Defending the Empire Conservative Party and British Defence, 1899-1915 Rhodri Williams

Defence issues were of central importance in British politics in the years before World War I, as naval and military policy absorbed the attention of politicians of both parties. This book examines the political debates over defence policy in this era from the perspective of the Conservative party, who were in office from 1899 to 1905 and in opposition from 1905 to 1914. It focuses in particular on the ideas and actions of Arthur James Balfour, leader of the Conservative party from 1902 to 1911. Rhodri Williams assesses how effective the Conservative leadership was in realizing its policy objectives. By explaining the Conservatives' approach to contemporary controversies over conscription and the construction of Dreadnoughts, he highlights the complexity of the problems facing British policymakers in the period after the Boer War when, against a bleak financial background, they sought to rationalize and strengthen the Empire's defences.