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‘The times make everything extremely difficult’: The Treasury, January 1919 – April 1921

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 October 2009

Extract

Chamberlain emerged from the government reshuffle which followed the ‘Coupon’ election as Chancellor of the Exchequer. In many respects the appointment appears unremarkable given his past experience and reputation. His first tenure of the office had been in October 1903 in the immediate aftermath of his father's departure from the Balfour Cabinet. Although only a few days from his fortieth birthday and widely regarded as a ‘hostage for Joe’, he soon proved himself to be a capable minister. During this period a future Permanent Secretary at the department ‘thought highly’ of him as a ‘hard worker and good official’. Walter Long went even further in contending that he was ‘without exception the best Chancellor of the Exchequer he ha[d] ever worked with’ After leading the opposition to Lloyd George's 1909 budget, even former detractors were obliged to concede that Chamberlain was ‘in the first rank as a debater and as a leader’ It was a measure of this stature that at the outbreak of war in 1914 Lloyd George had invited him to attend the Financial Conference assembled to tackle the initial emergency. On one occasion the Chancellor had even asked Chamberlain to preside while he attended a Cabinet meeting. Although Lloyd George later presented this unique occurrence as ‘a foretaste of the Coalition’, others rejoiced that Chamberlain was ‘practically acting as chancellor of the exchequer’ because Lloyd George, ‘who knows very little of finance, has completely lost his head’: a preference initially echoed within the Treasury itself.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Historical Society 1995

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52 Astride Briand (1862–1932) Major figure of French Third Republic. Premier ten times after 1909 and stable element at Quai d'Orsay during governmental instability of late 1920s. After war a champion of reconciliation with Germany. Locarno Treaty (1925) and Briand-Kellogg Pact outlawing war (1928) were major achievements. Defeated in presidential election 1931.

53 Vittorio Scialoja (1856–1933) Italian lawyer and politician. Senator 1904; Minister of Justice 1909–10; Foreign Minister November 1919–June 1920. Delegate to Peace Conference 1919 and League of Nations 1921–32.

54 Churchill stated that there had been 1500 political offences including 18 murders and 77 armed attacks during the latter half of 1919. On 19 December, an unsuccessful attempt was made to ambush Lord French, the Lord Lieutenant, and his party on their way to the Vice-Regal Lodge.

55 Following the murder of four Europeans by a mob, an unarmed crowd assembled in an enclosed garden at Amritsar on 13 April 1919. Failing to disperse when ordered, Brigadier-General R.E.H. Dyer (1864–1927) ordered his troops to fire. After ten minutes 379 Indians were dead and a further 1208 wounded. Dyer subsequently justified his action as a ‘merciful severity’ which prevented an even greater loss of life throughout the Punjab.

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83 Anton Ivanovich Denikin (1872–1947) Entered Tsarist Army 1887; Deputy Chief of Staff and Commander of Western Front (later S.W. Front) 1917; C-in-C White Forces of South 1918–19. Escaped to France 1920 and emigrated to USA 1945.

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85 Raymond Poincaré (1860–1934) French Premier 1911–13; President of Republic 1913–20; Premier and Foreign Minister 1922–24; Premier 1926–29. Obstinate defender of extreme French claims and detested by Chamberlain and many other British negotiators.

86 Christopher Addison (1869–1951) Liberal MP for Shoreditch 1910–22 and Labour MP for Swindon 1929–31 and 1934–35. Parliamentary Secretary Board of Education 1914–1915; Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Munitions 1915–1916; Minister of Munirions 1916–1917; Minister of Reconstruction 1917–1919; President Local Government Board 1919; Minister of Health 1919–1921; Minister without Portfolio 1921; Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture 1929–1930; Minister of Agriculture 1930–1931; Dominion Secretary 1945–1947; Commonwealth Secretary 1947; Lord Privy Seal, 1947–1951; Paymaster-General 1948–1949; Lord President of Council 1951. Created K.G. 1947; Baron Addison 1937 and Viscount 1945.

87 Law tentatively offered Neville Chamberlain a junior ministerial position with the hint that this may be his last chance. Memories of his earlier treatment by Lloyd George at National Service were too strong and he declined without consulting his brother.

88 On 6 April 1920 the French used Moroccan troops as their advance guard in occupying Frankfurt. Although racial tension on the Rhine had been rising since the deployment of black French troops on the Rhine in the spring 1919, this event set the stage for the first massive coordinated response from the Germans turning the race issue into an international cause célèbre. See Nelson, K.L., ‘The “Black Horror on the Rhine”: Race as a Factor in Post-World War I Diplomacy’, Journal of Modem History, 42.4 12 1970, 606628.Google Scholar

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90 Robert Stevenson Horne (1871–1940) Conservative MP for Glasgow Hillhead 1918–37. Minister of Labour 1919–20; President Board of Trade 1920–21; Chancellor of Exchequer 1921–22. Created K.B.E. 1918; G.B.E. 1920; Viscount Home of Slamannan 1937.

91 Laming Worthington-Evans (1868–1931) Conservative MP for Colchester 1910–29, St George's 1929–31. Minister of Blockade 1918–19; Minister of Pensions 1919–20; Minister without Portfolio 1920–21; Secretary for War 1921–22, 1924–29; Postmaster-General 1923–24. Created baronet 1916 (when assumed the additional surname of Worthington) and G.B.E. 1922.

92 Edward Shortt (1862–1935) Liberal MP for Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1910–22. Chief Secretary for Ireland May 1918–January 1919; Home Secretary 1919–October 1922.

93 Thomas James Macnamara (1861–1931) Liberal MP for Camberwell North 1900–18 and Coalition Liberal for renamed Camberwell NW 1918–24. Parliamentary Secretary Local Government Board January 1907–April 1908; Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to Admiralty, 1908–April 1920; Minister of Labour March 1920–October 1922.

94 James Louis Garvin (1864–1947) Editor of The Observer 19081942Google Scholar and Pall Mall Gazette 19121915Google Scholar. Official biographer of Joseph Chamberlain.

95 At the first Hythe Conference on 15–16 May 1920 Lloyd George and Chamberlain met Millerand and Marsal, the French Finance Minister, to repair the alliance and concert strategy concerning German disarmament and reparation payments for the impending meeting with the Germans. This was the first of several conferences held near Lympne at the luxurious home of Lloyd George's PPS Sir Philip Sassoon.

96 Following his success at San Remo in April, at a further conference at Boulogne on 21–22 June Lloyd George and Millerand agreed to a lump sum for Germany's indemnity of £4,500M spread over 35 years.

97 Although relieved of his command and put on half pay after the Amritsar massacre, Dyer received much support in the Parliamentary debate on 8 July 1920 when Montagu was the victim of vigorous attack upon his Jewish origin from the Conservative right-wing. Although Churchill's intervention saved the day for the government, Carson led 129 Unionists in the vote against the Government on a censure motion.

98 Baron Peter Nikolayevitch Wrangel (1872–1928) Distinguished Russian soldier of Russo-Japanese and Great War, succeeding Denikin as commander of anti-Bolshevik forces in south Russia. Held Crimea until November 1920 when evacuated to the Balkans.

99 Concemore T. Cramp (1876–1933) General Secretary, NUR 1920; Chairman Labour Party 1925; President, International Transport Worker's Federation 1926. Served on many Committees of Inquiry and Royal Commissions in 1920s.

100 Edward Grey (1862–1933) Liberal MP for Berwick 1885–1916. Parliamentary Under Secretary Foreign Office August 1892–June 1895; Foreign Secretary December 1905–December 16. Succeeded grandfather as 3rd baronet 1882, created K.G. 1912 and Viscount Grey of Falloden 1916. Temporary Ambassador to USA 1919. Liberal leader in House of Lords 1916 and 1921–24.

101 General Sir (Cecil Frederick) Nevil MacCready (1862–1946) Served Egypt and South Africa; Adjutant-General BEF 1914–16; Adjutant-General to the Forces 1916–18; Commissioner of Metropolitan Police 1918–20. G.O. C-in-C Ireland 1920–22.

102 John Anderson (1882–1958) Civil servant, Secretary Ministry of Shipping 1917–19; Chairman Board of Inland Revenue 1919–22. Joint Under-Secretary to Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1920; Permanent Under-Secretary Home Office 1922–32; Governor of Bengal 1932–37. Independent National MP for Scottish Universities 1938–50; Lord Privy Seal 1938–39; Home Secretary 1939–40; Lord President of the Council 1940–43; Chancellor of Exchequer 1943–45. Created K.C.B. in 1919, G.C.B. 1923 and Viscount Waverly 1952. A consistent voice for sanity amidst the carnage of ‘retaliation’.

103 (Thomas) Hamar Greenwood (1870–1948) Liberal MP York 1906–10, Sunderland 1910–22 and Conservative MP for Walthamstow (East) 1924–29. Under-Secretary for Home Affairs 1919; Secretary for Overseas Trade 1919–1920; Chief Secretary for Ireland 1920–1922. Created Baronet 1915, Baron Greenwood 1929 and Viscount 1937.

104 On the previous day (11 December 1920) martial law was formally proclaimed for the whole of Ireland with considerable latitude for interpretation.

105 Auckland Campbell Geddes (1879–1954) Unionist MP for Basingstoke 1917–20. Minister of National Service 1917–1919; President Local Government Board 1918–1919; Minister of Reconstruction 1919; President Board of Trade 1919–March 1920; Ambassador to Washington 1920–24. Created K.C.B. 1917, G.C.M.G. 1922. Baron Geddes 1942.