Anthony Eden at the foreign office 1931 - 1938

Abstract

This thesis is based upon an examination of Anthony Eden's role at the Foreign Office in the period 1931-1938.
It is not intended to be either a biography of Eden or a comprehensive analysis of the conduct of British foreign policy in the 193Os but is rather an interpretation of Eden's particular contribution to the making of foreign policy in this period.
An attempt to analyse Eden's role would be incomplete without an examination of his formative years. Chapter One briefly surveys his family background, education, war service and his early years within the House of Commons with the aim of establishing the influences which initially moulded his views on foreign policy. Subsequent chapters trace his rise within the Foreign Office from the position of Parliamentary Under Secretary in August 1931 to his resignation of the post of Foreign Secretary in February 1938.
The thesis naturally concentrates upon the areas of policy making in which Eden was most involved and, therefore, particular attention is paid to the Disarmament Conference, the Italo-Ahyssinian war, the Rhineland crisis, the Spanish Civil War and, finally, the search for a European. security agreement which was a constant theme throughout his term of office. The thesis looks not only at Eden's personal inter-pretation of the goals to be pursued but also the restrictions chat surrounded and influenced his deliberations. In this context an examination is made of his relationship with officials at the Foreign Office and also his colleagues within the National Government. Attention is also devoted to the limitations imposed by popular expectations, political and military commitments and the ambitions of other nations.
On the basis of this evidence an attempt is made to assess Eden's views on the conduct of British foreign policy and to evaluate his contribution to, and influence upon, the course pursued by the British Government in the period 1931 - 1938.