In what ways and with what success did successive British governments seek to promote disarmament and international harmony during the 1920’s?
Introduction:
During the 1920’s the main aim of British foreign policy was to avoid ever having to fight a war on such a scale as the First World War ever again. As a result we can see that the efforts of successive British government, both Conservative and Labour, were focussed on promoting international harmony. This also included the desire to disarm to such an extent that no major power would be in a position to dominate in Europe and threaten the peace.
There were major obstacles to these aims during this period which jeopardised the extent to which Britain could be successful in her aims. Continued German bitterness towards the Treaty of Versailles and the determination of France to extract from Germany the full demands of the Treaty ensured that peace and harmony was not guaranteed. In order to answer this question we must be aware that British foreign policy was not conducted by one government but a succession of different governments led by different parties and Foreign Ministers. Ranging from Lloyd George and the Liberals until 1922 and a range of Conservative and Labour Governments until 1929 it is possible to see a main thread which aimed to ensure that Europe remained at peace during this difficult period.
