British Foreign Secretaries in an Uncertain World, 1919-1939

Michael Hughes

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2004
• Print ISBN: 9780714657158
• eBook ISBN: 9781135765118
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

The nature of international diplomacy and Britain's world role changed immeasurably after the end of the First World War, and this book shows how the various men who headed the Foreign Office during the interwar years sought to operate in the shifting political and bureaucratic environments that confronted them.

British Foreign Secretaries in an Uncertain World examines the careers of each of the interwar Foreign Secretaries, including Lord Curzon, Ramsay MacDonald and Anthony Eden. Using an extensive range of primary sources both published and unpublished, official and private, Michael Hughes provides a detailed assessment of how these men approached their role and how influential they were in international diplomacy. The book also looks at the Foreign Secretaries' successes or failures within the British political system, analysing how influential the Foreign Office was under each Secretary in determining British foreign policy.

A fascinating book with a unique focus, British Foreign Secretaries in an Uncertain World takes a rigorous look at a key topic in British history.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• British Foreign Secretaries in an Uncertain World, 1919–1939
• British foreign and colonial policy
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• General editor’s preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Lord Curzon at the Foreign Office (1919–24)
• 3 Ramsay MacDonald at the Foreign Office (1924)
• 4 Austen Chamberlain at the Foreign Office (1924–29)
• 5 Arthur Henderson at the Foreign Office (1929–31)
• 6 Sir John Simon at the Foreign Office (1931–35)
• 7 Sir Samuel Hoare at the Foreign Office (1935)
• 8 Anthony Eden at the Foreign Office (1935–38)
• 9 Lord Halifax at the Foreign Office (1938–39)
• 10 Conclusion
• Notes
• Bibliography