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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 October 2009
Austen Chamberlain did not play a significant role in the events leading up to the political crisis or the decision to form a National Government on 24 August 1931. The eventual outcome of those developments, however, delivered a bitter blow to his self-esteem and marked a major watershed in his career. Had the Conservatives won the 1929 election, Chamberlain believed Baldwin would have returned him to the Foreign Office as he had promised. He continued to nurture this expectation throughout the period in Opposition. Even after being struck forcibly by the ‘violent animus against the “Old Gang”’ and the very specific attacks upon his foreign policy in Egypt and China at the Caxton Hall meeting in October 1930, he still consoled himself with the thought that none of his colleagues were excluded from criticism; that the critics consisted mainly of reactionary, disreputable or disgruntled groups (often all three) without ‘many young men of a decent type’; and that such grousing was symptomatic of the frustration engendered by Baldwin's lack of leadership and a natural impatience for youth to have its chance. As a result, he remained content to believe that not only did he still have much to contribute in foreign affairs but that there was no one else with a comparable claim to the portfolio.
1 Jones Diary, 5 March 1929, Whitehall Diary, II, 174Google Scholar; Neville Chamberlain Diary, 11 March 1929. Bridgeman was sceptical about Baldwin's intentions, but there is no other confirmation. Bridgeman Diary, July 1929, Bridgeman MSS II fol.173.
2 Chamberlain, A. to Ida, , 2 11 1930Google Scholar, AC5/1/519.
3 Jones Diary, 20 June 1929, Whitehall Diary, II, 191Google Scholar. See also Steed, W., The Real Stanley Baldwin, 108.Google Scholar
4 Bridgeman Diary, July 1929, II fol.173. Also Amery, to Baldwin, , 11 03 1929Google Scholar, Asquith, Lady to Baldwin, , 2 06 1929Google Scholar, Baldwin MSS 36/90, 221; ‘Character Sketches of the 1924–29 Cabinet’, n.d. (1955–58) Templewood MSS XX(A)5, 17.
5 Chamberlain, N. to Hilda, , 13 11 1929Google Scholar, NC18/1/672.
6 Bridgeman, to Davidson, , 2 11 1930Google Scholar, James, R.R., Memoirs of a Conservative, 352.Google Scholar
7 Chamberlain, N. to Bridgeman, , 18 11 1930Google Scholar, NC8/10/16b. Also Arnery Diary, 6, 9 November 1930, The Empire at Bay, 87, 89.Google Scholar
8 For Chamberlain's recognition of this factor see A. Chamberlain to Ida. 11 October 1931, AC5/1/560. Given Baldwin's treatment of Hailsham against whom he felt particularly bitterly in March this seems more than plausible.
9 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 24 08 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/801.
10 Bridgeman Diary, November 1929, Bridgeman MSS II fol.189.
11 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 25, 26 08 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/802–3.
13 Chamberlain, A. to Young, Hilton, 31 08 1931Google Scholar, Kennet MSS 15/2/a.
14 Chamberlain, N. to Annie, , 29 08 1931Google Scholar, NC1/26/452.
15 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 27 08 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/802.
16 For his low initial opinion of Reading see Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 3–4 09 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/809, 810.
17 Chamberlain, A. to Ida, , 31 08 1931Google Scholar, AC5/1/551.
18 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 24, 25 08 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/801–2.
19 Chamberlain, N. to Annie, , 29 08 1931Google Scholar, NC1/26/452. Also Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 24 and 25 08 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/801–2.
20 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 26 08 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/803.
21 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 4 and 27 09 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/810, 813.
22 Roskill, S., Hankey, II, 555Google Scholar. For the mutiny see Roskill, S., Naval Policy Between the Wars (2 vols, London 1968–1976), IIGoogle Scholar, Chapter 4; Divine, D.Mutiny at Invergordon (1970)Google Scholar; Ereira, A., The Invergordon Mutiny (1981)Google Scholar. The latter is extremely hostile to Chamberlain and the Admiralty generally.
23 CAB 56(31)3, 16 September 1931, CAB 23/68.
24 Admiralty summary quoted in Divine, D., Mutiny at Invergordon, 16–17.Google Scholar
25 For details of these deliberations see Hankey Diary, 20 and 26 September 1931, Hankey MSS 1/7 fol.27–8.
26 Chamberlain, A. to Carnegie, Mary, 27 09 1931Google Scholar, AC4/1/1312. His official account in the Admiralty record also excised any reference to the perceived threat of further trouble.
27 Hankey Diary, 26 September 1931, Hankey MSS 1/7, fol.27.
28 Petrie, C., The Chamberlain Tradition, 198Google Scholar; Life and Letters, II, 382.Google Scholar
29 Roskill, S., Naval Policy Between the Wars I, 38Google Scholar; II, 92–3.
30 Stanhope to Admiral Sir John Kelly, 3 September 1931, Divine, D.Mutiny at Invergordon, 86–7Google Scholar. Stanhope had also been Civil Lord 1924–29.
31 For the full indictment see Divine, D.Mutiny at Invergordon, 204–13Google Scholar.
32 Ibid, 85, 88.
33 Ibid, 17, 89–90, 99–100. For his defence see Chamberlain, A. to Ida, , 26 09 1931Google Scholar, AC5/1/555.
34 Roskill, S., Hankey, II, 557Google Scholar–8.
35 Chamberlain, A. to Carnegie, Mary, 27 09 1931Google Scholar, AC4/1/1312.
36 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 5 10 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/824.
37 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 28 08 and 7 10 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/806, 825.
38 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 14 10 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/835.
39 Rolf, K.W.D., ‘Tories, Tariffs and Elections’.Google Scholar
40 Chamberlain, A. to Ivy, , 2 10 1931Google Scholar, AC6/1/82O.
41 Chamberlain, A. to Ida, , 11 10 1931Google Scholar, AC5/1/560; to Ivy, 2–3 October 1931, AC6/1/820–1.
42 Chamberlain, A. to Baldwin, , 28 10 1931Google Scholar, Baldwin MSS 45/188.
43 Avon, , Facing the Dictators, 22.Google Scholar
44 King George V to A. Chamberlain, 6 November 1931, Nicolson, H., King George V, 495Google Scholar. See also The Times (leader), 4 November 1931.
45 Chamberlain, A. to Chamberlain, N., 5 11 1931Google Scholar, NC1/27/99.
46 Archibald Henry MacDonald Sinclair (1890–1970) Liberal MP for Caithness & Sutherland, 1922–45. Scottish Secretary 1931–32; Secretary for Air 1940–45; Liberal Party Leader 1935–45. Succeeded as 4th Baronet 1912, created Viscount Thurso 1952, K.T. 1941.
47 (John) Ramsay Bryce Muir (1872–1941) Professor of Modern History Liverpool and Manchester Universities, 1906–21. Liberal MP for Rochdale 1923–24, unsuccessfully stood elsewhere 1926, 1929, 1931, 1935. Chairman, Organising Committee of Liberal Party 1930–31; Chairman of National Liberal Federation 1931–33; President 1933–36.
48 As N.L.F. Chairman, on 10 October Muir wrote to all Liberal Associations declaring they should ‘support the National Government as free traders or not at all’ and urged constituencies to ‘not abstain from fighting Protectionist sitting members merely because they support the Governmenty’.
49 After occupying Mukden on 18 September 1931, the Japanese Army rapidly invaded the whole of Manchuria. China's appeal to the League was debated inconclusively in Council on 22 September.
50 Lloyd George had an emergency operation on his prostate gland on 29 July which kept him convalescing at Churt throughout the crisis.
51 Respectively Conservative Agent and Constituency Association Chairman for West Birmingham. Chamberlain's majority increased from 43 in 1929 to 11,941 in 1931.
52 Cabinet agreed to introduce an emergency duty of up to 100% to forestall ‘dumping’ on 12 November. This was passed as the Abnormal Importations Act, CAB 76(31)1, CAB 23/69.
53 The Statute of Westminster of November 1931, guaranteed the equality of status of Dominion Parliaments with Westminster by stipulating that henceforth the UK Parliament should not legislate for a Dominion except with its consent (already the conventional position) and that no law made by a Dominion Parliament should be invalidated because repugnant to English law.
54 Sir Oswyn Alexander Ruthven Murray (1873–1936). Entered Admiralty 1897; Permanent Secretary, Admiralty 1917–36.
55 William Cosgrave (1880–1965) Chairman, Irish Provisional Government 1922; first Taoiseach, Irish Free State 1922–32.
56 Pierre Laval (1883–1945) French Deputy 1914–19, 1924–7; Senator 1927–44. Minister 1925, 1926, 1930; Foreign Minister 1932, 1934–6, 1940; Prime Minister 1931–2, 1935–6.
57 On 12 November the French imposed a 15% surtax on British imports. Britain retaliated with the preparation of a Customs Duties (Foreign Discrimination) Bill. The threat was sufficient to force the French to withdraw. See CAB 86(31)3, with Appendix, CAB 87(31)8, 9–10 December 1931, CAB 23/69.