The evolution of British diplomatic strategy for the Locarno Pact, 1924–1925

Abstract

Introduction The Locarno Pact of 1925 was the result of the convergence of several factors occurring simultaneously between November 1924 and March 1925, events which made Britain the diplomatic pivot of Europe. This period coincided with the beginning of Austen Chamberlain's tenure as foreign secretary, as well as the last months of Sir Eyre Crowe's career as permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office. These events acted as the catalyst for a resurgence in Foreign Office influence, after more than a decade in the doldrums. First was a renewed German attempt at international rehabilitation through an offer, initially to Britain, of a reguarantee of the western European territorial status quo; second was the desire of France to reinsure its security vis-a-vis Germany through a security pact with Britain; and third was the decision of the new Conservative government in Britain to refuse to ratify the Geneva Protocol. The result would be the Locarno Pact, but underlying that achievement can be discerned fundamental shifts in the location of foreign policy formulation, and in Britain's assessment of its international role. For Britain 1919 had marked the apogee of empire, the end of the age of expansion and the beginning of a period of consolidation. A debate ensued as to what Britain should do in response to the international problems which abounded in the post Great War era. The years 1919–25 saw a slow drift in the maintenance of a coherent diplomatic strategy. Britain's international, and European, role was in need of clearer definition. By 1925, with the advent of Stanley Baldwin's second government, Britain was in urgent need of considering its relationship to Europe, the Empire, and the United States.