A. J. P. Taylor
A. J. P. Taylor was a prominent British historian and television personality, born in 1906 in Southport, Lancashire. He was educated at Bootham School and Oriel College, Oxford, where he earned his degrees in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Taylor's academic career included a tenure at Manchester University before he became a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, a role he held until 1976. Despite his significant contributions to historical scholarship, including several best-selling works, Taylor was known for his controversial views, which often alienated colleagues across the political spectrum. His 1961 book, *The Origins of the Second World War*, was particularly polarizing, as it argued against the notion that Adolf Hitler was solely responsible for the war. Taylor's writing style and media presence contributed to his reputation as a populist historian, though his approach drew criticism from some who viewed his television engagements as trivializing serious history. His notable works included *The Course of German History* and *The Struggle for Mastery in Europe, 1848-1918*, the latter being considered his most significant contribution. Taylor passed away in 1990 in London, leaving a complex legacy as both a scholar and a public figure.
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Subject Terms
A. J. P. Taylor
Historian
- Born: March 25, 1906
- Birthplace: Southport, Birkdale, Lancashire, England
- Died: September 7, 1990
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Although born into wealth, historian and television personality A. J. P. Taylor was associated with working-class ideals. He was born in 1906 in Southport, Birkdale, Lancashire, England. He was educated at Bootham School and at Oriel College, Oxford, where he earned a B.A. in 1927 and an M.A. in 1932. Between degrees at Oxford, Taylor was a Rockefeller Fellow in social sciences from 1929 through 1930. Taylor lectured at Manchester University from 1930 until 1938, when he became a fellow of Magdellan College, Oxford, a position he held through 1976. He received an honorary doctorate from New Brunswick College, Oxford, in 1961, was vice president of Magdellan College, and was elected a fellow of the British Academy. However, Taylor did not received the Regius Chair position at Oxford because his opinions alienated many of his colleagues.
Taylor seems to have irritated people of all political stripes. His sympathies for the Labour Party did little to endear him to conservatives. Taylor’s social behavior also may have raised eyebrows and engendered some enmity. Married three times, he remained with his first wife for part of each week after his second marriage, and he continued to see both his first and second wives after his third marriage.
Taylor became further associated as a populist when he began to produce popular books on history. The Course of German History: A Survey of the Development of German History Since 1815, first published in 1945 and reprinted in 1961, The First World War, published in 1963, and English History, 1914-1945, published in 1965, all became best-sellers. Taylor also appeared on television to lecture about history. His identity as a media figure angered opponents, who considered his media appearances to be vulgar activities.
Taylor’s arguably most controversial episode, however, was the 1961 publication of The Origins of the Second World War. In this book, Taylor argued unabashedly that Adolf Hitler could not be blamed as the only instigator of hostilities in World War II. Taylor had been a well- known critic of Nazi Germany, so his conclusions absolving Germany of total responsibility for World War II, while controversial, were not easily discounted. The Struggle for Mastery in Europe, 1848- 1918, published in 1954, was widely regarded as Taylor’s greatest book. The Trouble Makers: Dissent over Foreign Policy, 1792-1939, published in 1957, was Taylor’s analysis of critics of British foreign policy, people for whom Taylor felt great affinity. Taylor died in 1990 in London of complications from Parkinson’s disease.