The imperial aspects of the British peacemaking program development in 1917

The article examines the war aims and peace projects' discussions at the British Imperial Conference of 1917. It was of the great importance as a new political experience to coordinate British Imperial and European interests. This investigation has been motivated by the actual historians' interest in Britain's imperial past which has increased in recent decades and interest has been sustained in part by a preoccupation with certain contemporary social, political and international issues. For American researchers, British imperial history has served as analogy for thinking about America's role as a global power. For the British-based historians, it has served as a focal point for contending claims about Britain's past and deepening anxieties about its future. Once the author views the Imperia Conference in the frames of the significance of the British Empire as a theme in world history it engaged her to debate some fresh interpretations of significant topics such as "the empires and the world order" by D. Liven. The paper carries forward this purpose by the consideration of the Great Britain - British dominions relationship during the First World War. This relations' case indicates more complex dominions' development to the independent state than D. Liven supposes. So the preparing, proceedings and results of the Imperial Conference are observed from the history' and international studies perspectives to study the British Empire' participating in the post-war world order and new global balance of powers. The research is based on the original historical sources of the UK National Archives which illuminate the War Cabinet politics. The investigation of the War Cabinet and the Imperial War Cabinet Papers enables the author to cast a new light on the political debates of the War Cabinet members and the Dominions leaders. Once the Dominions made the significant contribution to the British war efforts the advanced post-war demands were supported by the Unionist members of War Cabinet - opposite to Lloyd George and his pragmatic reluctance to give great promises before the War ended. Despite of the clashes of the interests all participants had agreed on the point of "imperial defence and security" strategy. From the standpoint of an interdisciplinary approach the author concludes the Lloyd George government had initiated the peace program development at Imperial level to make Dominions more active to participate in the foreign policies of the Empire and so promoted the changes of its political status towards the sovereign nations.

Keywords

Authors

References