Richard John Toye (born 1973) is a British historian and academic. He is Professor of History at the
University of Exeter
, mottoeng = "We Follow the Light"
, established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter)
, type = Public
, ...
. He was previously a Fellow and Director of Studies for History at
Homerton College
Homerton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of Protestant dissenters with origins in the seventeenth century. In 1894, the co ...
,
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
, from 2002 to 2007, and before that he taught at University of Manchester from 2000.
Early life
Toye was born in 1973 in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
Hove
Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th c ...
, Sussex. He took a BA in history and then an MPhil at the
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...
. He was awarded a
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
(PhD) degree by the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
in 1999. His
doctoral thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
was titled "The Labour Party and the planned economy 1931-1951".
Biography
His book ''Lloyd George and Churchill: Rivals for Greatness'' was the winner of the Times Higher Young Academic Author of the Year Award in 2007. One of the judges,
June Purvis
June Purvis is an emeritus professor of women's and gender history at the University of Portsmouth.
From 2014-18, Purvis was Chair of the Women’s History Network UK and from 2015-20 Treasurer of the International Federation for Research in Wo ...
, professor of women's and gender history at
Portsmouth University
The University of Portsmouth is a public university in Portsmouth, England. It is one of only four universities in the South East England, South East of England rated as Gold in the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework. With approximately 28 ...
, said: "This is an extremely readable, lively book that explores the complex personal and political relationship between two great male politicians who helped to shape 20th-century Britain. The changing shades and hues of their relationship are documented in fascinating detail." It received widespread critical acclaim from a number of newspaper reviews for its "nuanced" approach. He has written extensively on
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
: his book ''Churchill's Empire: The World that Made Him and the World He Made'' was critically acclaimed. His most recent book is ''The Roar of the Lion: The Untold Story of Churchill's World War II Speeches''. Toye has also written on Rhetoric. In late 2018 he appeared in the documentary ''Churchill's mistress'' discussing the fate of Dora, Lady Castlerosse broadcast on Yesterday television. At Exeter he specialises in teaching and researching Churchill and all aspects of party politics during the period of the Third British Empire. Commensurate with his role as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society he was one of the signatories to a letter that strongly defended the
Historical Association
The Historical Association is a membership organisation of historians and scholars founded in 1906 and based in London. Its goals are to support "the study and enjoyment of history at all levels by creating an environment that promotes lifelong lea ...
: government attempts to depoliticise the teaching profession have been largely unsuccessful.
Books
As sole author
* ''Winston Churchill: A Life in the News'' (
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2020).
* ''Winston Churchill: Politics, Strategy and Statecraft'' ( Bloomsbury Academic, 2016).
* ''The Roar of the Lion: The Untold Story of Churchill's World War II Speeches'' (Oxford University Press, 2013).
* ''Rhetoric:
A Very Short Introduction
''Very Short Introductions'' (''VSI'') is a book series published by the Oxford University Press (OUP). The books are concise introductions to particular subjects, intended for a general audience but written by experts. Most are under 200 page ...
'' (Oxford University Press, 2013).
* ''Churchill's Empire: The World That Made Him and the World He Made'', ( Macmillan, 2010).
* ''Lloyd George and Churchill: Rivals for Greatness'', (Macmillan, 2007).
* ''The Labour Party and the Planned Economy, 1931–1951'', (
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history.
Origins
The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...
* with David Thackeray, ''Age of Promises: Electoral Pledges in Twentieth Century Britain'' (Oxford University Press, 2021).
* with Julia Gottlieb and Daniel Hucker, ''The Munich Crisis, Politics and the People: International, Transnational and Comparative Perspectives (Cultural History in Modern War series)'' ( Manchester University Press, 2021).
* with David Thackeray, ''Electoral Pledges in Britain Since 1918: The Politics of Promises'' (
Palgrave Macmillan
Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains off ...
Bill Schwarz
Bill Schwarz (born 1951) is an English historian, who is a Professor in the School of English and Drama at Queen Mary, University of London, his research focusing on postcolonial history.Andrew Thompson, ''Imagining Britain’s Economic Future, c.1800–1975: Trade, Consumerism, and Global Markets'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018).
* with John A. Hargreaves and
Keith Laybourn
Keith Laybourn (born 13 March 1946) is Diamond Jubilee Professor of the University of Huddersfield and Professor of History. He is a British historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century specialising in labour history and the work ...
, ''Liberal Reform and Industrial Relations: J.H. Whitley (1866-1935), Halifax Radical and Speaker of the House of Commons (Routledge Studies in Modern British History series)'' (
Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...
, 2017).
* with Martin Thomas, ''Arguing About Empire: Imperial Rhetoric in Britain and France, 1882-1956'' (Oxford University Press, 2017).
* with Martin Thomas, ''Rhetorics of Empire: Languages of Colonial Conflict after 1900 (Studies in Imperialism series)'' (Manchester University Press, 2017).
* with Andrew Thorpe, ''Parliament and Politics in the Age of Asquith and Lloyd George: The Diaries of Cecil Harmsworth MP, 1909–22 (Camden Fifth Series, Series Number 50)'' (Royal Historical Society/
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.
Cambridge University Pre ...
, 2016).
* with Julie Gottlieb, ''The Aftermath of Suffrage: Women, Gender, and Politics in Britain, 1918-1945'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).
* with Julie Gottlieb, ''Making Reputations: Power, Persuasion and the Individual in Modern British Politics'' (
I.B. Tauris
I.B. Tauris is an educational publishing house and imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. It was an independent publishing house with offices in London and New York City until its purchase in May 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
It specialises in non ...
, 2005).
* with John Toye, ''The UN and Global Political Economy: Trade, Finance and Development'' ( Indiana University Press, 2004)
Academic publications
* "The Rhetorical Culture of the House of Commons after 1918", ''History: The Journal of the Historical Association'', 99 (335), 270-298.
* "Keynes, Liberalism, and The Emancipation of the Mind", ''The English Historical Review,'' cev215-cev215.
Times Higher Education Supplement
''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The Thes''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education.
Ownership
TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...