An Evaluation Of Radical Liberal Critics Of Sir Edward Grey's Foreign Policy - 1905-1914

This thesis is an examination of the nature and impact of ‘Radical criticism’ influencing the conduct of Anglo-German policy under the Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, from taking office in December 1905 to the outbreak of war in August 1914. Grey’s foreign policy was influenced by forces that restricted the choices he could make. In the 1960s and 1970s, a limited amount of research on this topic was carried out. Since then, it has received very little attention and can be regarded as almost entirely neglected. There is considerable scope for looking more closely at primary source material, some of which has relatively recently come to light. Limited attention is paid to the policies themselves, as the emphasis will be on what others thought of the way Grey operated, what justification they had for their views, and the impact of these on Grey’s methods and policies.

The thesis fills gaps in the historiographical landscape and questions several conclusions that the few published sources have made, which have not fully related Radicals, the issue of influence and Grey’s policies. The thesis re-examines that landscape, given a lapse of almost fifty years since the last significant reference work was published.