Winning the Peace: British Diplomatic Strategy, Peace Planning, and the Paris Peace Conference, 1916-1920

by Erik Goldstein

This is a study of the evolution of British plans for the peace settlement to follow World War I. The Paris Peace Conference marked a turning-point in international history generally, and for the British Empire in particular. A critical innovation was the introduction of expert advisers into the foreign policy process. Some perceived new imperatives for the age; others remained wedded to traditional beliefs. The author charts the development of Britain's diplomatic strategy for the post-war era, and shows that the handful of individuals closely involved in the formulation and implementation of foreign policy succeeded in creating a coherent diplomatic strategy. He examines a variety of issues, including the growth of government planning and the changing relations between the Civil Service and ministers. He analyzes the considerable influence of the little-studied Political Intelligence Department, whose members included Arnold Toynbee, Lewis Namier, Harold Nicolson, Alfred Zimmern, and

328 pages, Hardcover

First published July 25, 1991