Voting Station

A.J.P. Taylor

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Author

The Resume

    (March 25, 1906-September 7, 1990)
    Born in Southport, England, United Kingdom
    Birth name was Alan John Percival Taylor
    English historian
    Wrote 'From Napoleon to Stalin' (1950), 'Rumours of War' (1952), 'Bismarck: The Man and Statesman' (1955), 'The Origins of the Second World War' (1961), 'Politics in Wartime' (1964), 'From Sarajevo to Potsdam' (1966), 'Churchill Revised: A Critical Assessment' (1969), 'The War Lords' (1977), 'How Wars Begin' (1979) and 'How Wars End' (1985)

Why he might be annoying:

    He joined the British Communist party (1924).
    He opposed British rearmament before World War II.
    During the Cold War, he felt Britain should ally with the Soviet Union instead of the US.
    He resigned from the British Academy to protest the expulsion of Anthony Blunt, which he compared to McCarthyism, even though Blunt had been exposed as a Soviet spy (1980).
    His 'The Origins of the Second World War,' which argued that the outbreak of war was an accident caused by mistakes by leaders on both the Axis and Allied sides, was embraced by neo-Nazis as exonerating Hitler.

Why he might not be annoying:

    As a professor at Oxford, he was such a popular speaker that his lectures were scheduled for 8:30 in the morning to avoid overcrowding.
    He had a lively writing style and enjoyed his reputation as the 'People's Historian.'
    Despite his socialism, he supported privately-owned television stations to provide competition for the BBC.
    He always disowned any support from neo-Nazis.
    He had a cameo appearance in the film 'Time Bandits' (1981).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 64.29% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 24 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 170 Votes: 65.88% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 42 Votes: 80.95% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 57 Votes: 71.93% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 30 Votes: 56.67% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying