WWI Thoughts - II

One should not underestimate the role of David Lloyd-George in securing victory for the Allies in World War One. As British PM from 1916-1922 Lloyd-George tactfully agreed to many of the rational demands of organized labour. He championed a policy of conciliation rather than confrontation, preventing the Home Front from erupting with the same degree of violence that engulfed France, Germany , the Austro-Hungarian Empire and of course Russia. At Versailles the Welshman was under immense pressure to take a hardline stance against Germany but was constantly mindful of the repercussions that would endear. The British public wanted the Kaiser to hang for war crimes , France was obsessed with its future security and the Americans under Wilson needed to ensure that the debt owed to them by the Allies, for financing the war effort, would be repaid. Lloyd-George was caught up in this tangle but managed to secure the integrity of the British Empire (as well as the global domination of the British Navy) at a time when feelings of nationalism were running high. Lloyd-George was a unifier, he headed a coalition where his own party, the Liberals were in a minority, yet secured the political stability that Britain so craved during these turbulent times. His vital contribution to the nation should not be forgotten.