LLOYD GEORGE David Lloyd George (1863–1945) – Prime Minister of Great Britain (1916–1922).* * * Don't be afraid to take a big step if it makes sense; it is impossible to cross the abyss in two short jumps. A politician is a person whose policies you disagree with; If you

1863–1945) British statesman and politician, diplomat. Member of the House of Commons (1890–1945) Prime Minister of Great Britain (1916–1922). Leader of the Liberal Party (1926–1931). He played an important role at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920) and in the preparation of the Versailles Peace Treaty (1919). Head of the British delegation at the Genoa Conference (1922). He actively supported the idea of ​​creating a system of collective security in Europe. David George was born on January 17, 1863 in Manchester. His father, William, the son of a farmer from South West Wales, was educated in London and then taught. Returning to his homeland, in Pembrokeshire, he rented a piece of land. In 1864, William George died of pneumonia. Mrs. George with three small children (the eldest daughter Mary was not yet three years old) moved to her brother in North Wales, in the village of Llanistamdwy. Since that time, the fate of David for several decades was connected with the fate of his uncle, the shoemaker Richard Lloyd. In honor of this man, who replaced his father, David adopted the double surname Lloyd George. He spent his childhood in the village of Llanistamdwi. After graduating from the parish school, he passed three exams and received the rights of a soloist - a solicitor or intercessor for business. In Kricchita, Lloy George established his own law office. In 1888, David married Maggie Owen, the daughter of a prosperous farmer. The chosen one's father did not consider Lloyd George a suitable party, but he managed to insist on his own. Fifty years later, the couple celebrated their golden wedding, although their paths would diverge long before that ... In the same 1888, Lloyd George was elected alderman (elder) of the municipal county of Caernarvon. The first steps in politics led him to the Chamber of Deputies (1890). During this period of his activity, the Welsh MP took a place on the left flank of the Liberal Party. In 1890 Lloyd George settled in London. However, until the beginning of the 20th century, he often came to Wales. David was not even thirty years old when he became one of the leaders of the Welsh nationalists. Lloyd George still believed that the Palace of Westminster played a major role in his political career. In 1898, he wrote to his uncle: "I accepted your motto - the ward first of all." Insolence, causticity, the ability to detect weaknesses in the motivation of the enemy, wit allowed Lloyd George to become a prominent parliamentarian. When the Liberals came to power in 1905, Lloyd George stipulated two conditions for his participation in government: a change in the education law and the expansion of self-government for Wales. On December 12, 32-year-old David stepped into his Commerce Department for the first time. The Liberal Party held on to power for about ten years. Lloyd George had previously taken little interest in colonial affairs. However, the course towards rapprochement with the Boers aroused his enthusiasm. In 1906, he met with the South African politician and General Smuts, and later became acquainted with other leaders of the dominions. Lloyd George increasingly turned to various projects for the more rational exploitation of the colonies. He concluded that the transformation and expansion of the empire would help solve social problems within the country. In the Asquith government, Lloyd George became Chancellor of the Exchequer (1908). This post was considered the second most important in the British Cabinet. In 1911, Lloyd George was forty-eight years old. By this time, the "lion's mane" and "opera" cloak of the Minister of Finance had become a landmark in London. Often the Minister could be seen at the Covent Garden Opera House. Lloyd George's house was visited by Bernard Shaw, Herbert Wales, the famous playwright J. Barry, G. Irving, Charles Chaplin and other figures of the English intelligentsia. In England and abroad, Lloyd George, since the time of the Anglo-Boer War, has gained a reputation as an adherent of an amicable solution of international disputes. The Chancellor of the Exchequer himself assiduously promoted such an assessment, repeating that he intended "to devote himself entirely to the problems of peace, progress and social reforms." At the beginning of the First World War, German leaders promised to achieve victory "before autumn leaf fall." On September 19, 1914, the Lloyd George family, speaking at a rally, recalled that throughout his political life he "treated with disgust at the prospect of participating in the great war." But now he is convinced that participation is necessary, because "our national honor" is affected, since England signed two treaties obliging her to "defend the independence, freedom and inviolability of our little neighbor" - Belgium. In early December 1916, Lloyd George became Prime Minister of Great Britain. This "dynamic politician" led the coalition government until October 1922. In the last days of the war, Lloyd George, in his speeches in parliament, focused on major military successes, truces on certain fronts or the overthrow of governments in countries of a hostile coalition. He even tried to delay the dissemination of information about the armistice with the Germans until his appearance in the chamber ... Lloyd George staged a "victory parade" in London, which was attended by Clemenceau, Foch, Italian Prime Minister V. Orlando. The press enthusiastically wrote that Lloyd George was "the organizer of the victory." He brilliantly played the "epilogue" of the war: he organized hasty elections and, at the head of a renewed coalition, strengthened himself as a "national" leader. At the end of December 1918, Lloyd George formed a new government and a few days later left for Paris, where a peace conference was opening. The triumph of "cabinet diplomacy" on it fully corresponded to the views of the British Prime Minister. In fact, all the main issues at the conference were decided by Lloyd George, Clemenceau and Wilson. On the eve of the conference, several important meetings of the leaders of the victorious countries took place. Arriving in Europe at the end of the war, House, Wilson's chief adviser, tried to get the Allies to agree to the President's Fourteen Points. The second point of this American program proclaimed the principle of the so-called "freedom of the seas". Violent controversy flared up around this point. Lloyd George declared: "Great Britain will spend every last guinea to maintain the superiority of her fleet over that of the United States." In the end, House gave in on the "freedom of the seas" issue, which must be attributed to the diplomatic success of Lloyd George. However, the British Prime Minister understood that the main battles lay ahead. He carefully studied the plans of the United States and France, tried to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their leaders. The first weeks of the conference fully satisfied the British Prime Minister. At the end of February, when Wilson was in the USA, and Lloy George was in England, the latter said: “Wilson returned home with a bundle of banknotes. I returned with a pocket full of specie in the form of German colonies, Mesopotamia, etc. To each his own taste. On June 28, 1919, exactly five years after the Sarajevo assassination, a peace treaty was signed in the Mirror Hall of the Palace of Versailles. Great Britain received the biggest gain. Germany ceased to be a rival as a colonial, commercial and naval power. The British expanded their sphere of influence into new territories rich in raw materials. In 1920, economists estimated that about 75 percent of the world's oil resources were under British control. In 1920, of the entire "Big Four" (England, France, USA, Italy), only Lloyd George remained in power and therefore held a special position among other political leaders. The press called him "the coachman of Europe." Lloyd George conducted his foreign policy with particular pleasure, having his own staff of unofficial diplomats (as well as his own informants in the Foreign Office). After Balfour, Curzon became Minister of Foreign Affairs. But the prime minister often ignored the minister's opinion or acted behind his back. Poincaré then said that "England has two foreign offices, Lord Curzon and Lloyd George." Lloyd George can be considered the originator of the summit system. In 1920-1922, with the active participation of the British Prime Minister, more than 30 international conferences and meetings were held. On his initiative, many of them were convened in the most picturesque corners of Europe. In April 1920, he arrived in San Remo, where a conference was opened dedicated to the development of a peace treaty with Turkey and other international problems. All the most important decisions here were made after confidential conversations between Lloyd George and French Premier Millerand and other leaders. In San Remo, the fate of the Near and Middle East was discussed. Since 1919, England has consolidated its dominance in Arabia, in Persia and Egypt, on the banks of the Bosphorus. The duel with France proceeded with a margin for the British. Having broken Millerand's resistance, Lloyd George forced him to finally cede Palestine and Iraq with Mosul to Great Britain. The Anglo-French oil agreement was intended to keep the American oil business out of production sharing. England, France and Italy signed a secret pact on the delimitation of spheres of influence and economic interests in the Middle East. A draft "peace treaty" was agreed with Turkey. The San Remo conference was called "the apogee of English power." “The East is Britishized,” wrote the publicist J. Kaiser, noting that under the control of England are all the seas, economic, political religious capitals, the Caliphate, Zionism, Eastern Catholicism, etc. At the direction of the British Cabinet, a draft Anglo-Soviet economic agreement. On November 18, 1920, Lloy George declared in the House that the project was ready. Having received its text and knowing Curzon's hostility, Krasin addressed the note directly to the prime minister. Lloyd George, along with Horne, took over the negotiation. Agreed at the last minute, the changes were in line with Soviet wishes. On March 16 Horn and Krasin put their signatures under the text of the trade agreement. On March 29, 1921, the Premier said in the House that "the trade agreement recognizes the Soviet government as the de facto government of Russia, which it undoubtedly is." But the financiers who gathered in Paris on New Year's Eve recalled their claims to the Soviets, who were not going to pay the royal debts. The British prime minister quickly came up with a formula: Moscow's consent to pay debts and compensation for nationalized enterprises is political recognition. A conference on this subject was scheduled to be held in Genoa. At the Genoa Conference, the British delegation, numbering 100 people, was the largest. The first meeting opened on April 10 at the San Giorgio Palace. After the speech of the presiding officer - the Italian Prime Minister Fact - Lloyd George took the floor. He painted an impressive picture of an exhausted and disorganized Europe in need of "rest, peace and quiet". The establishment of the desired peace depends entirely on the outcome of the Genoa Conference ... At the same meeting, the British Prime Minister acted in the usual role of conciliator, trying to get the stubborn French delegates to refrain from discriminating against Soviet and German representatives when appointing the composition of the subcommittees. “We participate in this meeting on the basis of ... absolute equality,” said Lloyd George. The conference approved his realistic position. On April 11, the text of the "London" memorandum was handed over to the Soviet delegation. The Soviet side submitted its response. The amount of damage caused to Russia by the intervention was more than twice the amount of debt claims. On the morning of April 14, discussion of controversial issues began. Lloyd George called the amount of Soviet counterclaims "completely incomprehensible" and agreed to only minor concessions. The British Prime Minister continued to insist that Russia pay off its pre-war debts. However, the Soviet side also did not concede. As a result, negotiations stalled. At the end of April, Lloyd George made attempts to reach an "oil" agreement with Soviet Russia. He wanted to get the right to exploit Caucasian oil. But the Soviet delegation did not agree to this either. The unwillingness of the parties to change their position doomed the conference to failure. However, Lloyd George did not lose optimism. He stated that at the Hague Conference "the struggle for peace will continue." But he did not go to The Hague, leaving official diplomacy to resolve issues. In 1922, Lryd George's lover Frances Stevenson purchased for him the estate of Hell in Sussex. Since 1923, he lived here permanently with Francis, only occasionally coming to the capital. The fall of Lloyd George's coalition government became inevitable after the head of the cabinet failed to win concessions from the Soviets, win a market for English coal in Northern Europe and better opportunities for competition for British industrial products in Central Europe, etc. n. Having received his resignation, Lloyd George made a trip to the USA and Canada in 1923. In the USA, the “leader of old Europe” met with President Coolidge, lit a “pipe of peace” with the leaders of the Indian tribes, made many speeches ... Until the early 1930s, Lloyd George remained the most famous political figure in the West. For a long time, the ex-premier was sure that "the country will call him." In August 1931, Macdonald formed a "national" government. Alas, Lloyd George was gravely ill; his name was not listed in the new office. In November 1931, after early elections and the split of the liberals into three groups, he resigned as leader of the party. Since the late 1920s, David has traveled far: to Brazil, Egypt, India and Ceylon, he was treated in Jamaica. In 1932, his health was fully restored. Lloyd George, with the help of a staff of secretaries, wrote memoirs of the war and the post-war settlement. "War Memoirs" brought the author record fees and reader success. In September 1936, Lloyd George visited Germany. He spoke highly of Hitler. And only the invasion of the Nazis in Spain made him change his mind. Lloyd George criticized Chamberlain's "Munich" course, vigorously advocating rapprochement not only by France, but also by the USSR. During a foreign policy debate in March 1939, he called for an agreement with Russia. The last time Lloyd George played a significant role in political life was on May 8, 1940, when MPs demanded Chamberlain's resignation in the House of Commons. He remained imperturbable and spoke of the need, "sacrifices" from each and every one. Chamberlain "calls for sacrifice," Lloyd George then exclaimed, let him "set an example" and retire - "nothing will contribute to victory." Two days later, the new coalition was led by Churchill. He invited Lloyd George to enter the government. He refused, as he rejected the offer to become ambassador to the United States ... In early 1941, Lloyd George received the news that Margaret, who had long lived in Briccita, was dying. He went to her, but was late - Maggie was no longer alive ... Until 1944, Lloyd George lived almost without a break in the Devil. After the German attack on the USSR, he immediately spoke in favor of the unity of action between England and the Soviet Union. In October 1943, Lloyd George married Frances Stevenson without witnesses. Doctors soon discovered he had a cancerous tumor. The disease developed rapidly ... In the autumn of 1944, Lloyd George and his wife moved to a farm near Llanistamdvi. On New Year's Eve, he participated in a children's party. The famous orator Lloyd George, addressing children, was no longer able to connect a few words. He also listened to reading Dickens novels, rejoiced at the victories of the allies, wanted to make a speech about peace. No longer in the lower house, but in the chamber of peers. The old enemy of the lords took the title of earl ... But life quickly faded away. On March 26, 1945, the "little Welshman" passed away. David Lloyd George was buried on the banks of the Dwyfor River - where he spent his childhood.

David Lloyd George a brief biography and interesting facts from the life of the British Prime Minister, Earl and leader of the Liberal Party are set out in this article.

David Lloyd George short biography

The future politician was born in Manchester on January 17, 1863 in the family of a school teacher. He practiced law, worked as a lawyer in London. After he joined the Liberal Party, in 1890 he was elected to Parliament, and Lloyd began to speak out in defense of the Welsh nationalists, criticizing the policies of the country during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902.

David Lloyd George's political activity began in 1905 when he became Secretary of Commerce. After 3 years, he took the post of Minister of Finance. The figure was the most active member of the government, the main inspirer of reforms. He introduced a budget that placed higher taxes on luxury goods, the vacant land of landlords, and their income. The reforms of David Lloyd George concerned the social sphere, unemployment insurance and state insurance. At the initiative of the statesman, laws were adopted on pensions from the age of 70, labor conflicts and compensation to workers in case of accidents, on social insurance for disability, unemployment and illness, and labor exchanges were created.

Lloyd George in 1909 passed through Parliament a "People's Budget", which increased social spending. In 1911, the powers of the House of Lords were limited, it was deprived of the right to approve the budget. Thanks to his efforts, the working day of the miners became 8-hour. After the miners' strike in 1912, a minimum wage was established. Lloyd George was appointed Secretary of War in June 1916, and by the end of the year he headed the British government. The Prime Minister was a co-sponsor of the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919, which allowed England to expand its influence in territories rich in raw materials.
The popularity of George's government began to decline in 1919. Soon after the failure of the foreign policy course, he resigns (1922).

Until the 1930s, Lloyd George continued to be active in politics, becoming the most respected politician in the West. In 1931 the Liberal Party split and he refused to lead it. During the economic crisis, the former prime minister was the only political leader who proposed real measures to combat unemployment. The politician also began to write the famous "War Memoirs", which brought him success and large fees.

In 1940 he refused to enter Churchill's government. Until 1944 he lived in the Line, after which he moved to North Wales. In 1944 he was given the title of Count of Dwyfor. A great politician is gone March 26, 1945 at Llanistamdwi.

David Lloyd George Interesting Facts:

The politician's first wife was Maggie Owen, the daughter of a wealthy farmer, whom he married in 1888. They had 5 children. After her death, Lloyd George married his longtime mistress Frances Stevenson 2 years later, despite the strong protest of the children from his first marriage.

The motto of his life is "The Chamber first".

He has been characterized as a caustic, witty man who can detect weaknesses in his opponent in a matter of seconds.

David liked to travel. From the 1920s he traveled to distant countries: Jamaica, Ceylon, India, Brazil, Egypt.

Doctors found him cancerous tumor which has developed very rapidly. In 1944, Lloyd George moved with his wife to the Llanistamdwy farm. On New Year's Eve I participated in a holiday for children. At that time, the great orator of Great Britain could not even connect a few words.

We hope that the report on David Lloyd George helped you to prepare for the lesson, and you learned a lot of useful information about the Prime Minister of Great Britain. And you can add a short story about Lloyd George through the comment form below.

Before the death of Lloyd George, most English historians who wrote about him idealized his activities as a politician, while limiting themselves to only a superficial presentation of his rise and fall, while not going into details about the causes and actions of Lloyd George, both positive and negative. . But there were works that unreasonably denounced David, so in the work of Ch. Mallet "Mr. Lloyd George", having grouped a rather extensive "accusatory" material, he created a polemically pointed political portrait of Lloyd George. During this period of time, one can pay attention to another interesting work that described the activities of Lloyd George as Prime Minister, so a vivid description of Prime Minister Andy Cleese (Lloyd George) and members of his military cabinet can be found in the novel by the famous writer A. Bennet "Lord Raingo" published in 1926. “Endo was a real fighter, with whom no one could compare,” writes Kenneth. “He was deprived of a sense of justice, dignity, loyalty; his cynicism reached the point of dizzying insolence. He was able to attend the funeral of a man whom he had secretly killed. But on the other hand, he knew how to fight, his energy and resourcefulness knew no bounds.

In 1948, the so-called "official" biography of Lloyd George, written by the English historian M. Thomson, was published, in which the author most objectively shows all aspects of the activities of the English politician. One of the most interesting works can be called the works of William George "My Brother and I" and Lord Beaverbrook's "The Decline and Fall of Lloyd George", they are full of a large amount of reliable information and documents. Brother William, like no one else, reflects and attaches great importance, namely, to David's personal qualities, his desire for leadership, his desire to achieve his goal and to some extent stubbornness, from early childhood David showed himself as a strong, individual, independent personality.

In general, English literature about Lloyd George has dozens of book titles and a huge number of articles. But as always and in everything there are people who try to denigrate the achievements of another, so from time to time attempts are made to “denigrate” and “destroy” Lloyd George, so in the work of D. McCormick “The Mask of Merlin” it is said about the hidden personality of D. Lloyd George , the author emphasizes on unconfirmed facts about the oppression of the Lloyd George cabinet of labor movements, the imposition of excessive taxation of farming, bribery and bureaucratic red tape, and so on in the same vein. But individual works of unqualified historians are only a drop in the ocean and cannot spoil the overall impression. And yet, the constructive and professional characterization of Lloyd George's activities prevails, so G. Nicholson sees the achievements of this politician in the following: 1) the budget of 1909 and the restriction of the rights of the House of Lords; 2) laws on insurance, "laying the foundations of the" welfare state "", many politicians and lawyers mean by the "welfare state" that has existed since the 40s. 20th century the system of social insurance and health care, which remains to this day the most successful in the world; 3) courage and energy shown in 1916-1918; 4) diplomatic ingenuity at the Paris Peace Conference; 5) an agreement with Ireland in 1921. A. Taylor believes that Lloyd George achieved the greatest success after the First World War, the author put forward this point of view in his fundamental work “Lloyd George: Rise and Fall from the Politics Cycle in Wartime, the same Taylor in her works she pays a lot of attention to his private life, as well as to his inner qualities. Foreign historiography, of course, shows the uniqueness of the merits of D. Lloyd George as Prime Minister of Great Britain.

In Russia, the tactics chosen by the English liberal leaders aroused the enthusiasm of the liberal bourgeoisie and the philistines. “We have before us a revolution with open safety valves,” this is how the Russian Cadet publicist Dioneo characterized the Asquith-Lloyd George reforms, expressing the hope that Russia would follow the same path. Other authors claim that it successfully continued until the 60s of the XX century and brought all sorts of benefits to the British.

In Soviet historiography, the personality of Lloyd George occupies an important place. One of the historians who dedicated their works to England and in particular to D. Lloyd George is K. B. Vinogradov in his work “David Lloyd George” tried to trace the formation of a political career from birth. Vinogradov traces the diverse factors in the formation of David's political views, based on very reliable and interesting documents, the author develops a fairly objective concept of Lloyd George's place in politics around the world.

The purpose and objectives of the work are: to more fully analyze the formation of the young Lloyd George as an individual personality; study the activities of David in Parliament and find out the prospect of the possibility of appointing Lloyd George to the Liberal Cabinet; consider the major activities of Lloyd George and his cabinet.

In his work, based on the memoirs of D. Lloyd George "Military Memoirs", "The Truth About Peace Treaties", where David evaluates his activities and the activities of his supporters, in the III volume of "Military Memoirs" Lloyd George interprets in a very interesting and consistent way the formation of a coalition Cabinet of Ministers, characterizes the qualities of candidates for ministerial posts, and in the future, the activities of ministers. In the first volume of his memoirs, The Truth About the Peace Treaties, Lloyd George characterizes the internal politics of Britain as consistent and compromising between different political parties and factions, mentions and insists on his positions during the Anglo-Burgess War at the turn of the century.

The main laws passed by Lloyd George through Parliament are reflected in the second part of the New History Reader, edited by A. Molok and V. Orlov.

The foreign policy of England of this period is well revealed by the collection of documents, "International Relations 1870-1918", it reflects all aspects of diplomatic relations with most countries of the world.

The chronological framework of the work covers the period from the moment of education of Lloyd George and the formation of his worldview in the 70s. XIX century and up to the peak of his political career as Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1916-1918.

1. Life and the beginning of a political career.

1.1 Early life of Lloyd George and his activities in Wales.

Lloyd George was a man of very humble origins. His father William George managed to get an education in London and then taught, but died early when David was only 1 year old. Since that time, the fate of David for several decades is closely intertwined with the fate of his uncle Richard Lloyd, and in honor of this man, David took the double surname Lloyd George. Richard was a secular preacher in the Baptist community, and David himself in his teens paid great attention to the religious side of life, he even flashed the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bbecoming a preacher.

The place of Llanistamdwy in Wales, where David spent his childhood, was very beautiful and rich in historical events, under the impression of all this, the outlook of the young Lloyd George was formed. He did not like the school where David studied, because English priests taught there and forbade him to speak his native language, and David studied English on his own and, after graduating from the parish school, David continued to study on his own. Soon the question arose of where to continue his studies and the choice fell on jurisprudence. Long and hard, David and his uncle studied the Latin language and the laws of England. It was time to go to Liverpool to take the first exam and in November 1877 he passes this exam, after which he enters the position of "article clerk". This job does not satisfy him much, and he is preparing for the second exam. And in 1881 in London, David passes this exam. He does not give up hope of becoming a professional lawyer and, having successfully passed the last exam in July 1884, he is solemnly dedicated to the "Legal Society" and officially entered in the "list of solicitors". Encouraged and proud, David returns to his native Kricchit, where he establishes his own law office. Lloyd George's initial service did not begin very well on the evening of January 24, 1885. David, who had sat in his office all day without a way out, wrote in his diary: "Not a single soul inquired whether I was alive or dead." But a week later he was leading the first case and lost it. David solved the problems of fishermen, farmers, artisans, took on a variety of cases. He carefully prepared for his performances and never got lost under the pressure of the judges, skillfully using the smallest details to confirm his point of view.

"JPs" in England are irremovable. In those years, they were usually landowners in the provinces. Lloyd George was often insolent to the "servants of the Femi-

dy”, believing that his popularity will increase if he shows self-

accuracy in relation to local values.

Together with his brother, David organized the company "George and George", which extended its activities to a significant part of Caernarvon.

At last the process took place which made the name of Lloyd George famous in London. Being a supporter of the Baptists, he spoke out against the Anglican pastor, who opposed the burial of the Baptist in the Anglican cemetery, clearly arguing positions against archaic remnants was supported by the jury, but the judges supported the pastor, which automatically transferred the proceedings to the London Court of Appeal, which rejected the complaint of the pastor and Lloyd George returns as a famous UK soloist.

In 1888, important changes took place in David's personal life. He married Maggie Owen, for this he undertook, as in politics, a variety of tactical abilities to convince him to consent to the wedding.

Also in 1888, Lloyd George was elected alderman of the Caernarvon County Council. In 1890 he was elected at the age of 23 to the House of Commons of the English Parliament.

1.2 The formation of the political views of D. Lloyd George.

North Wales, where Lloyd George spent his childhood and adolescence, was marked by social contrasts. Almost all the land belonged to the English landowners. Some of the land was leased, some was empty. At the same time, land hunger was felt in Wales, and many Welsh people, deprived of their livelihood, left their native places in search of a better life. Disasters were aggravated by exactions from the clergy. The old tax, the church tithe, was still levied, long since abolished in England.

Religious contradictions were also very sharp: the popularity of non-conformism in Wales was largely due to the fact that bishops and pastors were just as oppressive here as were the landlords. And since the bishop, the squire and the tavern-keeper were traditionally supported by one of the two leading parties in Great Britain - the conservative one, the Welsh gave their political sympathies to the liberals. In 1868, in the first parliamentary elections after the reform of 1867, which expanded the circle of voters, the Liberals won in a number of districts in Wales.

In Wales, they were interested in political battles over Home Rule in Ireland, followed the rise of breeder Joseph Chamberlain, the leader of the radical wing of the Liberal Party, which then opposed the Lords.

Every evening, young David ran for a newspaper in Crichchit, and sometimes in Portmatock. He also read it to illiterate villagers, and soon began to participate in the "debate" of local politicians. Lloyd George later recalled: "My first parliament was the smithy, where we discussed and decided all the obscure questions of politics, theology, philosophy and science."

David read a lot: in addition to the novels of Dickens and Thackeray, he got acquainted with the works of the Whig historians Gallam and Macaulay, and also got acquainted with Henry George's sensational novel Progress and Poverty, dedicated to the American President Abraham Lincoln. At the age of seventeen, Lloyd George wrote an article under the pseudonym "Brutus". In this article, David attacked the policies of the conservatives in Afghanistan.

In 1886, Lloyd George took an active part in a rally in Festiniog with the participation of the leader of the Irish "Land League" M. Davitt. David said - "we in Wales should follow the example of Ireland and create a mighty land league ...". Dawitt blessed the young Welshman: "You have the future in politics, my boy."

In the late 80s, the situation in Wales sharply escalated, Lloyd George was in the thick of things. More than once David had the thought that if they won home rule for themselves, all the troubles for the Welsh would end. In Kricchit, where Lloyd George lived, it was thanks to his tact that the opposition forces refrained from clashes.

1.3 Lloyd George is a member of the British Parliament.

Before the 1890 election, Lloyd George vowed to be "a Welsh Nationalist first and a Liberal second." In his first address to voters, he promised to push for popular demands in Wales: depriving the Anglican Church of privileges, reducing land redemption payments, improving the living and working conditions of tenants and rural workers, lifting restrictions on fishing, etc.

Lloyd George, like a hurricane, rushed through the cities of the county, making fiery speeches. Many of his associates and opponents admitted that a man who appeals to feelings is absolutely invincible in Wales. But the first elections were difficult for David, with the beginning of the counting of votes, the conservative (Nanny) and the liberal (Lloyd George) were on a par, but David, literally at the last frontier, beat his opponent by less than 20 votes.

A few days later Lloyd George left for London. This ended the first period of his life. A simple village boy achieved considerable success: he became a lawyer, was elected a member of parliament.

The presentation of the new deputy to the House of Commons coincided with one of the solemn ceremonies of the British Parliament - the introduction of the budget for the new financial year. Ministers and almost all deputies were present in the hall. David looked around very carefully, who and where was sitting, which parties were taking seats in the meeting room. The procedure for introducing Lloyd George went largely unnoticed. Lloyd George, after shaking hands with the speaker, took a seat on one of the back pews. Here he was to sit for more than ten years.

At first, David still did not quite understand what to do and what not to do, he wrote to his uncle: “I voted against bimetallism, but I don’t know why myself.” David hesitated for a long time to make his first speech in the House of Commons, but on June 13, 1890, he had the opportunity to do so. The issue of providing subsidies to innkeepers and taverns in connection with the restriction of the sale of alcoholic beverages was discussed in Parliament, David was well aware of how dishonestly the taverns made money in his native met, and gave vivid examples to support his point of view, and then ridiculed the leaders of the government majority who defended the bill . The always imperturbable Chamberlain even jumped on the spot when the newcomer dared to touch him too. David's stunning speech received support not only from liberals, but even from conservatives. The next morning all the London newspapers were full of laudatory articles about the speech of a young, little-known Welsh MP, and one of the newspapers wrote that the speech of the young parliamentarian portends him a brilliant career. After this speech, David will not soon get the opportunity to speak in the meeting room, but as soon as he succeeds, he always brings bright, irrefutable evidence, which makes parliamentarians think, perhaps even change their views on certain issues. Lloyd George always tried to focus public attention on social inequalities, knowing that in doing so he could create a reputation for defending the common people. During this first period of his political activity, the Welsh MP took a seat on the left flank of the Liberal Party.

During this period, the Liberal Party was in crisis, and to overcome the crisis in October 1891, at the conference of the National Liberal Federation in Newcastle, a democratic program was developed, recognized on the eve of the general election to strengthen the position of the Liberals. One of the authors of the program was Lloyd George, 15 years before his social reforms, he consolidated the main provisions of the program: reforming the House of Lords, paying remuneration to members of the House of Commons, separating the church from the state in Wales, “home rule” for Ireland, etc. But the parliamentary elections held in 1892 brought a modest victory to the liberals. Only in Wales did they have great success, where Lloyd George won once again.

Lloyd George begins to enter the big political arena, he openly comes into conflict with the political old man Gladstone. Lloyd George even resorts to the parliamentary tricks that an experienced politician can resort to. David and his friends among the Welsh MPs use filibuster tactics, introducing more than a hundred amendments to the draft Anglican Church bill, which was put forward by the Conservatives and which was supported by the majority of the Liberals, which made it possible to slow down the passage of the bill for a long time.

After Gladstone once again becomes prime minister and forms a cabinet of liberals, Lloyd George tacitly becomes in opposition, since the promises made in the conference program were not fulfilled and Lloyd George was dissatisfied with the slowness of the cabinet in implementing the promised measures in church and agrarian policy. He comes to the conclusion that while the "Whigs" grouped around Gladstone run the affairs of the party, he should strengthen his position in Wales. Speaking at many conferences, David is not afraid to put forward the slogans of autonomy for Wales, the provision of Welsh "home rule", but the northern local liberals did not support the demands of Lloyd George, and not because they were against the slogans, but because they were simply afraid that Lloyd George could push them away from the leadership of the movement.

At this time, relations between Lloyd George and the London leaders of the Liberals continued to escalate, and even reached the point that David and his three like-minded people announced their withdrawal from the Liberal faction and declared themselves independent deputies. But they took their words back when the Gladstone Government resigned and the Rosebery Government formed, which introduced a bill against the dominance of the Episcopal Church in Wales. In 1895, during parliamentary debates, Lloyd George's first clash with Asquith, the Minister of the Interior, took place. Asquith strongly rejected the amendment proposed by David. In response, David and his Welsh political friends took a hard line against the Government, which played a major role in the downfall of the Liberal Cabinet in 1895.

In Wales, Lloyd George delivered one fiery speech after arc, forming the Young Wales organization. Its goal was the autonomy of Wales. Lloyd George was the author of the text of the battle hymn "Sons of the Mountains. Song of United Wales. This anthem was sung at many gatherings. But disappointment soon occurred, David failed to create parties, many representatives of the liberals did not support David's slogans, and he travels to north Wales, where, in the end, he managed to break the resistance of rivals from the liberal federation. In the south, he failed. And Lloyd George is disappointed in the ungrateful Wales and decides to leave it, especially since the horizons in England opened before him.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the power of the British Parliament seemed to have reached its zenith. The reform of 1884 increased the number of voters by two million.

Still sitting on the back bench, Lloyd George carefully studies parliamentary procedure and tradition, looks closely at outstanding parliamentarians, and improves his oratory skills. But Lloyd George understood that the leaders of the parties do all the weather in the political arena, after Gladstone the Liberals were headed by Lord Rosebery, who made a kalasal career, but soon after the resignation of the Government he refused to lead the Liberals, he was succeeded by W. Harcourt, who was replaced two years later by G. Campbell -Bannerman. David traced the career of each of them, drawing from each some positive traits. Insolence, causticity, the ability to detect weaknesses in the motivation of the enemy, wit - all this brought Lloyd George a reputation as one of the most interesting parliamentarians. Many Liberal leaders still treated the Welsh deputy with some disdain, calling him a franchisor. In turn, Lloyd George made a lot of caustic remarks about them. David noted, not without reason, that they could not stabilize the situation in the Liberal Party, which continued to slide down after the utter failure in the 1895 elections. Lloyd George in 1897, in one of his articles, revealed the fundamental problem of the liberals: focusing on criticism of the conservatives, they cannot offer the country anything positive. Elections will not be won by a negative program, "this is a short-sighted policy." At the end of the century, David sharply criticizes the conduct of the Anglo-Boer War and calls for an end to the war by "barbaric methods." From the beginning of 1901, Lloyd George became energetically involved in the campaign to expose these methods. On February 18, speaking in Parliament, he condemned the destruction of the Boer villages and the repressions against women and children. In June, he again denounced the concentration camp system. David urged to quickly end the war through negotiations and concessions. He buys the Daily News, turning it into a liberal mouthpiece. When Lloyd George's Liberal resolution was voted on June 17, 1901, 70 Liberals supported it and 50 abstained. Thus the deputy for Caernarvon moved into the ranks of the leading figures in the party. In July 1901, the influential newspaper The Sheffield Independent stated: Lloyd George is "the driving force of the party." But at a chauvinist meeting in Birmingham, David could not force himself to listen, and he heads to Bristol, where he delivers his fiery speech after which Lloyd George turned into a "national figure". He gained a reputation as a man whose truthfulness bordered on dizzying audacity.

At the turn of the century, a sharp situation arose in the working circles of Great Britain, although at the first stages of the clash between the workers and the Government did not yet cause concern, and Lloyd George himself did not consider the workers a serious political force at the beginning, but in the future he changes his position towards the labor movement, especially after the emergence proletarian party. During this period, David resorts to an attempt to rejuvenate the Liberal Party by adding worker support items to the program. During this period of time there are other issues that fall into the circle of Lloyd George's activities. Lloyd George is in favor of the free-trading policy. In a speech in 1904, he made the important point that our support for the old principle of free trade must not be "misunderstood as a defense of the existing social system." The main field of activity of Lloyd George at this time was the struggle against the Tory bill on education. The stumbling block of the "education reform" of the Conservatives was the implementation of universal primary and secondary education under the pretext of introducing universal primary and secondary education, the Tories tried to strengthen the parish schools, which were to become the basis in the education system and from now on the taxpayers had to maintain even parochial schools. Lloyd George entered into controversy against this reform. And yet, at the end of 1902, the government dragged this bill in Parliament, despite the ardent opposition of David. But Lloyd George did not reconcile himself - he became one of the inspirers of the resistance to the implementation of the law in Wales and England, expressed mainly in mass refusals to pay tax on the maintenance of the reorganized school. This sabotage took place under the slogan of Lloyd George "If there is no control, we will not pay!" But before the election, David warned against excessive attempts to sabotage the implementation of the bill of education, as this could damage the parties in the elections - if any party ceases to obey the Acts of Parliament, it will turn into a "series of revolutions."

The fight over the Education Bill dragged on for a long time. The calculations of the Welsh deputy were justified. He managed to consolidate his popularity in Wales, win new adherents in England and Scotland. Lloyd George, in the opinion of the prominent official R. Morant, was moving towards a "great political victory." By 1905 it was clear that Lloyd George was emerging as the leader of his party. Winston Churchill rightfully called him "the best fighting general in the liberal army."

Activities of the liberal cabinet.

cracked. And

discredited and arranged, he perceived his attacks on Chamberlain, but lost his calm from criticism addressed to him. Commentators in influential newspapers wrote more and more often about the likely political rise of Lloyd George. But The Times advised him to abandon his former "guerrilla" tactics, "he became a serious politician and a contender for high office." Lloyd George is also becoming an object of interest to the Conservatives, even Balfour himself noted when David finally moved to the front bench of the opposition in 1904: "It's long overdue, Lloyd George is the best fighting asset that the Radicals have." But there was one “but”, at that time the “low” origin, vulgar manners and “revolutionary” phrases of Lloyd George - all this annoyed the king. But the British monarch had an unerring instinct for people who were destined for a great political career. David began to be invited to Buckingham Palace and other ceremonial receptions. And finally, the “law on the unemployed” of 1905 toppled the conservative cabinet, the liberals formed the government. The new government was compared to the "cabinet of all talents" that existed a century before. In fact, it included three future prime ministers - Asquith, Lloyd George and Churchill.

On the eve of the formation of a new cabinet, there were many guesses about what post Lloyd George would take, he was promised any of the posts, he himself most of all wanted to take the chair of the Minister of the Interior, but did not refuse the Ministry of Trade offered to him. In the new parliamentary elections, the Liberals received 400 seats, which was the main support for the new cabinet, these elections to the House of Commons are still interesting for the modern history of England in that for the first time a new faction of the young Labor Party was formed in Parliament.

Lloyd George's first steps in government were limited to his ministry. Perhaps this was due to the fact that a routine reigned in the Ministry of Commerce for many decades, no bills were developed that would reflect the serious changes that took place in the economy, in transport, in the field of communications, etc. For work, as always, David took up with his usual enthusiasm and determination. It was in his role as Secretary of Commerce that Lloyd George first showed himself to be an excellent organizer. He brought novelty after novelty to the work of the ministry, daily meetings with entrepreneurs, shipowners, shareholders brought new revenues to the treasury, David did not make exceptions for anyone, as Lloyd George's brother recalled: “To David, lords, members of the House, directors of docks and officials - they all come in turn on one or another business. All the bills of Lloyd George passed very quickly without any resistance from the opposition, the main reason for David's parliamentary success was that the measures recommended by him were regarded by the bourgeoisie as emergency "patriotic" steps taken in order to increase the efficiency of a number of important links in the British economy. Many shipowners and other businessmen at first were distrustful of the radical minister, but conversations in a friendly atmosphere and the ability to constructively explain everything changed their anger to mercy.

David begins to deal with other issues, he advocates the restoration of the rights of the trade unions and achieves this. Lloyd George is in favor of an active policy of social reform on an all-British scale. David becomes especially popular when he settles the critical situation that has developed with the discontent of the railway workers. After that, the name of Lloyd George becomes known throughout the world. He is admired by the king and queen, Kaiser Wilhelm II talks for a long time and promises to arrange an honorable meeting when David arrives in Germany. At the end of 1907, the intermediary services of Lloyd George were again needed by the country. The Secretary of Trade settles a conflict in the Manchester cotton industry. A few months later, he also prevents the strike of shipbuilders in North East England. Thus, in 1906-1907, Lloyd George began to play a leading role in the government. He takes an active part in the discussion of the new school bill, speaks on issues that are not within the competence of the Minister of Commerce. “The Prime Minister entrusted this to me, not to Asquith,” Lloyd George boasts in a letter to his family, because at that time it was Asquith who was expected to take the chair of the new prime minister and the rivalry between the two liberal figures was already flaring up.

In 1906, Lloyd George initiates the first fight with the House of Lords. On December 1, 1906, the Minister of Trade spoke at Oxford and, breaking the unwritten tradition, several times mentioned the role of the monarch in the political life of the country: it is necessary to “clear the way from the people to the throne”, we cannot put up with the fact that every demand coming from the people - and Lloyd George always maintained that the House of Commons represented the interests of the people, met with a barrier in the upper house. "If the House of Lords persists," a serious problem will arise - "whether the country will be ruled by a king and peers or a king and people." This statement, of course, caused outrage on the part of Edward VII and Lloyd George was forced to apologize, but remained in his positions.

In 1906-1907, he took part in the development of social reforms, but it was only the beginning: a law on labor conflicts was adopted, compensation was provided for workers who were victims of industrial accidents, and laws were passed restricting the work of children and adolescents.

In April 1908, Campbell-Bannerman retired. Asquith formed the new government. Along with Asquith, the most important political figure in the reorganized cabinet was undoubtedly Lloyd George. Asquith did not like Lloyd George, did not sympathize with many of his plans. However, he did pay tribute to the Welshman's exceptional political intuition and often followed his advice. "Lloyd George has no principles," said the Prime Minister to Lord Crewe. In Asquith's government, Lloyd George became Chancellor of the Exchequer and was effectively considered the second most important post in the British cabinet. Most newspapers welcomed the new appointment of Lloyd George. The Times proclaimed, "You can't find a better candidate for this post." Even the Tory Daily Mail, which had once reviled him, now wrote that his "career is the best and most solid justification for such a choice"; he perfectly knows the practical side of business life, has the initiative and the "talent of conciliation."

Lloyd George immediately set about new business, he began to lead the discussion of the 1909 budget. It contained notable articles related to the Old Men's Pension Bill. The "father" of the pension project was Lloyd George. At that time, old-age pensions were already being issued in New Zealand and two Commonwealth provinces. In England, persons over the age of 70 could apply for a pension. The new budget was intended, according to Lloyd George, to provoke a battle with the lords. The signal for the attack was the speech of the Secretary of the Treasury in Swansea on October 1, 1908. The liberals, he said, in three years did everything in their power to "cure disasters." But the upper chamber, the “chamber of ghosts,” stood in their way. 1908 was a year of depression, the government had to take more radical measures to carry out social reforms, which businessmen and merchants resisted, but David assured them that there was nothing to be afraid of social reforms.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faced difficult tasks - to balance the budget deficit and find new sources of income for the state treasury. A significant increase in state appropriations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was due to spending on armaments and the struggle against imperialist rivals. The appropriations for the navy grew especially rapidly. In 1908, the government increased the appropriations for the fleet by 2 million pounds sterling, Lloyd George also supported the increase in appropriations, but at the same time he stated that appropriations for the army should not call into question the implementation of social reforms. Having supported the militarists, David wanted to use this moment against the lords: “Dukes and marquises cost the country much more than warships; it costs twice as much to maintain a duke than to fully equip a ship of the line, ”said Lloyd George, arguing with the lords. The burdens of the arms race, he argued, would be borne by the propertied sections of the population. Only on the condition that the rich feel the cost of armaments did the Welsh politician generally agree to accelerate naval construction.

In the early stages of Lloyd George's work as Minister of Finance, how to regulate the taxation system, since by the beginning of the century, budget revenues consisted of various direct and indirect taxes. The radical step of the new minister was the partial introduction of the land tax, which had not existed until that time. In general, the draft budget was ready and, having received the support of the Prime Minister, Lloyd George began the final preparations for the forthcoming introduction of the budget. Lloyd George was full of fighting spirit.

Never before has the budgetary speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer been awaited with such impatience as this time. The speech was very long and tedious, both for the parliamentarians present and for the minister himself. “She almost killed me. No one has yet invented a method by which numbers would sound dramatic, he told his son. “Demosthenes himself could not have done it.” At the end of the budget speech, Lloyd George stated, “This is a military budget. He will give money for a decisive campaign against poverty and squalor. And I hope, I am sure, that even before the current generation is replaced by a new one, we will move forward along the path to that blessed age when poverty and misfortune will disappear, as the wolves that once teemed with our forests perished. It was announced that landlords would be taxed on land, as well as the introduction of a tax on the owners of those who were unheard of enriched by the sale of land.

The adoption of the budget dragged on so much that no one could remember when in the history of English parliamentarism this or that law was adopted for such a long time, at more than 72 meetings with 550 votes in parliament this issue could not be resolved, and only with small concessions from the government on November 4, 1909 1909 budget was supported by the majority of the lower board of Parliament, but there was opposition from the House of Lords. Lloyd George traveled around the country telling the common people about the positive aspects of the budget for the working population and received unprecedented support. Once again, the radical position in relation to the landlords causes a surge of anger from the royals and the king himself. At a personal meeting between Edward VII and Lloyd George, the king complained: "My friends are put at risk by this land tax, can't sugar or tea be taxed instead?" . Lloyd George popularly explained to the monarch what reasons did not allow such measures to be taken. The king agreed with Lloyd George's arguments, and the minister promised to show great restraint.

In the autumn of 1909, on the eve of the peer debate on the budget, a rumor spread that the Cabinet planned to dissolve the House of Lords. But neither Asquith nor Lloyd George was willing to resort to such unpopular political measures. But still, the finance minister wanted to provoke the lords to reject the budget. He said to his assistant: "Let the Lords reject the budget, this will give us a chance that we will never have." Indeed, many lords urged not to accept the budget. Six days of debate took place in the House of Lords on the question of the budget. On November 30, voting day, the weakest elders arrived in the meeting room and the budget was rejected by a majority of 350 votes against 75. The motivation was: the upper house did not agree with the financial bill, "because it was not submitted to the country for consideration." Soon the government passed a special bill through the House of Commons - the position taken by the Lords was declared contrary to the constitution. On December 3, Asquith dissolved Parliament.

Lloyd George triumphed: “Now they are in my hands. Their greed overcame their cunning." The Liberals launched an election campaign, striking blow after blow against the Lords; voters were assured that all their troubles would pass as soon as the temper of the peers could be curbed. The liberals issued a manifesto, which stated that there had not been such a crisis in England for more than two centuries ... “the upper house tore up the constitution, created financial anarchy ... If the people do not cancel the decision of the Lords in January 1910, then they will renounce the rights and privileges obtained ancestors with such difficulty ... ".

David, speaking at rallies against the lords, referred to his businessmen friends who paid taxes and did not see anything special in it, unlike the lords. But these slogans did not help the Liberals much, in the new parliament they got 275 MPs against 273 from the Conservatives, and now the Irish with 82 MPs and Labor played the main role, who got 40 MPs, they could tilt the political pendulum in one direction or another.

On April 28, 1910, the budget was passed by the House of Lords. Having won a political victory over the Lords, the next step for David was to defeat Asquith, perhaps even with the help of the Conservatives. During these years, among the acquaintances and friends of Lloyd George, there are more and more businessmen supporting different parties. Here are the financier Isaacs, and the newspaper magnate Riddell, and the businessman and millionaire Aitken who moved from Canada. In the Conservative Party, businessmen seize leadership positions; this appeals to Lloyd George, who still did not like the aristocrats, perhaps because they were reluctant to change their contemptuous attitude towards the upstart. Austin Chamberlain, also close to the business community, is leaning towards blocking with Lloyd George. In 1910, there were again contradictions between the lower and upper houses of parliament, and the government took advantage of this and dissolved the House of Commons. But the elections did not bring anything for the liberals, the elections became an exact copy of the previous ones. And in the summer of 1911, the dispute between the two chambers ended with another compromise. The new law limited the "veto" power of the House of Lords, but retained serious opportunities for it to prevent any progressive measures.

In 1910-1911, the workers are again protesting for greater rights, many of the proletarians are in favor of an open struggle against the employers and are in favor of strikes. Entrepreneurs, in turn, put increasing pressure on the government, urging it to be more “resolute”. At their request, the authorities flooded many industrial zones with troops. The finance minister remained one of the few influential politicians who continued to regard compromises and small concessions as a necessary and hardly replaceable remedy. In 1911, Lloyd George focused his efforts on the Social Security Bill. The insurance bill was criticized by some industrialists in the far-right newspapers. The London-based "National Protest Committee" held a large rally in the Royal Albert Hall. The “strike force” here was high-ranking British ladies, concerned about rumors that the state was going to protect domestic workers. Doctors also protested, fearing for their earnings. The government was forced to make concessions and amend the draft law on insurance. In 1911, the Chancellor of the Exchequer initiated another financial and political measure - the establishment of payment for the deputies of the lower house. In the budget for the 1911-1912 financial year, 250 thousand pounds sterling was intended for the salaries of parliamentarians.

On March 1, 1912, a general strike of workers began. Wages rose, but lagged behind rising prices. The government was forced to recognize the minimum wage.

In late July - early 1914, the First World War broke out. The main task of Lloyd George in the initial period of the war was the restructuring of the entire financial system of Great Britain, the mobilization of the necessary funds for waging war. At the same time, the head of the British Ministry of Finance had to closely monitor that Britain's position as a world credit center, center of bill transactions, etc., was not shaken. As it dragged on, more and more difficulties and problems arose, and in particular the problem of financing the allies, obtaining loans in the United States. An economic crisis began in England, the stock prices of British companies fell day by day, important measures were taken up to the closing of the London Stock Exchange, which did not change the situation, gold and silver disappeared from circulation. Lloyd George authorized the closure of all banks for 5 days, which did not bring positive success for the country's economy. The war years were a "golden time" for big business in Great Britain. The influence of large magnates and breeders grew rapidly.

The prime minister and other members of the cabinet were powerless to resist the powerful pressure from the falling economy. Lloyd George, like no one else, perfectly captured the new trends and wishes of the magnates of capital. Leading the transfer of the economy to a war footing, David at the same time helped to strengthen state-monopoly tendencies and improve the system of regulation and control that was beneficial to big business, in parallel with this, Lloyd George made some concessions to the workers, which raised the authority of the Minister of Finance, both in the eyes of the capitalists and workers.

Lloyd George and other politicians talked a lot about limiting the profits of the capitalists; in 1916, a new law was passed to progressively tax "superprofits". The Asquith government increasingly resorted to intervention and state regulation, a policy that did not suit the heavy industry magnates and financiers. Many businessmen, and even workers, believed that the government could not cope with the existing problems. During this time of distrust of Asquith, Lloyd George was seeking to transcend his role and consolidate his position in the cabinet, Lloyd George turned to issues of grand strategy and allied relations. He constantly criticized Prime Minister Asquith, thereby trying to undermine the influence of the Prime Minister. David also opposes Minister of War Kitchener, accusing him of the fact that the three millionth army of England does not have clear plans. Lloyd George is actively negotiating with the opposition, strengthening contacts with Bonar Law and Balfour, which also served to escalate tension in the British Cabinet. The constant appearances in the press by Lloyd George brought the behind-the-scenes contradictions of ministers to the public, which further shook Asquith's cabinet. David made a statement about the Minister of War: "let him go as commander in chief to France." At the same time, it was supposed to appoint Lloyd George as a parallel Minister of War, after which disgruntled statements from the Conservatives and publications of influential London newspapers fell upon Kitchener. This forced the Minister of War to admit that the Entente was failing on all fronts. Lloyd George and Bonar Law decided to work together to replace the Liberal Cabinet with a coalition one. David at this time no longer needed the support of Parliament, he could do it on his own. Bonar-Low paid a visit to the Minister of Finance, who agreed with his opinion that serious changes were needed. “Of course we must have a coalition, as there is no alternative,” said Lloyd George. “Taking the Tory leader by the arm, he led him through the passage connecting the two houses in Downing Street to the Prime Minister. Asquith immediately bowed before the inevitability ... ". These two major politicians decided in a few minutes the most important political event, which once again proves what influence and what authority the Welsh lawyer had achieved by that time. On May 26, the composition of the new cabinet was announced, of the 22 main posts, the liberals retained 12, the Tories received 8, for the first time one of the Labor leaders Henderson entered the cabinet, and the non-partisan Kitchener remained in the government.

On May 17, Lloyd George wrote to his brother: "I remain Secretary of the Treasury." The next day: "If I want, I will remain the Minister of Finance." But David formed a new ministry specifically for himself, the Ministry of Armaments. According to Lloyd George, this appointment was the first step towards the War Department, after which the appointment to the post of Prime Minister should have followed. But for now, I had to work. And Lloyd George knew how. Sparing no effort, David worked day and night to strengthen the armament system of England and rebuild the economy on a war footing. At first, the new Ministry of Armaments did not represent anything serious, its staff included only 3 people, along with the minister. But in just one year, Lloyd George turned his ministry into one of the largest and most influential ministries in England. He selected people close to himself in spirit and energy, which also contributed to the strengthening of the ministry. Lloyd George, a supporter of reforms, does not make them wait long in the arms system either. At the initiative of David, England was divided into 12 zones for the manufacture of weapons. An inventory was made of the machines and machine tools available in the country that could be used to make weapons. The minister constantly traveled from city to city, from factory to factory, spoke to workers, engineers, entrepreneurs who produced guns and ammunition, established friendly relations not only with businessmen, but also with the leaders of trade unions. Under Lloyd George, the number of weapons produced increases dramatically. David made a proposal to Parliament to allocate loans for the armaments of the army of England, which was agreed to. The minister also went to various incentives for large industrialists, guaranteed profits for the accelerated production of weapons. Entrepreneurs were also given subsidies for the re-equipment and expansion of factories and workshops.

At the beginning of 1915, workers began to revolt at the enterprises. The government has taken emergency measures. Under the leadership of Lloyd George, the law "On military equipment" was also developed on June 23, which provided for the prohibition of strikes at all enterprises related to military production, and labor conflicts were to be referred to government arbitration. Lloyd George won the right for himself to declare any plant or factory in Great Britain an enterprise "working for the war."

The Conservatives began calling on Lloyd George to agree to the introduction of universal conscription. David supported the leadership of the Conservatives in this matter, and in January 1916, the majority of parliamentarians voted in favor of the introduction of compulsory service for single men. A mass movement began to abolish this bill, but Lloyd George, feeling his authority, threatened to resign and declared that this bill was compatible with the principles of liberalism, democracy and British traditions. As a result, the bill became law.

On April 23, 1916, the "Easter Rising" began in Ireland, it was suppressed by government troops. At the end of May, Lloyd George began a meeting with the Irish leaders and Carson. David put forward a proposal that included the immediate implementation of the Home Rule Act, but the agreement was opposed by most members of the government, including the prime minister. At this time, an important event occurs for Lloyd George, which he could not even think of. Minister of War Kitchener decides to go to Arkhangelsk on the Hampshire cruiser. Lloyd George also planned to go on this trip, but forced circumstances do not allow him to do this. On the evening of June 5, the cruiser hit a German mine, and the Minister of War died. On June 6, Lloyd George wrote: "Kitchener died at the most opportune moment for the country and for himself." Asquith was forced, albeit very reluctantly, to cede the post of Secretary of War to Lloyd George. Mrs. Asquith considered such a decision a gross mistake, she prophetically wrote in her diary: "It is only a matter of time before we leave Downing Street." Lloyd George continued to move towards his main goal, the accession to the main residence of British Prime Ministers Downing Street, 10. A friend of David Aitken said of Asquith: "A man who has been beaten once can be beaten twice." Lloyd George needed allies with the help of whom he could throw Asquith from the premiership. Asquith tries to launch counterattacks, embroil David with Bonar-Low, but this does not bring him success. Meanwhile, the newspaper campaign against Asquith was gaining momentum. There is no doubt that this campaign was led by Lloyd George.

Lloyd George was a supporter of the slogan "war to a victorious end". Asquith and Foreign Secretary Gray were at first opposed to Lloyd George's statement, but then when the Asquith-Gray duo broke up. The Prime Minister was forced to support the War Minister. There were tensions everywhere—in the Cabinet, the War Committee, the Admiralty, the War Office, and in Parliament. Lloyd George came up with a plan to overthrow Asquith, he proposed creating a narrow "war cabinet" without the participation of the prime minister, which was supposed to put Asquith in a dilemma - either turn into a puppet or resign. This idea was actively picked up by conservatives. On November 23, the final attack was signaled by the Morning Post, which demanded emergency powers for Lloyd George. On November 25, Aitken drafted a memorandum proposing the creation of a new "war council" chaired by Lloyd George. On December 1, Lloyd George formally approached the prime minister with a proposal to create a "war council". Asquith behaved inadequately at this time, not understanding the seriousness of his position and possible resignation, he leaves to spend the weekend out of town. Conservative ministers announce the possibility of resigning, but the situation could have been avoided with the immediate reconstruction of the cabinet. Asquith seemed to have faltered, but suddenly most of the Liberal ministers and even a few Thorian ministers are in favor of his support. Asquith hopes to be able to retain the premiership and even get rid of Lloyd George. But Asquith understands that without Lloyd George and Bonar Law, he will not be able to reconstruct the office. Asquith hoped that his rivals would not be able to form a government without him, and then he would again go on stage and dictate his terms, and on December 5, Asquith handed his resignation to the king.

3. The work of David Lloyd George as Prime Minister of Great Britain.

3.1 Formation of a coalition government.

As required by tradition after the resignation of the Liberal government, the formation of the cabinet was entrusted to the leader of another large party, Bonar Law. But he did not think to compete with Lloyd George. The leaders of the Conservatives, together with Lloyd George, worked out the tactics of doing business. Balfour goes to the king with the formulated conclusion: “government without Lloyd George is unthinkable; the former Minister of War is better than others for the role of its head. On the evening of December 6, Lloyd George accepted the King's official commission to form a government.

Lloyd George has long been in the political arena of Great Britain, but has never had such influence as it is now, the liberals could no longer hold full power in their hands, and the conservatives needed a popular leader, which David became. So many coincidences led David to Downing Street, perhaps they all happened by accident, or it is possible that Lloyd George did everything to make them happen.

In all areas of activity, the Prime Minister of Great Britain was required to have such a constellation of talents that only Lloyd George had. Decisiveness and flexibility, irresistible impulse and subtle maneuver, violent imagination and sober calculation. Journalists wrote about the dynamism of Lloyd George's nature, that with his arrival at 10 Downing Street, a new era in the life of society would begin. It was to this dynamic politician that the British ruling circles entrusted power at their most difficult hour.

Lloyd George wanted to form a government of people he could trust and be loyal to him at all times, regardless of political leanings or crises. But the current situation did not allow him to do so. As head of government, David was still weak at the beginning and exaggerated Asquith's capabilities, so he did not act decisively. At the beginning of the Lloyd George cabinet, a poll was taken in the House of Commons, which showed that “out of 260 Liberals, 135 were ready to support the government I headed. This meant that about half of all party members still followed Mr. Asquith. The Irish Party consisted, in general, of Asquith's supporters, while the Labor Party was divided into supporters of the war and determined pacifists. The Conservatives who were part of Asquith's coalition were not happy with David's appointment to the premiership. He himself wrote: “As for some of them, right up to the very end there was not a single minute when they would not be happy about my resignation.” Lloyd George did everything to prevent the wishes of many political opponents from coming true, who predicted the resignation of the David government in the next 6 months. In order to get the support of the Conservatives, Lloyd George listens to the opinion of Bonar-Low and Lord Edund Talbot. By this time, one of the leaders of the Conservatives had already taken the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs. Another important task of strengthening the cabinet, Lloyd George considered the introduction of several ministers from the Labor Party into the cabinet, this was of paramount importance for the prime minister.

In his speeches, Lloyd George always spoke clearly and unequivocally about the continuation of the war until the complete defeat of Germany and its allies, although he considered it a terrible and unnecessary phenomenon for mankind: “I hate war and am horrified by it. Sometimes I think, am I dreaming all this? This can't really be. But these questions can be asked and answered only before you start a war, but once you start it, you need to grit your teeth and bring it to the end, otherwise everything that can be achieved only as a result of victory will collapse. Lloyd George seeks the consent of Parliament for the main role in the conduct of hostilities, not the cabinet, but the military council, which he himself heads. In the political line of the new government, three issues were developed that needed an immediate solution - this is the issue of the coal industry, the food issue and the issue of shipping. As for the coal industry, Lloyd George said that the state should take control of it in its own hands. Nationalization of control over the coal industry should be carried out on a large scale, profits were planned to be calculated on a pre-war basis. An acute problem has arisen with food, Lloyd George saw how much land in England was being used for other purposes. He introduces a system of control over the use and distribution of food in wartime, and Lloyd George orders to increase the number of production items for agricultural work. Lloyd George urged each settlement to provide their own food, and the farmer was instructed to use the unoccupied areas for arable farming as much as possible. Lloyd George's government continues the former cabinet's policy of universal labor service. In relation to the press, Lloyd George does not pursue a policy of restriction, as required by the military command. The prime minister decides to radically change the structure of the cabinet, since a cabinet of twenty people could not make decisions quickly, David forms a cabinet of five people, the prototype of the existing military council, which can use the unlimited possibilities for conducting military operations. The first War Cabinet consisted of Lloyd George the Chairman, Lord Curzon, Henderson, Lord Milner and Bonar Law, who was entrusted with leadership in the House of Commons, since David could not attend very often, although Lloyd George did not miss a single important session. chambers.

On the issue of Liberal participation in Lloyd George's cabinet, he was confronted with the fact that all the former Liberal ministers passed, at a meeting to which the Prime Minister was not invited, a resolution that obligated each and every one of them not to serve under David. This decision caused a catastrophic split in the Liberal Party, which reduced its influence and prevented the implementation of its goals during all the years that had elapsed since 1916. Lloyd George, believed that the refusal of the Liberals to support his government would not lead to anything special, and he considered only three representatives of the Liberals to be worthy candidates for ministers, one of them was the former Prime Minister Asquith, according to David, he could not lead the state with dignity, but how a member of the War Cabinet might have been useful, but Asquith was unwilling to take part in any government in which he himself was not premier. Edwin Montagu was also an important member of the Liberal Party, who nevertheless entered the government. The third former Liberal minister who could become a valuable member of the Lloyd George government saw Winston Churchill, one of "the most remarkable and mysterious men of our time." But the Conservatives, and especially their leader Bonar-Low, were too hostile to Churchill, they recognized the giftedness of this man, but did not want him to take any ministerial chair. Despite the resistance of the conservatives, Lloyd George appoints Winston Churchill to the cabinet. As for the rest of the Liberal ministers, Lloyd George thought that none of them was in a position to help the government with their advice to the same extent as those persons with whom he replaced them in ministerial posts. Lloyd George pursued an interesting policy towards his former colleagues, thereby trying to find out their attitude towards the new cabinet. So Lloyd George addressed an invitation to enter the government to Herbert Samuel, who did not take part in any of the then intrigues. But he refused the offer, explaining that he did not consider the government of Lloyd George strong enough. To which David Lloyd George replied: "In my opinion, you are mistaken in your assessment of the viability of the government and do not be surprised if my government is still in power in five years." This is how it actually happened, although it is really possible that no one except the prime minister himself sincerely believed in the longevity of this government.

In contrast to the previous compositions of the government, the Labor Party was represented in this cabinet by a large number, eight of its representatives occupied ministerial chairs.

Almost all Conservative ministers retained their positions in the government. The refusal of many liberals to join the coalition government allowed Lloyd George to independently appoint experienced and independent from some parties who were close to him. So Lloyd George creates a special department in the Cabinet - the reorganized Ministry of Shipping and Joseph Maclay, a Glasgow shipowner, becomes its director. A new ministry was also created to exercise government control over government resources. And Lord Devonport was placed at the head of this department. Mr. Prodero was brought into the government as Minister of Agriculture. He was not only a man of great ability and wide education, but also had a thorough knowledge of agricultural matters, having previously been the manager of one of the largest and best estates in the country. The youngest government minister was Stanley Baldwin. A new agency was also created to organize the country's human resources more systematically and productively, the National Military Service became such an agency and Neuvville Chamberlain was appointed its director. Lloyd George created two more important ministries: the Ministry of Pensions, which was headed by George Burns, one of the most significant leaders of the trade unions, and the Department of Labor, which was headed by John Hodge. G. Fischer headed the Ministry of Public Education, which is recognized as the most outstanding Minister of Education in the entire history of the existence of this ministry. Albert Stanley, one of the greatest transport organizers, was appointed Secretary of Commerce.

Another innovation was the creation of a cabinet secretariat. Since before that no protocols were kept even on the most important decisions of the Cabinet. And this secretariat took care of the preparation of all the documentation for the meeting and after it. The first secretary was Maurice Hankey.

The structure of the Government created by Lloyd George in the first quarter of the last century remains valid in the modern cabinet of ministers of Great Britain, which once again emphasizes the importance of the personality of David Lloyd George for the British. And the personal composition of Lloyd George's cabinet was qualified and experienced, which contributed to the successful and dynamic work of the government.

3.2 The main policies of Lloyd George as prime minister.

From the first steps as prime minister, Lloyd George tried to present the new government as a nationwide one, and indeed the cabinet headed by David consisted of people of different social groups and political affiliations, but they were united by one thing - interest in work and devotion to the prime minister. The prime minister of the new cabinet received almost unlimited powers, which allowed Lloyd George to pursue policies in his own interests. David, during his premiership, faced a whole range of problems, both external - the First World War was going on, where England participated in it with varying success, and internal - the number of strikes increased. The strikes were led by shop stewards. The movement for an early end to the war intensified. Lloyd George had to resort to radical measures, the establishment of a military dictatorship, and he did it not badly, David was able to concentrate all power in his hands, but at the same time preserve all the principles of democracy. Like no one else, Lloyd George felt that in order to avoid an internal explosion, the ruling circles should rely not only on force, but also on maneuvers, it was necessary to actively call for patriotism and the unity of the nation, this was supported by some laws that the government adopted at that time. The prime minister was also convinced that only by strengthening the position in the rear, significantly expanding state control in all spheres of the economy, one can hope to withstand the German naval blockade and generally bring the war to a victorious end. In the winter of 1916-1917, when the cabinet took emergency measures, the workers suffered from high prices and lack of food. In 1916 alone, the prices of basic necessities jumped by one-third, and that of tea by fifty percent.

From December 1916, the government began to issue one bill after another. A special order sharply limited the production of beer. “The prime minister is settling old scores with the beer barons,” the newspapers wrote. In the autumn of 1917, they had to go further: state subsidies were introduced to wholesalers in order to stabilize the prices of bread and potatoes. Following that, the government was forced to take extreme measures, ration cards for bread and meat were introduced. Many different orders were issued, threatening fines for profiteering and spoiling food. Lloyd George brought order to trade with enemy countries, since in the time of Asquith, in the pursuit of profit, many businessmen established trade relations with enemies through neutral countries, David's government managed to stop such trade. But, despite the adoption of many laws aimed at streamlining the distribution of food, the trade profits of most large firms and companies continued to grow. This was facilitated by the regulation of the distribution of raw materials and fuel, the streamlining of the system of orders and contracts, the concealment of the true amount of income under the pretext of secrecy of the relevant data. In an effort to restrain the activity of the proletariat, Lloyd George invented more and more new methods and made concessions. From September 1917, the wages of miners and workers of military factories were increased. Lloyd George continued to pass many laws that contributed to the consolidation of the entire population, so, in December 1917, the cabinet recognized the shop stewards as a legal organization. In February 1918, the previously discussed law on a significant expansion of the electorate was passed: all men from the age of 21 (with a six-month residency requirement), military personnel and women from the age of 30 received the right to vote. At the initiative of the head of government, a new Ministry of Reconstruction was formed, with an emphasis on the transformation of the country and the search for other, better orders. Lloyd George left direct supervision of the new ministry. Under this ministry, dozens of committees and subcommittees were created to deal with various problems. These committees and departments of the ministry itself dealt with production and trade, finance and navigation, the situation of workers and farm laborers, health care and housing construction. This ministry helped build confidence in the government and could make the people wait until a victorious end in the imperialist war.

During the critical period of the war, the rear in England turned out to be stronger than in Germany. But Lloyd George understood that not for long, that everything was hanging by a thread. Much depended on how things went at the front. In turn, the balance of political forces within the country remained an important factor in determining British strategy.

Lloyd George spared no time in planning and directing land and sea operations. He continuously conferred with the British military leaders, often met with the military and political figures of the allied countries. Lloyd George not only concentrated in his hands the threads of the general direction of the war, but also constantly interfered in the solution of strategic problems, and often in tactical and military-technical questions. Only a truly gifted person could work as an English prime minister in such a difficult time for the British, but David found the strength not only to fix internal economic and social problems that had matured over several decades, or even hundreds of years, but also tried his knowledge in military affairs to stabilize the situation on the fronts, and perhaps with fewer losses for England to approach victory. But Lloyd George did not go into conflict with the command, and as a result, in his usual manner, the cardinal issues of warfare were mostly resolved through compromises.

When Lloyd George became prime minister, he found a memorandum from the Admiralty on his office desk that was pessimistic about the prospects for fighting German submarines. “To this day no final answer has been found to this form of warfare; perhaps such an answer will not be found at all, ”it said. Lloyd George ordered to accelerate the search for an effective anti-submarine defense. Machine guns and cannons were installed on merchant ships, airships, airplanes, and depth charges were used to fight underwater pirates. The prime minister strongly encouraged the construction of new ships; “Tonnage is victory,” he repeated. But Germany was stronger at sea, the number of ships sunk by England increased. There were rumors that food was left in England for 1-2 months, the German press choked with delight, hoping for a truce from the humiliated requests of the “mistress of the seas”. “If Great Britain still ruled the seas, then in the days leading up to the victory over the submarines, the trident in her hands shook,” recalled Lloyd George. The system of convoys began to be successfully used, when merchant ships gather in caravans and sail the seas under the protection of warships. In early 1917, Lloyd George seized on the idea of ​​a convoy system, correctly assessing its significance. Admirals and some ship owners opposed the idea of ​​convoys, as they believed that this would lead to difficulties and possible stagnation in caravans. But the prime minister insisted on the use of convoy methods, and the admirals agreed to test a new means of combating submarines, Lloyd George turned out to be a far-sighted politician and strategist even in admiralty matters. Convoys proved to be the most favorable for maritime trade. In 1918, single steamers were no longer encountered in sea waters near England, and in total 16,530 ships passed through the Atlantic under the escort of British warships. The German tactic of trying to cut off Britain from the rest of the world was beaten by the prominent politician David Lloyd George. Lloyd George was engaged in another strategic direction in the Middle East. Lloyd George was interested in plans for the conquest of Palestine and other lands still under Turkish control. France also claimed the "holy lands", but David wanted to get ahead of his allies. On December 11, British troops occupied Jerusalem. "Christian Hearth Freed!", "Lloyd George's Christmas Present!" newspapers wrote.

Lloyd George was very proud of the fact that under his leadership victories were won over the Turks and an antidote was found for German submarines.

The main battles on the continent fell on the armed forces of Great Britain, which carried out a fairly consistent offensive, which the Prime Minister tirelessly followed, called the commanders of the armies to his residence several times a day and gave various recommendations. At this time, Germany calls on England to sign a separate peace, but Lloyd George's official attitude towards a compromise peace remains the same. At this time, the British Prime Minister was inspired by his victories, both in domestic and foreign matters. At the end of 1917, many British generals came to the conclusion that the Germans were preparing a new decisive offensive in the West. Lloyd George did not believe in him for a long time. The Prime Minister reduced the sending of reinforcements to Haig to a minimum - this is the only way we will keep the Field Marshal from the new Paschendel, he said. Lloyd George made a miscalculation, but he did not plead for merit of paramount importance. But the blow still occurred on March 21. This German strike put the Allies in front of a catastrophe. At least it seemed so after the initial successes of the German troops, who swept away the English Fifth Army and approached Amiens. The threat of a split into two parts loomed before the allies. The British command was not ready for such a turn of events.

Defeats put Lloyd George off balance. He appealed to the US President and Secretary of War for urgent assistance. The British Prime Minister told Pershing: you are still participating in the war to about the same extent as little Belgium; The Entente may lose the war before the Americans start fighting for real. These ideas did not give any particular results. At the 3 April Allied Conference at Beauvais, "the Prime Minister," Haig wrote, "looked like he was completely terrified." Concerned about putting the blame for the failures on one of the military leaders, Lloyd George, at a meeting of the War Cabinet, hinted at the resignation of Haig, but did not insist on it. The "culprit" was found in the person of the commander of the 5th Army. In the press, however, attacks against Lloyd George became more frequent. The leader of the "opposition" Asquith decided that the "hour of revenge" had come. Referring to one of the sensational articles in The Times and the Morning Post with accusations against the prime minister, he made an inquiry in the House, hinting that the head of government was hiding the true situation. Confused Bonar Law, in the absence of Lloyd George, promised to conduct an investigation. Upon learning of this, the prime minister in a rage attacked his deputy. But he managed to avoid legal proceedings against the accusations made by the newspapers. On May 10, a debate took place in the House in connection with Asquith's request. They came down to a verbal duel between two liberal leaders. In parliamentary eloquence, the forces turned out to be unequal. Emery called Asquith's speech the palest of all he had delivered. And Lloyd George spoke, as always, quickly and energetically. The mere juxtaposition of the former premier's lackluster speech and the bright, confident speech of his successor gave the latter a considerable advantage. Lloyd George flatly denied all the charges against him. It was not in vain that he rehearsed his speech to Milner and O. Chamberlain. His response, writes historian R. Black, can be quoted as one of the most brilliant parliamentary submissions. After the Prime Minister's speech, no one dared to take the floor; in the vote, the government received 293 votes to 106.

The prime minister carefully recorded in his memory all those 98 liberals - among them many of his old colleagues - who expressed no confidence in his government. David will despise these people until the end of his days, some of them pretended to repent and even apologized to Lloyd George, but David remained forever a man of principle and never had any relationship with them again. After this further aggravated crisis and a complete split in the Liberal Party, the public became convinced of the unsuitability of Asquith as a leader, and Lloyd George decided by all means to impede the political activity of the old core of the Liberals.

In August, the British armies successfully broke into the German defenses. But Lloyd George continued to restrain Haig, ordered to avoid heavy losses. His main task was to reduce casualties during this period, as well as to minimize losses in weapons and equipment, since it was this indicator that could strengthen the position of the prime minister in the decaying liberal party, so the prime minister wanted as many representatives of the former united liberal party as possible drag to you and create your block. This David succeeded in doing so, and won several important victories at the front.

And so the world war came to an end. Germany was defeated. In these last days, the British Prime Minister did everything to ensure that the chariot of victory became his personal carriage, although in fact the victory in the war was the personal merit of Lloyd George, like no one else he exerted so much effort to end this imperialist war that engulfed all of Europe and affecting almost all corners of the world, as no other politician or army commander in the world has done. And David wanted to take advantage of the moment of delight and happiness that gripped him at that moment, he himself understood that all countries would bow before him as before the winner, and he wanted to take full advantage of this. He tirelessly poses for photographers, often appears in parliament, saving for his speeches the news of major military successes, truces on various fronts or the overthrow of governments in countries of a hostile coalition. In London, Lloyd George staged a victory parade. Clemenceau, Foch, Italian Prime Minister V. Orlando and many others arrived here. But the Welshman felt himself to be the main hero of the occasion. Has he not reached the unsurpassed heights that he dreamed of for many years?

David Lloyd George took advantage of this moment and, in order to once again receive the support of the British population, he begins an election campaign at the head of a renewed coalition. Election prospects have been studied by statesmen since early autumn. On 5 October, Bonar-Low, in a letter to Balfour, spoke in favor of dissolving Parliament and further blocking with Lloyd George. They believed that the Conservatives could not win the election without such a popular leader as Lloyd George, and they also believed that if they did not move closer to David, then he could disintegrate the Conservative Party and the Conservatives could split as well as the Liberals. They believed that the head of government was popular and would succeed in the elections. And after them, he will be dependent on the conservatives. The Tory leader believed that Lloyd George would follow the path of J. Chamberlain and join the ranks of the Conservatives, he was even ready to give him the place of party leader. What the Conservative bosses feared most at the time was the growth of the labor movement and the leftist Labor Party. They needed Lloyd George as a recognized master of subversive work among the working people, as an enemy of socialism. Therefore, Bonar Law could assure his party colleagues that "in the most important" Lloyd George's aims coincided with their own.

Lloyd George then cared little for such considerations and forecasts, he took a firm course in the speedy holding of elections and collusion with the most die-hard Tories. On November 2, in a letter addressed to Bonar-Low, which remained secret for ten days, the Prime Minister officially proposed to the Conservatives a joint election campaign and formulated some tasks. Among them was the stimulation of the unity and development of the British Empire and the strengthening of its influence in international affairs. On issues of protectionism, the status of Ulster, and even church affairs in Wales, Lloyd George made concessions to the Tories. It is clear that the latter at the meeting of the parliamentary faction on November 12 approved the deal. Bonar-Low did not miss the opportunity to declare that it was the Conservatives who "made Lloyd George Prime Minister" and that he became the "standard bearer" of the principles of the Unionist Party.

Lloyd George and Bonar-Low came up with a new method to win the elections, they handed their candidates special certificates, which meant that these candidates were pro-government and that they were worthy to take a seat in parliament. Lloyd George made very loud statements, he promised to demolish all the slums and build many new houses in a short time, to give land to everyone who wanted it, and above all to former military personnel. Particularly effective was the promise to demand that Germany pay an indemnity for the losses of the British during the First World War.

Some of the promises were actually kept, but some remained just an election gimmick by Lloyd George.

In the elections to the House of Commons, the coalition won a landslide victory. Most of the seats in the House were won by the Conservatives, and Lloyd George's party, called the Liberals, won 136 seats. The old liberals actually failed the elections.

At the end of December 1918, Lloyd George formed a new government. He still had to be at the head of the government for almost 4 years, during which much was done for the country and for the English people.

Conclusion.

David Lloyd George is, of course, a great personality for all political history, and indeed for historical science in general. David was able to achieve what no other person can even dream of. He dreamed of becoming prime minister, and he became one.

The main achievements of Lloyd George are the implementation of social reforms and the reduction of the powers of the upper house of the British Parliament, the House of Lords. The main and most pressing issue was social transformations, the calculation of benefits and pensions, workers' health insurance, the reduction of the working day for workers and employees, an increase in cash payments, the provision of subsidies and benefits to various sections of society. One of the most important issues raised and remained key throughout the political career of Lloyd George, the equalization of all British citizens in rights. And in fact, David managed to achieve results. Of course, one cannot belittle the role of Great Britain and personally Lloyd George in ending the First World War; in general, it was David who played a key role in concluding a peace treaty.

At critical moments for the British population, Lloyd George did not wait until the UK economy collapsed and collapsed, he was able to negotiate with the main monopolists and joint-stock companies so that they invest their capital in the domestic market, which helped to keep industrial production at the same stable level. Of course, Lloyd George was forced to support the introduction of a rationing system for basic food, but this measure was extremely forced, perhaps if not for this, England simply would not have enough food.

Thus, the political biography of David Lloyd George reflects the main stages in the history of England from the end of the 19th century, helps to find out what various methods and methods the English prime minister used to achieve the most important results in transforming the life of the public.

The modern Labor Party, led by the current British Prime Minister Anthony Blair, adopted some of the ideas and plans of the outstanding Prime Minister David Lloyd George and brought them into their program.

List of used literature.

Sources:

1. D. Lloyd George. Military memoirs. T. I-II, T. III. M., 1934, 1935.

2. D. Lloyd George. The truth about peace treaties. T. I-II. M., 1957.

3. "International Relations 1870 - 1918" Collection of documents. M., 1940.

4. Reader on New History. Ch. II 1870–1918. Ed. A.I. Molok and V.A. Orlov. M., 1959.

Literature:

1. Vinogradov K.B. David Lloyd George, M., 1970.

2. Halevi E. History of England in the era of imperialism, vol. I, M., 1937.

3. Gella T.N. The Liberal Party of Great Britain and the empire at the end of the 19th -

beginning of the XX century, Oryol, 1992.

4. Dioneo. Essays on modern England, St. Petersburg, 1903.

5. Erofeev N.A. Essays on the History of England 1815 - 1917, M., 1959.

6. Kertman L.E. The struggle of currents in the English workers' and socialist

movement in the late XIX - early XX century, M., 1962.

7. Kertman L.E. The Labor Movement in England and the Struggle of Two Tendencies in Leibo

party (1900-1914), Molotov, 1957.

8. Milibend R. Parliamentary socialism, M., 1964.

9. Ostrogorsky M.Ya. Democracy and political parties, M., 1997.

10. Seniobos Sh. and Meten. Recent history since 1815, vol. I-II, St. Petersburg, 1905.

11. Churchill W. Triumph and tragedy, M., 2004.

Footnotes and notes.

1. Bimetallism is a monetary system in which the means of payment are two metals - gold and silver.

2. Chamberlain Joseph (1836 - 1914) - Minister of the British Colonies in 1895 - 1903. In 1880 - 1886 he was a member of the government. At the beginning of his career, a liberal, from the beginning. 90s conservative. One of the ideologists of English colonialism.

3. Kertman L.E. The Labor Movement in England and the Struggle of Two Tendencies in the Labor Party (1900–1914), Molotov, 1957, pp. 148–149.

4. Churchill W. Triumph and tragedy, M., 2004, p. 32.

5. E. Bonar-Low (1858 - 1923) - statesman, leader of the Conservative Party since 1911, prime minister in 1922 - 1923.

6. D. Lloyd George. Military memoirs, vols. I-II, M., 1934, p. 150.

7. Ibid., pp. 176–178.

8. The government announcement indicated that Lloyd George was vacating the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer (in favor of McKenna) "temporarily".

9. Carson E.G. (1854 - 1935) - lawyer and politician. One of the leaders of the reactionary group "Orange" who fought against the independence of Ireland. In 1917 he was a member of the War Cabinet of Lloyd George.

10. Aitken M., later Lord Beaverbrook (1879 - 1964) - businessman, publicist and politician. In 1918 - Minister of Information.

11. D. Lloyd George. Military memoirs, vol. III, M., 1935, p. 18.

12. There.

13. Ibid., p. 23.

14. Ibid., p. 34.

15. Baldwin Stanley (1867 - 1947) - Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1923-1924, 1924-1929, 1935-1937; conservative.

16. Burns John (1858 - 1943) - leader of the English labor movement, reformist. One of the leaders of the London strike of dockers in 1889. In 1892 he was elected to Parliament, a liberal. In 1905–14 Minister of Local Government, in 1914 Minister of Commerce.

17. D. Lloyd George. Military memoirs, vol. III, M., 1935, p. 71.

18. Ibid., p. 73.

19. Haig Douglas (1861 - 1928) - Earl, British Field Marshal (1917). In the 1st World War, the corps commander, the commander of the army, from December 1915 - the British expeditionary forces in France.

20. Vinogradov K.B. David Lloyd George, M., 1970, pp. 258–259.

21. Clemenceau Georges (1841 - 1929) - Prime Minister of France in 1906-1909, 1917-20. Minister many times. In the 1880s - 90s. radical leader. In World War I he was a chauvinist and militarist.

22. Foch Ferdinand (1851 - 1929) - Marshal of France. In the 1st World War, the commander of the army, army group, in 1917-1918. Chief of the General Staff, from April 1918 Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces.

Vinogradov K.B. David Lloyd George, M., 1970. S. 404.

Quoted from the book: Vinogradov K.B. David…. S. 404.

Vinogradov K.B. David…. pp. 404 - 405.

Quoted from the book: Vinogradov K.B. David…. S. 15.

Quoted from the book: Vinogradov K.B. David…. S. 16. D. Lloyd George. Military memoirs. T. III. M., 1935. S. 18.

Foch Ferdinand (1851 - 1929) - Marshal of France. In the 1st World War, the commander of the army, army group, in 1917-1918. Chief of the General Staff, from April 1918 Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces.

Similar artworks to D. Lloyd George. Rise of a political career

LLOYD GEORGE David

(Lloyd George, David) (1863-1945), British statesman and prime minister. Born in Manchester on January 17, 1863, his father, headmaster in Wales, died when David was 3 years old, and the family (mother and two sons) was helped by his mother's brother, Baptist pastor Richard Lloyd from North Wales. David, who aspired to a career in law, trained in one of the offices in Portmadoc. Taking an active part in local political life, in 1890 he was elected a Liberal deputy in the House of Commons for the county of Carnarvon in northwest Wales. Lloyd George soon became known for his vigorous attacks on the Conservatives and for speaking out in defense of Welsh non-conformists and nationalists. During the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, he sharply opposed the policy 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 looked like a supporter of decisive action and a person capable of taking on decision-making. 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 higher taxes on luxury goods, income, and vacant lands of landlords. Lloyd George gave a brilliant speech in defense of the budget, which was sharply criticized by the Conservatives, and in a speech on the Limehouse section of the London Docks, he attacked the Conservatives and the wealthy sections of society. The budget passed by the House of Commons was defeated by a 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 Reform Act, the Home Rule Bill for Ireland; the right of "veto" that the House of Lords had (1911) was significantly limited. In 1911, Lloyd George passed the National Insurance Act, which gave the right to provision for sickness and disability, as well as the Unemployment Insurance Act. Both were sharply criticized, but they helped England a lot in the difficult post-war years. When the First World War broke out, Lloyd George remained secretary of the treasury for another year, however, when the lack of supply of armaments to the army was revealed, and in May 1915 the cabinet was reorganized into the first coalition government, he became head of the newly created Ministry of Armaments. Despite his successes in office, Lloyd George was not satisfied with the way the war was being conducted. At the end of 1915 he became an ardent advocate of universal conscription, and in 1916 he passed the conscription law. In June, after Kitchener's death, he was appointed Secretary of War. The fall of Romania increased Lloyd George's dissatisfaction with the course of the hostilities and the strategy adopted, which found expression 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. Lloyd George's small military committee of five members, 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 the appointed time, 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 an 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 series of strikes took place, including those of railway workers, budget spending caused indignation and criticism of conservatives, and strict austerity measures displeased the radicals. The situation in Ireland remained deplorable, and at the same time, few were satisfied with the treaty of 1921, which granted most of Ireland the status of a dominion. Despite all the dissatisfaction of the conservatives, the right of foreign policy led to the defeat of Lloyd George. The pro-Greek policy turned out to be unsuccessful: in 1922 Turkey won the war, and the Chanak incident nearly brought England into the war. In October 1922 Lloyd George was forced to resign. Bonar Law became prime minister. The activities of Lloyd George as the leader of the opposition (1926-1931) cannot be called successful. This was partly due to the gradual withering away of the Liberal Party, partly Asquith's Liberals' dislike of Lloyd George, partly because the Liberals' welfare and reform program had been taken over by Labor. Nevertheless, during the economic crisis of the 1930s, Lloyd George was the only political leader to come up with fresh ideas for measures to combat unemployment. In foreign policy, he supported the appeasement of the Axis powers. Lloyd George twice refused to enter Churchill's war office. In 1944 he was made the first Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor. Among his writings - Military memoirs (War Memoirs, 1933-1936); The Truth About the Peace Treaties (1938). Lloyd George died at Tynewyd near Llanstamdy, Carnarvon, North Wales, on March 26, 1945.
LITERATURE
Lloyd George D. War Memoirs, vols. 1-6. M., 1934-1937 Lloyd George D. The truth about the peace treaties, vols. 1-2. M., 1957 Vinogradov K.B. David Lloyd George. M., 1970

Collier Encyclopedia. - Open society. 2000 .

See what "LLOYD GEORGE David" is in other dictionaries:

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George ... Wikipedia

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George 53rd British Prime Minister ... Wikipedia

- (Lloyd George) (1863 1945), Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1916 22; one of the largest leaders of the Liberal Party. In 1905 08 Minister of Trade, in 1908 15 Minister of Finance. * * * LLOYD GEORGE David Lloyd George (Lloyd George) David (1863 1945),… … encyclopedic Dictionary

- (1863 1945) Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1916 1922; one of the leaders of the Liberal Party. In 1906 1908 he was Minister of Trade, in 1908 15 he was Minister of Finance. At the Paris Peace Conference (1919-20) he advocated compensation by Germany ... Historical dictionary

Lloyd George (Lloyd George) David (January 17, 1863, Manchester, ≈ March 26, 1945, Llanistamdwy, Carnarvonshire), British statesman, leader of the Liberal Party. Born in the family of a school teacher. He practiced law. In 1890… … Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Lloyd George (Lloyd George) David (1863 1945) Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1916 22; one of the largest leaders of the Liberal Party. In 1905 08 Minister of Trade, in 1908 15 Minister of Finance ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Lloyd George David- Lloyd George (Lloyd George) David (1863 1945), Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1916 22; one of the leaders of the Liberal Party. In 1906 08 Minister of Trade, in 1908 15 Minister of Finance. At the Paris Peace Conference (1919-20) he advocated compensation for ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Lloyd George David- () Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1916 1922; one of the leaders of the Liberal Party. In 1906 1908. Minister of Trade, in 1908 15 Minister of Finance. At the Paris Peace Conference () advocated compensation by Germany for all military losses ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary "World History"

Lloyd George David Dwyfort, 1st Earl- (Lloyd George of Dwyfor, David, 1st Earl) (1863 1945), English, state. figure. Member of Parliament for the Liberal Party, representing the city of Carnarvon from 1890 to 1945, in 1905 min. trade, and in 1908, when Asquith became prime minister, he changed him to ... ... The World History

David Lloyd George 53rd British Prime Minister ... Wikipedia

Books

• D. Lloyd-George. Speeches delivered during the war. Through horror to victory! , David Lloyd George. Life edition. Petrograd, 1916. Former book publishing house M. V. Popova. Typographic cover. The safety is good. David Lloyd George (1863-1945) - one of the biggest leaders…