The trials of victory : France, Britain and disarmament after the Great War -- Allies of yesterday : Britain in 1929 -- Security is the guardian of peace : France in 1929 -- An opening clash : reparations and the Rhineland -- Alternative paths : European union, international arbitration and general disarmament at the League Assembly -- The battle of London : the continuing pursuit of naval disarmament -- The problems of 1930 : the Rhineland, arbitration and European union -- Enfin désarmement : the Preparatory Commission concludes -- Annus terribilis : 1931 as a year of crisis -- Missed opportunity : preparing for the World Disarmament Conference -- Collapsing centre : the World Disarmament Conference, 1932-33
Summary
"Strange Allies is based upon extensive research in British and French archives, as well as in the archives of the League of Nations in Geneva. The book's focus on 1929-31 in particular makes a major contribution to the international history of the interwar period by re-examining the security and strategic policies of the second Labour government in Britain and of foreign minister Aristide Briand in the post-Locarno years in France. For 1931-33, the book looks at the impact of the great financial and economic crisis of 1931 on security and disarmament planning in Britain and France. It then considers the impact of the Anglo-French relationship on the instability of Europe and on the failure of the World Disarmament Conference"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes
Andrew Webster is Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at Murdoch University, Australia
