Economics, Rearmament and Foreign Policy
The United Kingdom before 1939 - A Preliminary Study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10073146 |
|---|---|
| Authors | R A C Parker, Reginald Parker (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1975 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 637-647 |
| Publication date | 1975-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Contemporary History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-0094 • E-ISSN: 1461-7250 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/002200947501000405 |
| OpenAlex | W1988713064 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
The object of British policy before 1939 was the maintenance of British independence, an object which determined her policy towards Nazi Germany. Since Britain could not create enough military strength to defend herself against a German-controlled Europe, she had to persuade Germany or, failing that, compel her not to dominate Europe. Domination over eastern Europe must be prevented, because the result would be domination over western Europe. Of course, British governments wished the UK to be prosperous, wished to preserve parliamentary democracy, the capitalist system and the other manifestations of western liberalism. But British policy aimed to secure these things without sacrificing British independence, which was most dangerously threatened by Germany. The way in which and the methods by which this policy was pursued depended on the armed strength of the United Kingdom, which depended on the economic resources thought to be available for rearmament. These resources were not enough to make the United Kingdom safe against Germany; hence the protracted British attempts to make a bargain with Germany a bargain which the British had always intended should contain an agreed limitation on armaments. Failing such a bargain, British independence must rest on its allies, a fact which might itself compromise that independence. The limitations on British strength were most clearly defined, in terms of the money available for arms expenditure, by an inquiry conducted under the chairmanship of Sir Thomas Inskip, the Minister for Co-ordination of Defence, after Chamberlain had become Prime Minister in 1937. He reported to the Cabinet at the end of 1937 that
Cabinet (room · Compromise · Economic history · Economics · Foreign policy · German · Independence (probability theory · Kingdom · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Defense, Military, and Policy Studies · History · Law
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.11 |
| Citation span | 1988 - 2004 (17) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |