Birmingham

Abstract

This chapter shows that in Birmingham, territorial identity was manifested through the display of loyalty to Neville Chamberlain and influenced by the Birmingham papers’ pride and affection for the Chamberlain family. The way the Birmingham papers reported on Churchill changed over time as his position and that of Neville Chamberlain changed. They compared Churchill with Chamberlain through the nature of their leadership, with Churchill portrayed as the romantic, inspiring war leader and Chamberlain as the realistic, straightforward peacetime leader. The death of Neville Chamberlain marked the end of the Chamberlain tradition in the eyes of many Birmingham papers, and the Labour Party’s landslide victory at the general election was partly explained by the end of an era where personalities influenced Birmingham’s citizens.