What were the main factors affecting British foreign policy in the 1920s?
There are many factors affecting British foreign policy in the 1920s. But there are clearly some that contributed more than others; the majority of the British people were very against war and thought ‘Germany should pay’ but in the early 1920s opinions changed. Britain’s empire faced many problems that it had to deal with, its economy suffered greatly from the first world war and the severe lack of support from allied countries all were significant factors that affected British foreign policy.
British public opinion changed from 1918 o early 1920s. After the war the election was won by Lloyd George by campaigning ‘make Germany pay.’ This was understandable as many people were distraught by the numbers of deaths and wounded in the war (722,000 people died and 1, 676, 00 were wounded.) But by 1920 the British became sympathetic towards Germany. They thought reparations were too high and the treaty was too harsh. This was the point when Britain started to appease Germany. Politics became more about what the people wanted because in 1928 men over 18 and women over 21 were allowed to vote. The technology for communication developed which made it easier for the public to express there ideas and also for government to influence them. This was most trying to encourage people supporting the policy of appeasement to prevent another war.