Book Description
This book is a collection of the diary letters of Austen Chamberlain from 1916 to 1937.These letters provide a valuable insight into the political life of one of the leading Conservative politicians of the inter-war period, and constitute a detailed record of Conservative and national politics at this time.They provide particularly valuable personal accounts of key events such as the negotiations of the Irish Treaty in 1921, the troubles leading to the Carlton Club revolt of October 1922, the Locarno agreements of 1925, the leadership crisis of 1930-31, and the backbench campaign against the German threat in the 1930s. ... Read more

Book Description
This book fills a major gap in the study of inter-war British foreign policy: it is the first complete study of Austen Chamberlain's term of office as Stanley Baldwin's Foreign Secretary from 1924-29. It is argued that Chamberlain's priority was a two-stage policy in western Europe, which aimed at pacifying both France and Germany, as well as encouraging the League of Nations. Other key chapters deal with British policy in the Middle East and China and policy Towards America. Overall, Chamberlain is shown to have committed Britain to a European diplomatic role, which was opposed by Cabinet ministers who did not see a European interest to all aspects of British foreign policy. Today, in the Conservative Party, the debate is still unresolved. ... Read more