How did britain get involved in world war I?

Britain blundered into World War One with the best of Intentions. Though Britain was inclined to be anti-French and pro-German, the core British Leadership, especially the ‘Crown,’ the Royal Family and a circle of aristocrats were fearful of German domination of the European continent. Britain was sincere & clearly angered when Germany attacked Belgium enroute to France and so the dance of death began.

Regarding the 14 points // Britain was not happy but certain they could work around the. Wilson was not popular among the British Statesmen, viewed as an arrogant prig, which he was, but if Wilson’s plan helped end the War, Britain would climb aboard. You would do better READING a book called ‘The Swordbearers’ by Corelli Bennet and ‘Dreadnought’ by Robert K Massie… http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWW… http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/LIS… http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWW… “””—At the end of July, 1914, it became clear to the British government that the country was on the verge of war with Germany. Four senior members of the government, Lloyd George, Charles Trevelyan, John Burns, and John Morley, were opposed to the country becoming involved in a European war. They informed the Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, they intended to resign over the issue. When war was declared on 4th August, three of the men, Trevelyan, Burns and Morley, resigned, but Asquith managed to persuade Lloyd George, to change his mind.

The progressive wing of the Liberal Party, was disappointed with Lloyd George’s unwillingness to oppose Britain’s involvement in the First World War. In fact, he soon emerged as one of the main figures in the government willing to escalate the war in an effort to bring a quick victory. When the war appeared to be going badly in 1915, Lloyd George was asked to become Minister of Munitions. The coalition government was impressed with Lloyd George’s abilities as a war minister and began to question Asquith’s leadership of the country during this crisis. In December, 1916 Lloyd George agreed to collaborate with the Conservatives in the cabinet to remove Herbert Asquith.

Lloyd George, who had upset the radicals in his party by not opposing conscription in 1916, was now in overall charge of the war effort. However, Lloyd George found it difficult to control the tactics used by his generals on the Western Front but he had more success with the navy when he persuaded them to use the convoy system to ensure adequate imports of food and military supplies. An energetic war leader, Lloyd George received a lot of credit for Britain’s eventual victory over the Triple Alliance.

Lloyd George’s decision to join the Conservatives in removing Herbert Asquith in 1916 split the Liberal Party. In the 1918 General Election, many Liberals supported candidates who remained loyal to Asquith. Despite this, Lloyd George’s Coalition group won 459 seats and had a large majority over the Labour Party and members of the Liberal Party that supported Asquith.

Herbert Asquith lost his seat in East Fife in 1918 and William Wedgwood Benn led the groups opposed to Lloyd George’s government. John Benn, who was also opposed to Lloyd George, gave the group the name, Wee Frees, after a small group of Free Church of Scotland members who refused to accept the union of their church with the United Presbyterian Church.

At the Versailles Peace Conference Lloyd George clashed with Georges Clemenceau about how the defeated powers should be treated. Lloyd George told Clemenceau that his proposals were too harsh and would “plunge Germany and the greater part of Europe into Bolshevism.” Clemenceau replied that Lloyd George’s alternative proposals would lead to Bolshevism in France.

At the end of the negotiations Clemenceau managed to restore Alsace-Lorraine to France but some of his other demands were resisted by the other delegates. Clemenceau, like most people in France, thought that Germany had been treated too leniently at Versailles.

During the 1918 General Election campaign, Lloyd George promised comprehensive reforms to deal with education, housing, health and transport. However, he was now a prisoner of the Conservative Party who had no desire to introduce these reforms. Lloyd George endured three years of frustration before he was ousted from power by the Conservative members of his cabinet. “”