R.J.Q. Adams
Encyclopedia
Ralph James Quincy Adams, usually known as R.J.Q. Adams (born September 22, 1943), is an American historian, writer, historiographer, and professor. Earning a Ph.D.
in history
from the University of California, Santa Barbara
in 1972, Adams has focused his professional career in the history of Britain
. Since 1974, he has been a professor of European
and British
history at Texas A&M University
in College Station
, Texas
. Following his tenure
at the institution, Adams acquired the honorific positions of Distinguished Professor and Patricia & Bookman Peters Professor of History.
, Indiana
, on September 22, 1943. However, his official résumé does not detail his background prior to 1965, when he obtained his Bachelor of Science
in history from Indiana University
in Bloomington
, Indiana. He received the Master of Arts
in liberal arts
in 1969 from Valparaiso University
in Valparaiso
, Indiana. In 1972, he received the Ph.D.
in history from the University of California, Santa Barbara
, where he was also a lecturer from 1971-1973.
in Bethany
, West Virginia
. He then joined the TAMU history faculty.
In the 1992-1993 academic year, Adams was a research fellow at St Catherine's College
in Oxford, England
. From 2003-2005, he was the director of graduate studies in history at TAMU. In 2004, he was named the Patricia and Bookman Peters Professor of History at TAMU In addition to his concentration on 20th century Britain, he is a specialist in European history and historiography
, the art of writing history.
In 2010, Adams was finishing The Georgians: British Society in the Age of George V
, 1910-1935. Adams resides in Bryan
, Texas.
.
His 1987 work is The Conscription Controversy in Great Britain, 1900-18, with the late Philip P. Poirier.
In 1988 he penned Edwardian Conservatism, co-authored with Arthur Mejia, Gregory Phillips, J.A. Thompson, and Richard Cosgrove.
In 1993 Adams authored through Stanford University British Politics and Foreign Policy in the Age of Appeasement, 1935-1939. This work examines appeasement
, which led to what Neville Chamberlain
at the Munich Conference of 1938 called "peace in our time." Later, the policy was viewed as short-sighted and a harbinger of World War II. One reviewer calls the work "exciting and thoroughly accessible [and] explains the motivations and goals of the principal policy-makers: Neville Chamberlain, Lord Halifax... and their major critics: Winston Churchill
, Anthony Eden
.... He discloses the myths which obscure our understanding...."
In 1994 Adams published through Houghton Mifflin
British Appeasement and the Origins of World War II.
Adams' 1999 book, Bonar Law, published by Stanford University Press
, was named "Book of the Year" by David Gilmour in The Spectator. Bonar Law, a native of Canada
and a businessman from Scotland
, was a member of Arthur Balfour's government. In 1911, he took the leadership of the Conservative Party
in Britain, which he reorganized and reinvigorated. During World War I, Law cast aside partisanship to work with the Liberal Party
's David Lloyd George
. He was essentially the co-premier. While Lloyd George got much of the credit for the British victory in World War I, much of the success also rested with Law. In 1921, Law retired, and partisan tensions reappeared. Law managed to achieve the peaceful division of Ireland, previously one of the most difficult problems for the British Parliament. A reviewer terms Bonar Law:
the book Europe, Crisis and Conflict: 1890-1945, published by Oxford University Press
. A reviewer describes this work, accordingly:
In 2007 Adams' Balfour: The Last Grandee was named "Biography of the Year" by D.R. Thorne in The Guardian
newspaper. Amazon.com describes Arthur Balfour
as having "possessed intellect and charm in legendary abundance. On becoming Prime Minister in 1902, it seemed that he had come into his inheritance as a true grandee. He held office longer than any other Cabinet minister and, in a fifty-year career, dealt with successes and defeats with similar equanimity. When he chose, he retreated into the insulated worlds of family, friends and ideas, and in each he was the unquestioned center."
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
from the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
in 1972, Adams has focused his professional career in the history of Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Since 1974, he has been a professor of European
History of Europe
History of Europe describes the history of humans inhabiting the European continent since it was first populated in prehistoric times to present, with the first human settlement between 45,000 and 25,000 BC.-Overview:...
and British
History of the United Kingdom
The history of the United Kingdom as a unified sovereign state began with the political union of the kingdoms of England, which included Wales, and Scotland on 1 May 1707 in accordance with the Treaty of Union, as ratified by the Acts of Union 1707...
history at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Following his tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
at the institution, Adams acquired the honorific positions of Distinguished Professor and Patricia & Bookman Peters Professor of History.
Early life and education
R.J.Q. Adams was born in HammondHammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, on September 22, 1943. However, his official résumé does not detail his background prior to 1965, when he obtained his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in history from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
in Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, Indiana. He received the Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
in 1969 from Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a regionally accredited private university located in the city of Valparaiso in the U.S. state of Indiana. Founded in 1859, it consists of five undergraduate colleges, a graduate school, a nursing school and a law school...
in Valparaiso
Valparaiso, Indiana
Valparaiso is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, making it the 2nd largest city in Porter County.-History:...
, Indiana. In 1972, he received the Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in history from the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, where he was also a lecturer from 1971-1973.
Professional career
In the 1973-1974 academic year, he was an assistant professor of history at Bethany CollegeBethany College (West Virginia)
Bethany College is a private liberal arts college located in Bethany, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1840, Bethany is the oldest institution of Higher Education in West Virginia.-Location:...
in Bethany
Bethany, West Virginia
Bethany is a town in Brooke County, West Virginia, United States. It is part of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 985 at the 2000 census. The Town of Bethany is home to Bethany College.-History:...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. He then joined the TAMU history faculty.
In the 1992-1993 academic year, Adams was a research fellow at St Catherine's College
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College, often called Catz, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its motto is Nova et Vetera...
in Oxford, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. From 2003-2005, he was the director of graduate studies in history at TAMU. In 2004, he was named the Patricia and Bookman Peters Professor of History at TAMU In addition to his concentration on 20th century Britain, he is a specialist in European history and historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
, the art of writing history.
In 2010, Adams was finishing The Georgians: British Society in the Age of George V
George V
George V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...
, 1910-1935. Adams resides in Bryan
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
, Texas.
1970s-1980s
In 1978 he authorted Arms and the Wizard: Lloyd George and the Ministry of Munitions, 1915-1916, published by the Texas A&M University PressTexas A&M University Press
Texas A&M University Press is a scholarly publishing house associated with Texas A&M University. It was founded in 1974 and is located in College Station, Texas, in the United States.-Overview:...
.
His 1987 work is The Conscription Controversy in Great Britain, 1900-18, with the late Philip P. Poirier.
In 1988 he penned Edwardian Conservatism, co-authored with Arthur Mejia, Gregory Phillips, J.A. Thompson, and Richard Cosgrove.
1990s
In 1990, Adams edited The Great War: Essays on the Military, Political and Social History of World War I.In 1993 Adams authored through Stanford University British Politics and Foreign Policy in the Age of Appeasement, 1935-1939. This work examines appeasement
Appeasement
The term appeasement is commonly understood to refer to a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to another power. Historian Paul Kennedy defines it as "the policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and...
, which led to what Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
at the Munich Conference of 1938 called "peace in our time." Later, the policy was viewed as short-sighted and a harbinger of World War II. One reviewer calls the work "exciting and thoroughly accessible [and] explains the motivations and goals of the principal policy-makers: Neville Chamberlain, Lord Halifax... and their major critics: Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
.... He discloses the myths which obscure our understanding...."
In 1994 Adams published through Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
British Appeasement and the Origins of World War II.
Adams' 1999 book, Bonar Law, published by Stanford University Press
Stanford University Press
The Stanford University Press is the publishing house of Stanford University. In 1892, an independent publishing company was established at the university. The first use of the name "Stanford University Press" in a book's imprinting occurred in 1895...
, was named "Book of the Year" by David Gilmour in The Spectator. Bonar Law, a native of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and a businessman from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, was a member of Arthur Balfour's government. In 1911, he took the leadership of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in Britain, which he reorganized and reinvigorated. During World War I, Law cast aside partisanship to work with the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
's David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
. He was essentially the co-premier. While Lloyd George got much of the credit for the British victory in World War I, much of the success also rested with Law. In 1921, Law retired, and partisan tensions reappeared. Law managed to achieve the peaceful division of Ireland, previously one of the most difficult problems for the British Parliament. A reviewer terms Bonar Law:
[an] illuminating biography ... [Adams] refutes the hard-faced and shadowy image that has long represented Bonar Law. In its place, the author reveals an effective political leader who mastered his party and the House of Commons as few others had done, while at the same time becoming one of the best loved men in the House by colleagues of all parties. Bonar Law is also shown to be a complex and tragic person ...
2000s
In 2003 Adams co-authored with Robin W. Winks (1930–2003) of Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
the book Europe, Crisis and Conflict: 1890-1945, published by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
. A reviewer describes this work, accordingly:
The first half of the 20th century was of one of the most turbulent periods in Europe's history. While social theorists challenged orthodox ways of thinking about the establishment of a 'good society,' scientists offered up new visions of the workings of the universe.... [C]hange and controversy reigned in the worlds of art and culture. The chaos of world politics ushered in the two great wars, which would forever alter Europe's position in the world. [The book] offers a concise, accessible overview of this tumultuous time period.... Topics covered include the rise of modernism in the arts, Social DarwinismSocial DarwinismSocial Darwinism is a term commonly used for theories of society that emerged in England and the United States in the 1870s, seeking to apply the principles of Darwinian evolution to sociology and politics...
and its effects on theories of race, the making of 'national' identities, the origins of the modern ecologyEcologyEcology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
movement, and the changing roles of women.... [Adams and Winks] thoroughly analyze the causes and effects of the two great wars, while reaching beyond Europe to discuss the events [elsewhere]....
In 2007 Adams' Balfour: The Last Grandee was named "Biography of the Year" by D.R. Thorne in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper. Amazon.com describes Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
as having "possessed intellect and charm in legendary abundance. On becoming Prime Minister in 1902, it seemed that he had come into his inheritance as a true grandee. He held office longer than any other Cabinet minister and, in a fifty-year career, dealt with successes and defeats with similar equanimity. When he chose, he retreated into the insulated worlds of family, friends and ideas, and in each he was the unquestioned center."
Books
R.J.Q. Adams is a widely published author of historical non-fiction books. Among these are:- Arms and the Wizard: Lloyd George and the Ministry of Munitions, 1915-1916 (1978)
- The Concription Controversy in Great Britain, 1900-18 (1987)
- Edwardian Conservatism (1988)
- The Great War: Essays on the Military, Political and Social History of World War I (1990)
- British Politics and Foreign Policy in the Age of Appeasement, 1935-39 (1993)
- British Appeasement and the Origins of World War II (1994)
- Europe, Crisis and Conflict: 1890-1945 (2003)
- Bonar Law (1999)
- British Politics and Foreign Policy in the Age of Appeasement, 1935-39 (1993)
- Balfour: The Last Grandee (2007)
Articles
Adams has also written numerous refereed articles, including:- "Britain Responds: The Demise of 'Business as Usual'" in Relevance: The Quarterly Journal of the Great War Society (Autumn 1999)
- "Andrew Bonar Law and the Fall of the Asquith Coalition: The December 1916 Cabinet Crisis" in The Canadian Journal of History (September 1997)
- "Asquith's Choice: Herbert Henry Asquith, the May Coalition and the Conscription Crisis, 1915-1916" in Armed Forces and Society (July 1986).