike," Macmillan explained, "and it was the other way round with Kennedy...
...Macmillan gradually began reversing Churchill's famous adage, "I have not become the King's First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire." Macmillan's policy of accelerating independence for Britain's colonies was embodied in what was perhaps his most influential speech. "The wind of change is blowing through this continent," he told a hostile South African parliament in 1960. "Whether we like it or not, this growth of ((African)) national consciousness is a political fact...
...Supermac, as the press had taken to calling him, rode a crest of British prosperity to a resounding victory at the polls. Over the next four years, however, inflation and unemployment rose, while the economy stagnated. ; In addition, Macmillan's government was rocked by scandal when it was revealed that Secretary of State for War John Profumo was involved with a young "party girl" who was also sharing her favors with a Soviet naval attache. "It was a storm in a teacup," Macmillan later remarked, "but in politics, we sail in paper boats." A prostate ailment forced Macmillan to resign...
...Macmillan remained active in retirement. While attending to the family business (the prestigious Macmillan Publishers Ltd.), he managed to produce six volumes of memoirs. He was awarded the Order of Merit, one of Britain's most coveted honors, in 1976. In an interview with the BBC in October 1983, Macmillan showed that he still possessed one of the sharpest wits in British politics. He suggested that Thatcher should not become too worried about inflation, not work too hard and not read the newspapers. He also advised her not to take herself too seriously...