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7 - The Fall of Asquith

October–December 1916

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2021

Daniel Larsen
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

A sense of crisis emerged amidst growing anxieties over the Allied financial, shipping, and food situations. The British faced hard economic choices for the coming year, but the Cabinet remained divided and paralyzed. Lord Lansdowne finally put to paper the worries that had filled a number of ministers all year: the 'Lansdowne Memorandum' called for a consideration of a negotiated peace, finding a number of supporters within the Cabinet and sparking vigorous debate. Lloyd George rejected Lansdowne's position, determined to force the adoption of industrial conscription and to increase British spending in the United States. Lloyd George rejected the reality of Britain's increasingly fragile economic position even amidst a serious financial crisis. Plotting with Conservative leader Andrew Bonar Law and with Edward Carson, Lloyd George sought to eject Asquith and his supporters from the levers of power, but Asquith outmanoeuvred him, holding his government together with a series of compromises and isolating Lloyd George within the Cabinet. Lloyd George responded by launching a desperate gambit to remove Asquith's control over the war. When the dust settled, Lloyd George was on Downing Street.

Type
Chapter
Information
Plotting for Peace
American Peacemakers, British Codebreakers, and Britain at War, 1914–1917
, pp. 188 - 245
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • The Fall of Asquith
  • Daniel Larsen, University of Cambridge
  • Book: Plotting for Peace
  • Online publication: 26 March 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108761833.010
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  • The Fall of Asquith
  • Daniel Larsen, University of Cambridge
  • Book: Plotting for Peace
  • Online publication: 26 March 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108761833.010
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Fall of Asquith
  • Daniel Larsen, University of Cambridge
  • Book: Plotting for Peace
  • Online publication: 26 March 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108761833.010
Available formats
×