This pioneering study of Bertrand Russell's social and political thought deals with the years 1896 to 1938, and is the first book to embark on a thorough investigation of the intellectual and cultural context out of which Russell's ideas emerged. Maintaining a sympathetic but critical stance towards Russell's almost innumerable political postures, and focusing in particular on his concern with the intellectual elite, the author renders that thought both plausible and coherent by placing its development against a significant historical background. As well as giving attention to the aspects of Russell's private life which helped determine the direction of his thought, Dr Ironside undertakes an enlightening exploration of the individuals, groups and beliefs by which he was successively influenced. The result is a wide-ranging and highly original view of an important and enduring figure.

"Ironside's analysis is presented with enviable clarity and much good humor, and offers a shrewd sense of the trajectory of Russell's multifaceted life and ever-evolving contexts...Philip Ironside has written an intelligent and lucid book of interest not merely to specialists on Russell's life and thought but also to students of public life, social theory, and political debate in modern Britain." Victorian Studies