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Biography of David Lloyd George. Liberal reforms in England at the beginning of the 20th century

British statesman, British Prime Minister 1916-1922 David Lloyd George was born on January 17, 1863 in Manchester.

His father died when David was three years old, and the family was helped by his mother's brother, Baptist minister Richard Lloyd from North Wales.

After graduating from parish school, he passed three exams and received the rights of a solicitor - a solicitor or intercessor in cases. Later he founded his own law office.

In 1888, Lloyd George was elected alderman of Caernarvon in north-west Wales. His first steps in politics brought him to the Chamber of Deputies from the Liberals (1890).

Lloyd George soon became known for his vigorous attacks on Conservatives and his defense of Welsh nonconformists and nationalists. During the Boer War (1899-1902), he sharply opposed British policy.

In 1905, with the coming to power of the Liberals, David Lloyd George took the post of Secretary of Trade in the government of Henry Campbell-Bannerman, and in 1908 he took the post of Secretary of the Exchequer in the government of Herbert Asquith.

In 1909, Lloyd George introduced his famous "people's" budget, which imposed increased taxes on luxury goods, income and empty land of landlords.

The budget adopted by the House of Commons was defeated by the Conservative majority in the House of Lords. In 1910, the Liberal government received electoral support and the budget was passed. The Budget was followed by the Social Services Reform Act, the Home Rule Bill for Ireland; the veto power that the House of Lords had was significantly limited (1911).

In 1911 Lloyd George passed the state insurance, which gave the right to benefits for illness and disability, as well as the law on unemployment insurance.

In 1915, he became head of the newly created Ministry of Armaments in the first coalition government.

Late in 1915, Lloyd George became a strong advocate of universal conscription, and in 1916 he introduced the Conscription Act. In June 1916 he was appointed Minister of War.

On 5 December 1916, following Asquith's resignation, Lloyd George became Prime Minister of the coalition government.

During the war, he defended the slogan of bringing the struggle to the complete defeat of Germany. Demanded that the center of gravity of British military efforts be shifted from Western Europe to the Middle East, to the Balkans, to the straits, to the eastern Mediterranean. This strategy pursued expansionist goals: to shift the main burden of the war in Europe onto the allies, to block the path of Russian armies to the Balkans, and to ensure complete dominance of the British armed forces in the Near and Middle East by the end of the war.

Lloyd George became one of the main organizers of the Paris Peace Conference (1919) and the authors of the Treaty of Versailles (1919).

He is considered one of the creators of the “summit” meeting system. In 1920-1922, with the active participation of the British Prime Minister, more than 30 international conferences and meetings.

Since 1919, England has strengthened its dominance in Arabia, Persia and Egypt, on the banks of the Bosphorus.

David Lloyd George supported military intervention against Soviet Russia and provided assistance with weapons and money to the leaders of the White armies - Denikin, Kolchak and Yudenich.

He became the inspirer and organizer of the intervention in Turkey in order to suppress the people's liberation movement in the country and turn it into a British colony. Lloyd George's policies led to the Greco-Turkish War (1920-1922).

In October 1922, David Lloyd George was forced to resign.

In 1926-1931 he headed the Liberal Party.

Since the late 1920s, Lloyd George traveled to Brazil, Egypt, India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and Jamaica.

In the 1930s he wrote memoirs about the war and post-war settlement. Among his works are “War Memoirs” (1933-1936); “The Truth About the Peace Treaties” (1938).

After the German attack on the USSR, he immediately spoke out for the unity of action between England and the Soviet Union.

In 1944 he was awarded the title of count.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

Queen Victoria died in 1901. Three generations of Britons were born, and many of them died, during her reign. The queen became a symbol of an entire era, her image was associated with the greatness and power of the empire. For the British, she personified the strength and stability of Great Britain and loyalty to its traditions.

England entered the 20th century. in a state of war with the Boers, and on the crest of a chauvinistic upsurge, the Conservatives again won the parliamentary elections. The war and the emerging economic crisis confronted the Tories with serious problems in the domestic and foreign policy. The newly raised issue of protectionism caused serious disagreements in the party and almost led to its split. In the elections of 1906, the Conservatives suffered complete defeat and the liberals returned to power again.

Since Gladstone's time the Liberal Party has undergone major changes. The radical wing of supporters of reforms and social progress came to the fore, which was soon led by one of the most talented politicians in England, David Lloyd George. It was he who became the ideologist and practitioner of the liberal reforms carried out in the country at the beginning of the 20th century.

Having taken the post of Minister of Trade and Industry, Lloyd George managed to prevent several major strikes by acting as a mediator in negotiations between employers and workers. On his initiative, in 1906, parliament prohibited industrialists from bringing claims against trade unions in connection with losses caused by strikes. Lloyd George attached great importance to carrying out social reforms, taking on this task with his usual determination and energy. After all, the future of his party now depended on the votes of working-class voters.

David Lloyd George, 1st Earl of Duivor, Viscount Gwynedd (eng. David Lloyd George) (17 January 1863 - 26 March 1945) - British politician, the last Prime Minister of Great Britain from the Liberal Party (1916-1922). Close friend of Winston Churchill.

Coming from a Welsh family (the only British prime minister of Welsh descent), he studied law and worked as a lawyer in London. Having joined the Liberal Party, he was elected to parliament in 1890. From 1905 he was a member of the government, and from 1916 he was prime minister.

He headed the British delegation in negotiations with Germany and signed the Treaty of Versailles. In 1921 he took part in the negotiations that led to the creation of an independent Irish state. In 1922 he resigned.

During the Second World War, after the surrender of France, he was one of the supporters of concluding peace between England and Germany, as he believed that England was unable to fight the war alone.

Lloyd George - one of the ch. the organizers of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and the authors of the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919. With the consent and active support of Lloyd George, a military intervention of the imperialist powers was launched against the Soviet Union. Russia. Convinced of the impossibility of defeating the young Sov. Republic with the help military force, initiated the lifting of the blockade and the establishment of trade relations (January 1920) in the hope of the economic enslavement of the Soviet country and the restoration of capitalism in it. In 1919-1920, Lloyd George was the inspirer and organizer of the imperialist intervention in Turkey in order to suppress the people's liberation movement in the country and turn it into a British colony. In October 1922, taking advantage of the failure of the Lloyd George government's policies in the Middle East and some changes in the political situation in the country, the Conservatives achieved a change in the coalition government and the resignation of Lloyd George. Subsequently, Lloyd George, while maintaining a certain political influence in the country, was engaged in literary activities. With the coming to power of fascism in Germany, he spoke approvingly of it for some time, and subsequently became an opponent of Hitler and advocated cooperation with the USSR to suppress German aggression.

In 1906, the Liberals passed through parliament a new law on compensation for industrial accidents. In 1908, an 8-hour working day was introduced for miners and pensions were established for workers from the age of 70. In 1909, a minimum was legally established in England wages, and in 1911 state social insurance for illness, disability and unemployment was introduced. Funds for insurance came from the state budget and were contributed by entrepreneurs and the workers themselves.

The post of Chancellor of the Exchequer, taken in 1908, allowed Lloyd George to more actively influence government policy. But the very first draft budget he proposed to parliament met with fierce resistance from conservatives. The project provided for an increase in taxes on the wealthy and affected, first of all, the interests of large landowners.

The fight over the budget involved the Liberal government in a protracted conflict with the House of Lords, which ended in 1911 with the adoption of a new Parliament Act. The powers of the upper house were curtailed; it was generally deprived of the right to interfere in budgetary issues. She could delay other bills only twice; if the House of Commons adopted them for the third time, they became laws without the sanction of the lords.

The rise of the liberation movement in Ireland and dependence on the votes of Irish deputies forced the Liberal government to introduce a new Home Rule Bill to parliament in 1912. However, this time too the conservatives met the bill with hostility. They demanded the dismemberment of Ireland and the removal from the jurisdiction of the future Irish parliament of its northern part - Ulster, where the descendants of English settlers lived. Although the Home Rule Act was passed in 1914, Ulster was excluded from its scope, and the outbreak of war gave the government a reason to postpone its implementation.

David Lloyd George - famous British politician, last minister from the Liberal Party. His career developed very rapidly and rapidly. He held a variety of positions in the British government, carried out successful financial reforms, and also played an important role in developing the military strategy that accelerated the successful conclusion of the First World War.

Youth

Lloyd George, whose biography is the subject of this review, was born in 1863 in Manchester in the family of a teacher. His father died when the child was only three years old.

Then the family moved to the village where the mother’s brother lived. Last played big role in the formation of a future politician who, upon coming of age, took his surname. The boy graduated from parish school and became a solicitor. The young man dreamed of becoming a lawyer: he had an internship in one of the offices, and also, being very active and active, founded his own company to provide legal services. Lloyd George soon married the daughter of a local wealthy farmer, and was also elected in 1890 to the House of Deputies as a representative of the Liberal Party.

Start of a career

The young lawyer soon became famous in Wales for his speeches in defense of nationalists and nonconformists. In the same year, he moved to London, where, thanks to his extraordinary oratorical abilities, he immediately became a Welsh MP. Lloyd George immediately attracted attention with speeches in which he condemned the Boer War.

In 1905, the Liberal Party came to power, and the young lawyer was invited to take the post of Minister of Trade. He agreed on two conditions. The future prime minister achieved the expansion of self-government rights for Wales, whose interests he represented, as well as changes current law about education. Following this, Lloyd George became Secretary of Trade at the age of just 32.

Financial policy

Being a rationalist, he advocated making good use of the resources of the colonies. Having taken the post of Minister of Finance in 1908, the politician proposed his budget, which included increased taxes on luxury and empty land. This project was defeated by the conservatives, whom he sharply criticized, as well as representatives of the bourgeoisie. Only in next year When his party won the elections, the so-called people's budget was eventually approved.

Bill 1914

Lloyd George took part in the adoption of this very important document for the history of Ireland. Since the end of the 19th century, a movement for self-government began in the country, which caused fierce controversy in society. The movement aimed to achieve the transformation of the island into a dominion of the empire.

In the 1880-1890s, a corresponding bill was introduced into parliament twice, but each time failed due to pressure from conservatives. In 1912, it was again introduced into parliament, and two years later it was adopted with the proviso that it would be put into effect after the end of the war. This was a very important step by the Liberal government, along with other measures to strengthen the influence of this party in government and society.

Other laws

An interesting question is what reforms of Lloyd George had highest value for the history of Great Britain at the time in question. In addition to the aforementioned bill, it should also be mentioned that the Liberal Party significantly limited the veto power of the House of Lords, which often blocked the adoption of progressive bills.

But even more important were measures in the social sphere: the minister achieved the adoption of a decree on insurance in case of illness, disability or unemployment. It is indicative that these measures, although criticized, came in very handy in the difficult post-war years, significantly reducing social tension in society.

During the First World War

Against Germany along with others European countries Great Britain also spoke. Lloyd George, who during the Boer War sharply criticized the government for militarism, now, on the contrary, began to call on the country to side with Belgium. These changes in the international arena were reflected in his career. In 1915, a coalition government was created, and he headed the Ministry of Armaments. In this post, he carried out a number of serious measures to strengthen the combat capability of the British army. Thus, it was he who initiated the introduction of universal conscription and also achieved the adoption of this law. Soon he took the post of Minister of Armaments.

The defeat of Romania led to serious changes in political circles. David George championed a cabinet reorganization and became prime minister in 1916. This was the peak of his career: it was during this period of time that the politician enjoyed enormous popularity not only in his homeland, but also in many European countries. The most important step in his new post was that he achieved the decision to create a unified command of the allied forces. However, this plan was implemented only in the spring of 1918.

This measure, as well as the participation of American units, influenced the successful completion of hostilities. Here we should also mention his policy towards Soviet Russia. After October Revolution he began to actively advocate for the creation of a buffer zone of a sphere of influence, which should have included the Baltic countries and the Caucasus. It was during his reign that British troops landed in Baku and Arkhangelsk. In addition, he actively advocated support White movement in years Civil War. But two years later he changed the course of his policy and recognized Soviet power, signing a trade agreement with the new government (1920).

After the war

Lloyd George, whose policies allowed him to strengthen his own position among voters in the new elections, became one of the three participants in the signing of the famous Treaty of Versailles in 1919. During the negotiations, he, unlike the other participants, showed compliance.

His success was facilitated by a skillfully orchestrated campaign to convince the British that they were the victors of the war. He organized a demonstration of the troops, which was supposed to be perceived as a victory parade. These measures led to desired result, and in 1918 the minister formed his second government.

Career changes

However, after some time, dissatisfaction with his rule began to grow in the country. This was due to the poor state of the economy, large budget expenditures, which were attacked by conservatives. But main reason Lloyd George's departure from the post of minister changed his foreign policy. His cabinet took a pro-Greek position, but the Turkish army won, which was, in fact, a failure for his ministry. In the fall of 1922, he resigned.

1920-1930s

During the decade under review, Lloyd George was part of the opposition. However, his proposals no longer had the same popularity, largely due to the fact that the positions of the Liberal Party, whose interests he represented, were greatly undermined. However, during the severe economic crisis that erupted in the 1930s, he put forward several useful proposals to eliminate unemployment.

The former prime minister was awarded the title of earl, but refused to continue his political career, not accepting the offer to enter the war cabinet, which was headed by W. Churchill. Peru famous politician He owns a number of works, among them memories of the war, written in 1933-1936. His book about the peace conference before the signing of the Versailles Document, of which Lloyd George was a participant, deserves special attention. “The Truth about Peace Treaties” is a work that tells about the preparation of negotiations, the course of meetings, in which the author gives his vision of complex political vicissitudes.

The famous politician died in 1945.

Born in Manchester on January 17, 1863, his father, a headmaster in Wales, died when David was 3 years old, and the family (mother and two sons) was helped by his mother's brother, the Baptist minister Richard Lloyd from North Wales. David, who aspired to a legal career, interned in an office in Portmadoc. Taking an active part in local political life, in 1890 he was elected as a Liberal MP in the House of Commons for the county of Caernarvon in north-west Wales. Lloyd George soon became known for his vigorous attacks on the Conservatives and his defense of Welsh nonconformists and nationalists. During the Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1902 he sharply opposed the policies of Great Britain, as a result of which some attributed to him a pro-Boer position, while others called him a supporter of “Little England”. In the eyes of public opinion, he seemed committed to decisive action and a person capable of taking decisions upon himself. In 1905–1908, Lloyd George was Minister of Trade in the cabinet of G. Campbell-Bannerman, and in 1908 he took the post of Minister of Finance in the government of G. Asquith. In 1909 he presented his famous “people’s” budget, which established increased taxes on luxury goods, income and empty lands of landlords. Lloyd George gave a brilliant speech in defense of the budget, which had been sharply criticized by the Conservatives, and in a speech at Limehouse in London's docks he attacked the Conservatives and the wealthy classes of society. The budget adopted by the House of Commons was defeated by the Conservative majority in the House of Lords. When the Liberal government gained electoral support in 1910, the budget was eventually passed. The Budget was followed by the Social Services Reform Act, the Home Rule Bill for Ireland; the veto power that the House of Lords had was significantly limited (1911). In 1911, Lloyd George introduced the National Insurance Act, which gave the right to benefits for sickness and disability, as well as the Unemployment Insurance Act. Both were sharply criticized, but greatly helped England in the difficult post-war years.

When the First World War broke out, Lloyd George remained Chancellor of the Exchequer for another year, but when the army's supply of weapons became insufficient, and in May 1915 the cabinet was reorganized into the first coalition government, he became head of the newly created Ministry of Munitions. Despite his successes in this post, Lloyd George was not satisfied with the way the war was conducted. At the end of 1915 he became an ardent advocate of universal conscription, and in 1916 he passed a law on conscription. In June, after the death of Kitchener, he was appointed Minister of War. The fall of Romania increased Lloyd George's dissatisfaction with the course of the war and the adopted strategy, which was expressed in his proposal to reorganize the cabinet. After Asquith's resignation on December 5, 1916, Lloyd George became prime minister of the coalition government, although many liberals refused to support the cabinet and resigned along with the former prime minister. The small five-member military committee formed by Lloyd George, a kind of “cabinet within a cabinet,” achieved a significant acceleration in the process of making operational decisions. In addition, trying to influence a change in strategy, Lloyd George sought the creation of a unified military command of the Allied armed forces, which was implemented only in April 1918. The unified command, as well as the arrival of American units somewhat earlier than scheduled, played a significant role in the successful conclusion of the war.

Before the Paris Peace Conference of 1919–1920, Lloyd George strengthened his position by winning the so-called "Khaki elections" (in which military personnel took part) in December 1918 in the atmosphere of bitterness and hero worship characteristic of the last period of the war. The Treaty of Versailles was signed by Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson and Georges Clemenceau in 1919; Lloyd George showed restraint and compliance during the negotiations. In 1919–1922, the popularity of the government began to gradually decrease: a number of strikes took place, including among railway workers, budget spending caused outrage and criticism of conservatives, strict measures savings - the discontent of the radicals. The situation in Ireland remained deplorable, and at the same time, few were satisfied with the 1921 treaty, which granted dominion status to most of Ireland.

Despite all the dissatisfaction of the conservatives, Lloyd George was led to defeat by the right foreign policy. The pro-Greek policy turned out to be unsuccessful: in 1922 Turkey won the war, and the Chanak incident almost drew England into the war. In October 1922, Lloyd George was forced to resign. Bonar Law became Prime Minister. Lloyd George's activities as leader of the opposition (1926–1931) cannot be called successful. This was partly due to the gradual withering away of the Liberal Party, partly to the dislike of Asquithian Liberals for Lloyd George, and partly to the fact that the Liberals' program of benefits and reforms was intercepted by Labour.

However, during the economic crisis of the 1930s, Lloyd George was the only political leader to put forward fresh ideas about measures to combat unemployment. In foreign policy, he supported the course of appeasing the Axis powers. Lloyd George twice refused to enter Churchill's war cabinet. In 1944 he was created 1st Earl of Lloyd George of Dwyfor. Among his works are War Memoirs (1933–1936); The Truth About the Peace Treaties (1938). Lloyd George died in the town of Tynewyd near Llanstamdai (Carnarvon County, North Wales) on March 26, 1945.

LLOYD GEORGE, David (born 1863), major bourgeois politician in England, liberal. Comes from a petty-bourgeois dissident family; Welshman; born in Manchester. From 1884 he was a jury attorney. Began his political career with participation in the Welsh national movement. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 1890. During the Boer War, he gained fame for his decisive speeches against its supporters and actually found himself at the head of a fairly influential bourgeois opposition. When at the end of 1905, in an atmosphere of sharp aggravation of class and international contradictions, the rise of the labor movement and the beginning of the consolidation of the Entente, power passed to the cabinet of both factions of the liberal party (“liberals” and “liberal-imperialists”), headed by Campbell-Vannerman, L. D. received the portfolio of Minister of Trade, and during the reorganization of the cabinet in 1908 by the liberal imperialist Asquith, the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lenin considered the example of the division of labor in this office between the “Lloyd Georges” and the “Asquiths” of liberalism to be especially typical (Lenin, Works, vol. XVI, pp. 321-22). “A well-known liberal charlatan in England. Lloyd George portrays himself, in speeches to the people, as a downright revolutionary and a little bit of a socialist, but in reality this minister follows in politics his leader, Asquith, who is in no way inferior to a conservative,” wrote Lenin in 1913 (Lenin, ibid.). L. D. won the trust of capitalist circles by very skillfully disrupting the railroad strike with the assistance of their leader R. Bell. In an effort to paralyze the movement to the left of the working masses, expressed in the creation and first parliamentary successes of the Labor Party, the English bourgeoisie was forced to implement a number of demagogically advertised social reforms through the hands of L. D.: the final legalization in 1907 of the right to strike, which was actually abolished in 1900 by reactionary courts; an eight-hour working day for miners (1908), state pensions for the elderly (1908), and most importantly, state insurance for workers against unemployment and illness (1911). In addition, L.D.—partly for demagogic purposes, partly in order to provide England with its own food supply in case of war—put forward a project for agrarian reform. L. D.’s demagogic activity reached its highest intensity during the constitutional crisis of 1909–11, caused by the refusal of the House of Lords to pass the 1909 budget adopted by the House of Commons (see Great Britain, Historical essay). Lenin named L. D. called “Lloyd- Georgeism" a system of "flattery, lies, fraud, juggling with fashionable and popular words, promises left and right of any reforms and any benefits to the workers - if only they would refuse revolutionary struggle for the overthrow of the bourgeoisie" (Lenin, Works, vol. XIX, p. 311). IN recent years before the war, when the English labor movement began to move to the left, L.D.’s policy began to lose its ground, and then in 1910 he negotiated with conservatives about the creation of a “national” government.

As the most adroit representative of the English ruling classes, L.D. played a huge role during the war. When the liberal government gave way to a coalition government in May 1915, L.D. became Minister of Equipment and pursued a policy of attacking the proletariat under the pretext of meeting the needs of the war. On July 13, 1916, after Kitchener's death, he also achieved the portfolio of Minister of War. Through behind-the-scenes intrigue. At the end of 1910, the conservatives L.D. overthrew the prime minister, the liberal Asquith, and himself became the head of the “war cabinet” consisting of L.D. himself, two conservatives and one who stood on the extreme chauvinist side. Labor Party Henderson's position. The military cabinet headed by L.D. was endowed with dictatorial powers, and, therefore, following the introduction of universal conscription by the liberal L.D., the highest government body was created on an extra-constitutional basis, pushing aside the rest of the ministers and parliament. L.D. was an extreme advocate of the “knockout war” and achieved the creation of a unified command in the West (Gen. Foch). With repressions and handouts, he stifled the labor movement that was rising again in England, which, under the influence of the Great October Socialist Revolution, had reached a wide scale towards the end of the war and after its end, and he used cruel repressive measures in Ireland, where an uprising took place in April 1910.

At the end of the war, L.D., as a result of a formal break with Asquith’s supporters and after being held under extreme imperialism. slogans of new elections, found himself in an even stronger dependence on the conservatives than during the war and continued to implement the most reactionary policies of the English. imperialism. Along with Clemenceau and Wilson, he played a major role in the Paris Peace Conference, carried out a terrorist regime in Ireland and fought the English labor movement with the help of the Emergency Powers Act. Under him, England became one of the first and most active organizers of intervention against the Great October Socialist Revolution (see Intervention). Under pressure from the English working class, as a result of the enormous scope of the protest movement, L.D. was forced to abandon the policy of open military intervention and, after lengthy negotiations, concluded a peace and trade agreement with Soviet Russia in March 1921. Having failed in his intention to involve Great Britain and its dominions in new war with Turkey and after the defeat of Greece, which he set against Turkey, L.D. was forced to resign in 1922. His active political the role was played. At the same time, the role of the liberal party was also played. In 1926, however, there followed a reunion of supporters of Asquith and L.D., but already in 1931 a new split followed, when part of the liberals that entered the national government formed an independent group of national liberals led by D. Simon (see). In his “Military Memoirs” (vols. I-IV, Moscow, 1934-35), L. D., sharply criticizing the mediocrity of the English command, portrays himself as the only savior of England during the war and at the same time accepts full responsibility for her. In relation to fascist Germany, L.D. initially took a conciliatory position.

LLOYD GEORGE, David (1863-1945) - English reactionary politician. activist and diplomat, leader of the liberals. In 1890 he was elected to parliament. Occupying the post of Minister of Trade in 1905–08 and Minister of Finance in 1908–15, he played a prominent role in English politics. imperialism, aimed at preparing the world imperialist. war 1914-48. In order to strengthen the position of the English. bourgeoisie L. D. through minor reforms (the law on workers' insurance, carrying out partial reform of the House of Lords, etc.) sought to delay the leftward movement of the working masses and prevent the creation of a militant revolutionary party of the working class.

V.I. Lenin called “Lloyd Georgeism” a system of “flattery, lies, fraud, juggling with fashionable and popular words, promises left and right of any reforms and any benefits to the workers, if only they would abandon the revolutionary struggle to overthrow the bourgeoisie” (Op. ., 4th ed., vol. 23, p. 106).

From 1916 to 22, L. D. was Prime Minister of the coalition government. In the conditions of the First World War, he sought to strengthen the positions of the British in every possible way. imperialism in the Near and Middle East, the Balkans, and the Eastern Mediterranean. L.D. sought to shift the greatest burden of the war onto Russia. L. D. took an active part in the work of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919–20 (see) and was one of the authors of the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 (see). The government of L.D. brutally dealt with the labor movement in England and the liberation movement in colonial and dependent countries, which unfolded under the influence of the Great October Socialist Revolution. He was one of the organizers of the intervention against Soviet Russia and the blockade of the Soviet state, and sought the dismemberment of Russia.

After the defeat of the interventionists Soviet people the government of L.D. tried to strangle the Soviet state through economic enslavement, a program that L.D. wanted to implement at the Genoa Conference of 1922 (see), but received a decisive rebuff from the Soviet government.

In conditions of aggravation of Anglo-French imperialism. contradictions after the end of the First World War, the government of L.D. supported Germany against France. It took measures to preserve the germs. imperialism as a striking force for the fight against Soviet Russia and the revolutionary movement in Europe. The balance of power between the United States and England, which had changed in favor of the United States, forced L. D. to make a number of concessions to the United States (establishing parity between the British and American battle fleets, refusing union treaty with Japan, which was recorded in the decisions of the Washington Conference of 1921-22). L. D. played a large role in organizing the armed Greek army that ended in failure. interventions against Turkey (1919–22). The failure of L.D.'s policies led to the resignation of his government. Despite the decline of the liberal party, L.D. maintained a well-known political position until the end of his life. influence.

After establishing fascist dictatorship in Germany (1933) expressed his sympathies for Hitler and had a date with him. However, in the future, fearing for the fate of England and British Empire, L.D. sharply criticized the policy of N. Chamberlain’s government, which led to the breakdown of the Moscow negotiations of 1939 and contributed to the outbreak of the Second World War.

LLOYD GEORGE, David (17.1.1863—26.3.1945) - English. political and state activist, leader of the Liberal Party. L.D. was born into the family of a teacher. First he became a lawyer, and then a professional politician. activist In 1890 he was first elected to parliament. In order to gain popularity among the masses, L.D., an extremely vain and ambitious man, declared himself a radical and a supporter of broad reforms, while acting at the same time in accordance with the fundamental interests of the English. imperialistic bourgeoisie. This explains L.D.’s extreme indiscriminateness in his means and the external inconsistency of his policies. L.D. was a master of compromise, achieving with little help. concessions to achieve one's main goal. He was the most striking embodiment of the characteristic English. political life of the system of cynical demagogue. deception of the masses by the bourgeoisie in order to maintain its dominance over them. “I would call this system,” wrote V.I. Lenin, “Lloyd Georgeism,” but after one of the most advanced and dexterous representatives of this system in the classical country of the “bourgeois labor party,” the English minister Lloyd George. A first-class bourgeois businessman and political scoundrel, a popular orator who can say anything, even revolutionary speeches to a working audience, capable of carrying out hefty handouts to obedient workers in the form of social reforms (insurance, etc.), Lloyd George serves the bourgeoisie magnificently and serves it is precisely among the workers, it exerts its influence precisely in the proletariat, where it is most necessary and most difficult to morally subjugate the masses” (Works, vol. 23, p. 106. During the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 L.D. gained fame for his noisy protests against the Jingoists (see Jingoism), without, however, putting forward demands for the granting of independence to the Boer republics and without objecting to their annexation by England. 1908-15 - min. of finance. In 1909, he carried out a “revolutionary” budget with great fanfare, which slightly increased the tax on the empty lands of landlords and at the same time provided for large allocations for naval armaments. During World War I, L.D. advocated bringing the fight against Germany to its decisive defeat. At the end of 1916, through intrigue and collusion with conservatives and at the cost of a split in the Liberal Party, L. D. achieved the fall of the liberal government of Asquith and became prime minister of the coalitions. production (he headed the production until October 1922). L.D. was one of the chapters. participants in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919–20 and one of the creators of imperialism. Treaty of Versailles 1919. With his consent and with his support, W. Churchill organized the armed forces. English interventions imperialism in Russia with the aim of overthrowing Soviet power and dismemberment of the country. Being more realistic. politician than Churchill, L.D. soon realized the futility and harmfulness of the policy of intervention for England and set a course for establishing relations with Soviet Russia, hoping to return it to capitalism in the future. economical way and political means. The failure of the policy of the government of L.D. in the Middle East, where it organized a war against the national liberation forces. movement in Turkey (see Greco-Turkish War of 1919-22), allowed conservatives in conditions of a temporary decline in class. the struggle in England to remove L.D. from power and create a purely conservative government. After this, L.D., despite desperate maneuvering, was never able to return to power. With Hitler's rise to power in Germany, L.D. tried to flirt with him, believing that the German. Nazism could be a harmless anti-Soviet weapon for England. Convinced, however, of the opposite, he, guided by considerations of the security of England, began to actively advocate for an Anglo-Soviet agreement in order to suppress the Germans. aggression. L.D.'s star has set due to the collapse and fact. leaving political scenes english liberalism.

V. G. Trukhanovsky. Moscow.

LLOYD GEORGE, David (1863-1945) - prominent English politician and diplomat.

In 1890 he was elected to parliament. During the Anglo-Boer War, L. D. became widely known for his decisive actions against the Jingoists (militant English chauvinists), but after the war he did not object to the annexation of the Boer republics by England. L.D. proved himself to be a skilled bourgeois politician, a master of compromises and social handouts (pensions for the elderly, insurance for workers, the “revolutionary budget” of 1909, the agrarian reform project), aimed at preserving and strengthening the capitalist system, paralyzing the leftward movement of the masses, and preventing creation of a revolutionary party of the working class.

The true meaning of L.D.’s demagoguery was perfectly characterized by V.I. Lenin in the article “Imperialism and the Split of Socialism”: “I would call this system Lloyd-Georgism, after one of the most advanced and dexterous representatives of this system in the classical country of “bourgeois workers” Party", English Minister Lloyd George. A first-class bourgeois businessman and political scoundrel, a popular speaker who can make any kind of speech, even revolutionary speeches, to a working audience, capable of carrying out hefty handouts to obedient workers in the form of social reforms (insurance, etc.), Lloyd George serves the bourgeoisie magnificently and serves it precisely among the workers, carries out its influence precisely in the proletariat, where it is most necessary and most difficult to morally subjugate the masses.” (V.I. Lenin. Complete collection of works, vol. 30, p. 176).

During the war of 1914–18, L. D. defended the slogan of bringing the struggle to the complete defeat of Germany. At the end of 1916, L. D. headed the coalition government. He demanded that the center of gravity of British military efforts be transferred from Western Europe to the Middle East, the Balkans, the straits, and the Eastern Mediterranean. As a result, more than 1/3 of the British armed forces found themselves tied up in the Middle East. L.D. was one of the main authors of the Treaty of Versailles.

Dipl. L.D.'s tactics at the Paris Peace Conference boiled down to making the most of the differences and contradictions among his rivals. The basic demands of British imperialism were satisfied, the lion's share of the German colonies and seized territories of the Ottoman Empire went to England. At the same time, the changed balance of power between the United States and England forced L.D., already at the Paris Peace Conference and after it, to make concessions to the United States on a number of cardinal issues.

L.D. headed the British government during the period of anti-Soviet intervention, in which England played an exceptionally large role. He was an ardent enemy of communism and the Soviet state. In a memorandum written by L.D. during the Paris Peace Conference (“Document from Fontainebleau”), he put forward as main danger the unification of Soviet Russia with revolutionary Germany. His opposition to the Rhine plans of France and especially to Polish territorial demands in the west was determined by the desire to prevent the development of revolution in Germany and to maintain capitalist Germany as a bulwark against Soviet Russia and the revolutionary movement in Europe. The entire Versailles system, thanks in no small degree to the efforts of L.D., was sharpened against the Soviet country.

L.D. provided energetic assistance with weapons and money to the leaders of the White armies - Denikin, Kolchak and Yudenich, made plans to dismember Russia into a number of weak states dependent on England, and sought to impose enslaving agreements on the young Soviet Republic (see Bullitt Mission, Princes' Islands). The victories of the Red Army prompted L.D. to resume contact with representatives of Soviet Russia. L.D. initiated the decision of the Supreme Council of the Allies to lift the blockade of Soviet Russia (January 1920). In May 1920, despite Curzon's opposition, L. D. began negotiations in London on a trade agreement with L. B. Krasin. Odiako suspended these negotiations in July 1920, threatening to send british navy to Petrograd if the Red Army does not stop its attack on Warsaw. After the end of the Soviet-Polish war, L.D. resumed the interrupted negotiations, which ultimately led to the conclusion of a Soviet-British trade agreement on 16.1921 (see Soviet-British treaties and agreements).

At the Genoa Conference of 1922, L. D. put forward a program for the economic enslavement of the Soviet country, the restoration of capitalism in it and its transformation into an agricultural and raw materials appendage of Western European industry. Seeking to seize strategic positions in the straits and on the territory of Asia Minor, L. D. supported and inspired armed intervention against the Turkish national liberation movement. The failure of this adventure meant the end of L.D.'s career. In October 1922, L.D. was forced to resign.

After the establishment of the fascist dictatorship in Germany, L.D. had a meeting with Hitler in 1935 and then spoke approvingly of him as “the defender of Europe against communism.” However, the intervention of the fascist powers in Spain and their accelerated preparation European war radically changed L.D.'s position; he declared himself a supporter of cooperation with the USSR in creating collective defense against aggressors. L.D. sharply criticized Chamberlain's policies, which led to the breakdown of the Moscow negotiations of 1939 and the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1940 he rejected Churchill's offer to join the government.

The most important works of L. D. are “War Memoirs” and “The Truth about Peace Treaties.”

LLOYD GEORGE David (17.1.1863, Manchester, - 26.3.1945, Llanistamdwy, Caernarvonshire), British statesman, leader of the Liberal Party. Born into the family of a school teacher. He practiced law. In 1890 he was first elected to parliament. In an effort to gain popularity among the masses, he declared himself a radical and a supporter of broad reforms, while acting at the same time in accordance with the fundamental interests of the British imperialist bourgeoisie. L. D. was the most striking embodiment of the system of demagogic deception of the masses by the bourgeoisie, characteristic of English political life, in order to maintain its dominance over them. “I would call this system,” wrote V.I. Lenin, “Lloyd-Georgism, after one of the most advanced and dexterous representatives of this system in the classical country of the “bourgeois labor party,” the English minister Lloyd George. A first-class bourgeois businessman and political swindler, a popular speaker, able to say anything, even revolutionary speeches to a working audience, capable of carrying out hefty handouts to obedient workers in the form of social reforms (insurance, etc.), Lloyd George serves the bourgeoisie magnificently and serves it precisely among the workers, it carries out its influence precisely in the proletariat, where it is most necessary and most difficult to morally subjugate the masses” (Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 30, p. 176). After the Liberals came to power, L. D. was Minister of Trade in 1905–08 and Minister of Finance in 1908–1915. In 1909, with great demagogic noise, he passed a budget that slightly increased the tax on empty lands of landlords and at the same time provided for large allocations for naval armaments. During World War I (1914–18), he advocated fighting until Germany was decisively defeated. At the end of 1916, through intrigue and collusion with conservatives, at the cost of a split in the Liberal Party, L. D. achieved the fall of Asquith’s liberal government and headed the coalition government (prime minister until October 1922). L. D. was one of the main participants in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919–20 and the creator of the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919. With his consent and with his support, the armed intervention of British imperialism against Soviet Russia was launched. However, soon realizing the futility of such a policy, L.D. set a course for establishing relations with Soviet Russia, hoping to return it later to the capitalist path by means of economic and political pressure. The failure of the L. D. government’s policy in the Middle East, where it organized a war against the national liberation movement in Turkey in 1919–20, allowed the conservatives to eliminate L. D. from power and create a purely conservative government. The decline of the Liberal Party led to the fall political role L.D., although he retained a certain influence in the country until the end of his life. After Hitler came to power in Germany, L.D. believed that German Nazism could be a harmless anti-Soviet weapon for Great Britain. Convinced of the opposite, he began to actively advocate for an Anglo-Soviet agreement in order to suppress German aggression. In 1945 he received the title of count.

V. G. Trukhanovsky.

Volume 15. - M.: Soviet encyclopedia, 1974, p. 584, art. 1738-1739