Foreign Policy Under DLG Flashcards
(7 cards)
1
Q
Areas to mention about DLG foreign policy
A
- treaty of Versailles
- new mandates
- League of Nations
- Chanak crisis
- Russian revolution
2
Q
Detail the treaty of Versailles
A
- DLG faced pressure to press for harsh terms for Germany
- but punitive measures would only damage germanys attempts to form a liberal democracy
- and would damage British attempts to resume trading with Germany
- DLG therefore ensured that certain essential British aims were met
- restrictions were placed on german threats to nullify the threat of German military expansion
- germanys empire (insignificant) was distributed between the victors- pretence that they were ruling under mandates.
3
Q
Detail on the new mandates
A
- Germany’s relatively insignificant empire was distributed evenly between the victors
- this was not under the pretence they were the new rulers, just ruling under new mandates
- these mandates were from the League of Nations in the interests of the people who lived there
- Britain gained responsibility for part of Togoland and the camerooons, German East Africa and south west Africa, and Iraq
- new mandates caused issues- there was issues in Iraq so force had to be used against the rebels, tensions rapidly increased
- acquisition of areas such as German kiaochow nnorth of the equator by japan encouraged Japanese nationalism and expansion- so British territories in east Asia had to be defended
- therefore, the new mandates were more responsible for increasing the costs of administration and defence than for bringing in economic benefits
- Britain’s increased empire brought the need for increased military presence and imperial government, fuelling resentment
4
Q
Detail the League of Nations
A
- League of Nations popular in Britain as an alternative to war
- but, it had no real means of enforcing its authority.
- as a victor, Britain had a major part in the LofN alongside France
- but- Britain wanted to disarm as quickly as possible and demobilise troops
- so thus did not want to commit to maintaining peace in Europe
- therefore, britains position within the league was unfavourable, as it prevented them from pursuing a completely independent foreign policy
- additionally, without the USSR and the USA, it was not strong enough to prevent war
- it had no army or no way of imposing sanctions
- lead to unrealistic beliefs amongst many people that the league could prevent war
5
Q
Detail on the chanak crisis/affair
A
- war meant there was the end of the old sultanate and the rise of a Turkish nationalist movement
- Greece had gained some land in turkey following the treaty of serves in 1920
- Greece was a favoured nation due to DLG friendship with their PM venizelos
- the victorious nationalists who had ended the old sultanate fell on the Greeks in 1922 in turkey
- British forces stationed there at chanak were ordered to prevent Turkish forces from remilitarising the zone
- DLG had ordered the troops into action without consulting the coalition
- the possibility of a major war between Britain and turkey was very unpopular (marking a shift towards more cautious foreign policy)
- public opinion against this, conservatives against this, dominions against this
- chanak crisis has even been seen as one deliberately manufactured by DLG to rally conservative support for himself
- (this failed)
6
Q
Detail on the Russian revolution
A
- overthrow of the tsar was not a major concern for Britain
- concerned about the rise of communism
- DLG sent troops to the white army during the civil war
7
Q
Overall assessment of foreign policy
A
- chanak crisis showed poor judgement, and alienated the conservatives, loosing him their support
- episode was emblematic of a wider concern that DLG had become reckless and autocratic in his conduct of foreign affairs
- undermined his credibility as a legitimate political figure
- missteps were interpreted by many as signs of deteriorating judgement, contributing directly to Carlton club
- foreign policy failures acted as a trigger for his downfall
