The Dilettante King: The Abdication Crisis of 1936.
This paper will examine two of the primary players in this drama - Mrs. Wallis Simpson, the love interest of the King, and the powerful British media - in a discussion of the degree of responsibility both bear for the Abdication crisis. However, it must be acknowledged that one person, above all others, bears ultimate responsibility for the crisis. That person is Edward VIII; the monarch who chose private desires over public duties. This essay will argue that as the crisis was originally fostered by his heedless pursuit of his own desires, and concluded with a choice that was his alone to make, then clearly Edward VIII bears the lion's share of responsibility for the crisis. 8 pgs. 19 f/c. 8b.
