Prime Minister of England Lloyd George. Biography

LLOYD GEORGE DAVID (eng. David Lloyd George), 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwy-for-sky (Dui-vor-sky), Vis-count Gwynette Dwy-for-sky - British state and political activist

According to the national-tsio-nal-no-sti val-li-ets. From the family, teach a school. After the death of his father (1864), he and his seven moved to the village of Lla-ni-stim-dui (North Wales), where Ma-te-ri’s brother lived , who in subsequent years took an active part in the education of Lloyd George. At the end of the parish school there was nothing left to do.

In 1879, he began working as a clerk in a law firm in the city of Port Madoc. After the surrender of ek-za-menov in 1884, he received the right-to-be-in-hell-in-kat-skoy practice, in the same year os- but established a legal office in the city of Crick-ki-et (Wales), in 1897 - in London. In 1888, he was elected ol-der-men (sta-rey-shi-noy) mu-ni-tsi-pal-no-go so-ve-ta count-st-va Kar-nar-von-shir in Wales. In 1890-1945, he was a member of the Parliament of Communities of the British Parliament from the Liberal Party. He showed himself to be a brilliant orator and skillful mediator in the ur-gu-li-ro-va-niy of social con- flick-com. During the Boer War of 1899-1902, there was a sharp rise in the Brian government in the south of Africa -ri-ki.

In 1905-1908, the Minister of Trade in the Liberal Ka-bi-ne-te G. Campbell-Banner-ma-na, in 1908-1915, the Minister of Finance owls in the government of G.G. As-k-vi-ta. Initiation-ro-val pri-nya-tie for-new about pensions for old age (1908), about insurance of workers in case bo-lez-ni and te-ri work (1911), developed the so-called people's budget (1909), in collaboration with someone Crimea would be introduced on the lands of the land lords, on high incomes and increased the tax on the next-st. -in. Active-but co-de-st-vo-val pri-nya-tiya for-ko-na, og-ra-ni-chiv-she-pol-but-power Pa-la-you lor- Dov (1911).

After the First World War, the country's financial system was established in March those of 1915 concluded an agreement with the trade unions about their refusal for the bass and “trade-union rules” ", for the difficult uninterrupted production of military products.

In June 1915 - July 1916, Minister of Armament, in July-December 1916, Minister of War in the Coalition Government G.G. As-k-vi-ta. Together with the entry-div-shi-mi into the composition of the ka-bi-not-ta before-sta-vi-te-la-mi of the Kon-serv-va-tiv-noy party, you-stood for a more decisive conduct of the war. In early December 1916, with the support of the con-server, G.G. replaced him. As-k-vi-ta on the post of prime minister, that you caused a split in the Liberal party.

He headed the government, re-built the management system, expanded the full power of the government -st-va in the field of eco-no-mi-ki, has achieved the creation of an ob-e-di-nyon-no-go ko-man-do-va-niya armed forces -la-mi so-yuz-ni-kov (April 1918) and the introduction of a system of con-war-ro-va-niya of trade courts, do-tav-lyav- shih pro-vol-st-vie and other goods to the British Isles; in order to prevent the increase in food production, he introduced into the country a number of food products. In February 1918, the co-operation of the par-la-ment reform, as a result of which significant tel-but the number of bi-ra-te-leys has increased.

At the end of the war, one of the main organ- izations of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919-1920, took active participation in the development of the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919. Led by Lloyd George, the government started the war in Ireland in 1919 (see Irish nationality -but-os-in-bo-di-tel-naya re-vo-lu-tion and civil war-on 1919-1923), participation-st-in-va-lo in the or- ga-ni-za-tion of foreign military intervention in Soviet Russia and the economic blockade of the Soviet state (after the failure of these n Lloyd George recalled British troops to the homeland and in 1921 concluded a Soviet-British trade agreement).

The failure of the British policy in the Middle East in connection with the defeat of Greece in the Greek-Turkish war 1919-1922 led to the resignation of Lloyd George in October 1922. Subsequently, he no longer occupied the government posts.

In the role of the Liberal Party (1926-1931), Lloyd George achieved its unification (1928), one could not prevent the pro-is-ho-div-she-go from the beginning of the 1920s of the rapid . In the conditions of the world's economic crisis of 1929-1933, plans were developed to combat unemployment -ti-tsey. After the next race of the Liberal Party in 1931, he led a small group of his side. cov. In August of the same year, he did not support the idea of ​​creating a so-called national government headed by J.R. Mc-do-nal-dom.

After his meeting with A. Git-le-rom in 1936, Lloyd George was for some time actively but supported in his mind -ro-tvo-re-niya" of Germany and Italy, pro-div-shu-xia ka-bi-not-ta-mi S. Bol-dui-na, and then N .Chem-ber-le-na. One day, at the end of the 1930s, you advocated rapprochement between Great Britain and France and the USSR for the purpose of pro-ti -action-st-via ag-res-siv-nym plans for Git-le-rov-skaya Germany. In 1940, U.L.S. entered the coalition government. Cher-chil-la.

In 1945, zha-lo-van noble-ski-mi ti-tu-la-mi.

Essays:

The people's budget. L., 1909;

The peo-ple's insurance. L., 1911;

Through terror to tri-umph: speeches and pronouncements. L., 1915;

British war aims. , 1918;

We can conquer unemployment. , 1929;

How to tackle un-employment: the liberal plans as laid before the government and the nation. L., 1930;

Military memoirs. M., 1934-1937. T. 1-6;

The truth about peaceful lands. M., 1957. T. 1-2;

Lloyd George family letters. 1885-1936. Cardiff, 1973.

LLOYD GEORGE, DAVID(Lloyd George, David) (1863–1945), British statesman and prime minister. Born in Manchester on January 17, 1863, his father, a headmaster in Wales, died when David was 3 years old, and the family (mother and two sons) was helped by his mother's brother, the Baptist minister Richard Lloyd from North Wales. David, who aspired to a legal career, interned in an office in Portmadoc. Taking an active part in local political life, in 1890 he was elected as a Liberal MP in the House of Commons for the county of Caernarvon in north-west Wales. Lloyd George soon became known for his vigorous attacks on the Conservatives and his defense of Welsh nonconformists and nationalists. During the Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1902 he sharply opposed the policies of Great Britain, as a result of which some attributed to him a pro-Boer position, while others called him a supporter of “Little England”. In the eyes of public opinion, he seemed committed to decisive action and a person capable of taking decisions upon himself. In 1905–1908, Lloyd George was Minister of Trade in the cabinet of G. Campbell-Bannerman, and in 1908 he took the post of Minister of Finance in the government of G. Asquith. In 1909 he presented his famous “people's” budget, which established increased taxes on luxury goods, income and empty lands of landlords. Lloyd George gave a brilliant speech in defense of the budget, which was sharply criticized by the Conservatives, and in a speech at Limehouse in London's docks he attacked the Conservatives and the wealthy classes of society. The budget adopted by the House of Commons was defeated by the Conservative majority in the House of Lords. When the Liberal government gained electoral support in 1910, the budget was eventually passed. The Budget was followed by the Social Services Reform Act, the Home Rule Bill for Ireland; the veto power that the House of Lords had was significantly limited (1911). In 1911, Lloyd George introduced the National Insurance Act, which gave the right to benefits for sickness and disability, as well as the Unemployment Insurance Act. Both were sharply criticized, but greatly helped England in the difficult post-war years.

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

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

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

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

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

Coming from a Welsh family (the only British prime minister of Welsh descent), he studied law and worked as a lawyer in London. He joined the Liberal Party and was elected to Parliament in 1890.

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 introduced his famous<народный>a budget that imposed increased taxes on luxury goods, income and empty 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 at Limehouse in London's docks he attacked the Conservatives and the wealthy classes of society. The budget adopted by the House of Commons was defeated by the Conservative majority in the House of Lords. When the Liberal government gained electoral support in 1910, the budget was eventually passed. The Budget was followed by the Social Services Reform Act, the Home Rule Bill for Ireland; the veto power that the House of Lords had was significantly limited (1911). In 1911, Lloyd George introduced the National Insurance Act, which gave the right to benefits for sickness and disability, as well as the Unemployment Insurance Act. Both were sharply criticized, but greatly helped England in the difficult post-war years. When the First World War broke out, Lloyd George remained Chancellor of the Exchequer for another year, but when the army's supply of weapons became insufficient, and in May 1915 the cabinet was reorganized into the first coalition government, he became head of the newly created Ministry of Munitions.

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

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

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

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 calm and spoke about the need for “sacrifice” on the part of everyone. Chamberlain “calls for sacrifice,” Lloyd George exclaimed then, let him “set an example” and resign - “nothing will contribute to victory.”

Until 1944, Lloyd George lived almost continuously in Cherta. After the German attack on the USSR, he immediately spoke out for the unity of action between England and the Soviet Union.

70 years ago, the famous British politician and diplomat David Lloyd George passed away. He was a member for more than half a century and served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. The story of his life is quite instructive for those who are sure that the lack of money and connections is an insurmountable obstacle to success in any field.

Biography of Lloyd George: childhood and youth

The future famous politician was born on January 17, 1863 in Manchester in the family of a teacher from Pembrokeshire. At the age of one, the boy lost his father, and his mother and three children (David’s sisters were 2 and 3 years old) moved to the village of Llanistamdwy, where her brother, a shoemaker, lived. Uncle played a huge role in the lives of the orphans. Therefore, upon becoming an adult, David George added his last name to his - Lloyd.

After graduating from the parish school in Llanistamdwy, the young man passed 3 exams and received the right to hold the position of solicitor. He had an active character and soon founded a law office in Krichit.

At the age of 25, David married the daughter of a wealthy farmer, Maggie Owen, despite the fact that her father did not consider the aspiring lawyer a suitable match for his daughter. However, the marriage added respectability to the young lawyer, and a few months after the marriage he was elected alderman of Caernarvon County. Moreover, after another 2 years, the young man was already a member of the Chamber of Deputies from the Liberal Party.

Work in the Cabinet of Ministers

In 1890, David Lloyd George moved with his family to London. The daring, caustic and witty young man was able to prove himself an excellent speaker and soon became the leader of the Welsh deputies from the Liberal Party.

In 1905, this particular party came to power in Great Britain. Lloyd George was invited to join the government, but he stipulated his participation on two conditions: expansion of self-government for his native Wales and changes to the current education law. His terms were accepted, and at the age of 32, David became British Trade Secretary for the first time.

He was actively interested in issues of rational exploitation of the colonies and was a supporter of the expansion of the empire. In 1908, D. Lloyd George took the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer, which was considered the second most important in the British cabinet.

World War I

Even during the years of the Anglo-Boer armed confrontation in Great Britain and abroad, Lloyd George created a reputation for himself as a peacemaker. However, when at the beginning of the First World War, German leaders promised a quick victory, he, speaking at a rally, called on the British to defend the independence of Belgium.

At the end of 1916, D. Lloyd George took over as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and led the coalition government for almost 6 years. The beginning of his reign was simply triumphant, and in those years the politician enjoyed enormous popularity in his country and in many European countries.

End of the war

In the last days before the signing of the armistice, Lloyd George, in his speeches in parliament, did everything to give the British the impression that they were the victors. It is known that the politician even tried to delay the dissemination of information about the cessation of hostilities until his appearance before the deputies.

His tricks were successful, and the press even began to call the prime minister “the organizer of victory.” Moreover, Lloyd George organized a review of troops in London, which his comrades hastened to call a “victory parade,” and invited Clemenceau, Foch and the Italian Prime Minister V. Orlando to this occasion. All this allowed him to stay in his post, and in 1918 he formed a government for the second time.

Policy towards the USSR

In 1918, as prime minister, Lloyd George declared a crusade against the young Soviet state. His goal was to create a “zone of influence” that included the Baltic states and the oil-rich Caucasus. It was under him that the British interventionists landed in Arkhangelsk and Baku. In addition, Lloyd George repeatedly made calls for support. However, by 1920, he took an active part in the preparation and signing of a trade agreement with the USSR, thereby recognizing Soviet power as the de facto government of Russia.

Treaty of Versailles

Many historians consider David Lloyd George to be one of the initiators of the signing by which England received the German colonies and Mesopotamia. As a result, almost 75% of the world's oil resources explored by the year 20 came under the control of this country.

Under Lloyd George, England also consolidated its dominance in Persia, Arabia and Egypt, and also gained Palestine and Iraq.

Retirement and subsequent years

In 1922, Lloyd George's failed. There were several reasons:

• the prime minister was unable to obtain concessions from the USSR;
• no opportunities were created to organize the export of coal to Northern Europe;
• Lloyd George's policy did not lead to the signing of an agreement on preferences for British goods when imported into Central European countries.

After his resignation, Lloyd George continued to be active politically and until the early 30s remained the most respected political figure in the West. At the same time, he hoped to return to the government. However, when forming a new cabinet in 1931, he was not invited, which was partly due to his serious illness. Moreover, a few months later the Liberal Party split, and Lloyd George refused to lead it.

After a full recovery, the politician began to write “War Memoirs,” which brought him success with readers and huge fees.

The Second World War

During a visit to Germany in 1936, Lloyd George lavished praise on Hitler. However, after the events in Spain, he spoke out in favor of a rapprochement between Great Britain and France and the USSR. When W. Churchill became Prime Minister, he invited the politician to become a member of his government, but Lloyd George rejected both this and the offer to take the post of Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the United States.

At the height of the war, the politician’s wife, with whom he had not lived for a long time, died. He married his longtime mistress Frances Stevenson. Shortly after the wedding, Lloyd George was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor that was rapidly developing.

At the end of his life, the British monarchy highly appreciated his services, awarding him the title of Earl, and on March 26, 1945, David Lloyd George passed away. According to his will, he was buried in the village where he spent his childhood.

Now you know who David Lloyd George was. The biography of this famous statesman still inspires many young people today who strive to reach the heights of their political careers.

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 account of his rise and fall, without going into detail about the causes and activities of Lloyd George, both positive and negative. . But there were works that did not justifiably expose David, so in the work of Charles Mallet “Mr. Lloyd George”, having grouped quite extensive “accusatory” material, he created a polemically sharpened political portrait of Lloyd George. During this period of time, you can pay attention to another interesting work that described the activities of Lloyd George as Prime Minister, so we find a vivid description of Prime Minister Andy Clees (Lloyd George) and members of his military cabinet in the novel by the famous writer A. Bennett “Lord Raingo”, published in 1926. “Endo was a real fighter with whom no one could compare,” writes Kenneth. “He was devoid of a sense of justice, dignity, loyalty; his cynicism reached the point of dizzying audacity. He was able to attend the funeral of a man whom he himself secretly killed. But he knew how to fight, his energy and resourcefulness knew no bounds.”

In 1948, the so-called “official” biography of Lloyd George was published, written by the English historian M. Thomson, 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 “The Decline and Fall of Lloyd George”; they are filled with a large amount of reliable information and documents. Brother William, like no one else, reflects and attaches great importance to David’s personal qualities, his desire for leadership, desire to achieve his goal and, to some extent, stubbornness. From early childhood, David showed himself to be 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, and 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 the labor movement, the imposition of unaffordable taxes on farmers, bribery and bureaucratic red tape, and so on in the same spirit. But individual works by unqualified historians are just a drop in the ocean and cannot spoil the overall impression. And yet, the constructive and professional characteristics of Lloyd George’s activities prevail, so G. Nicholson sees the achievements of this politician in the following: 1) the 1909 budget and the limitation of the rights of the House of Lords; 2) insurance laws, “laid the foundations of the “welfare state””, many politicians and lawyers mean by the “welfare state” that has existed since the 40s. 20th century the social insurance and health care system, which remains the most successful in the world to this day; 3) courage and energy shown in 1916-1918; 4) diplomatic ingenuity at the Paris Peace Conference; 5) treaty with Ireland in 1921. A. Taylor believes that Lloyd George achieved the greatest successes after the First World War, the author put forward this point of view in his fundamental work “Lloyd George: The Rise and Fall of the Politics Cycle in Wartime”, the same Taylor in his works he devotes great attention to his private life, as well as his inner qualities. Foreign historiography certainly shows the unique merits of D. Lloyd George as Prime Minister of Great Britain.

In Russia, the tactics chosen by the English liberal leaders aroused the delight 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 continued successfully until the 60s of the 20th 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,” who 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 young Lloyd George as an individual personality; study David's activities in Parliament and find out the prospects for the possibility of appointing Lloyd George to the Liberal Cabinet; consider the main activities of Lloyd George and his cabinet.

In his work, based on the memoirs of D. Lloyd George “War Memoirs”, “The Truth About Peace Treaties”, where David assesses his activities and the activities of his supporters, in the third volume of “War Memoirs” Lloyd George interprets in a very interesting and consistent manner the formation of a coalition Cabinet of Ministers characterizes the qualities of candidates for ministerial posts, and subsequently the activities of ministers. In the first volume of his memoirs, The Truth About Peace Treaties, Lloyd George characterizes Britain's domestic policy as consistent and compromise between different political parties and groups, mentions and insists on his positions during the Anglo-Burg War at the turn of the century.

The main laws passed by Lloyd George through parliament are reflected in the second part of the Reader on New History, 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,” which reflects all aspects of diplomatic relations with most countries of the world.

The chronological framework of the work covers the period from the upbringing 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 beginning of a political career.

1.1 Lloyd George's early life 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 just 1 year old. From that time on, David’s fate for several decades was closely intertwined with the fate of his uncle Richard Lloyd, and in honor of this man, David adopted the double surname Lloyd George. Richard was a secular preacher of the Baptist community, and David himself, as a teenager, paid great attention to the religious side of life; he even entertained the idea of ​​becoming a preacher.

The town of Llanistamdwy in Wales, where David spent his childhood, was very beautiful and rich in historical events, under the impression of all this, the views of young Lloyd George were formed. He did not like the school where David studied, because English priests taught there and they forbade speaking their 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 my studies and the choice fell on jurisprudence. For a long time and persistently, 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 passed this exam, after which he entered 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 passed this exam. He does not give up hope of becoming a professional lawyer and, having successfully passed the last exam in July 1884, he was solemnly initiated into the “Law Society” and officially entered into the “list of attorneys.” Animated and proud, David returns to his native Crichit, where he establishes his own law office. Lloyd George's initial service did not begin very successfully; on the evening of January 24, 1885, David, having sat hopelessly in his office all day, wrote in his diary: “Not a single soul inquired whether I was alive or dead.” But a week later he fought his first case and lost it. David solved problems for fishermen, farmers, artisans, and took on a variety of cases. He prepared meticulously for his performances and never faltered under pressure from the judges, skillfully using the smallest details to prove his point.

“Justices of the peace” in England are irremovable. In those years, in the provinces they were usually landowners. Lloyd George was often insolent to the “ministers of the Femi-

dy", believing that his popularity would increase if he showed independence

relative to local values.

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

Finally, the process was completed that made the name of Lloyd George famous in London. Being a supporter of the Baptists, he opposed the Anglican pastor, who opposed the burial of the Baptist in the Anglican cemetery, clearly arguing the position 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 occurred in David's personal life. He married Maggie Owen, for which he undertook, as in politics, a variety of tactics to persuade her to consent to the wedding.

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

1.2 Formation of political views of D. Lloyd George.

North Wales, where Lloyd George spent his childhood and youth, was marked by social contrasts. Almost all the lands belonged to English landowners. Some of the land was leased, some was empty. At the same time, there was a land famine in Wales, and many Welsh people, deprived of their means of livelihood, left their homes in search of a better life. The misfortunes were aggravated by extortions from the clergy. The ancient tax, the church tithe, which had long since been abolished in England, was still levied.

Religious contradictions were also very acute: the popularity of nonconformism in Wales was largely due to the fact that bishops and pastors were just as oppressive here as landlords. And since the bishop, the squire and the innkeeper 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 range of voters, the Liberals won a number of constituencies in Wales.

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

Every evening young David ran to get the newspaper from Crichit, and sometimes from Portmatock. He read it to illiterate villagers, and soon began to participate in the “debates” of local politicians. Lloyd George later recalled: “My first parliament was a forge, where we debated 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 became acquainted with the works of Whig historians Gallam and Macaulay, and also became acquainted with Henry George's acclaimed 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 Conservatives' policies in Afghanistan.

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

At the end of the 80s, the situation in Wales worsened sharply, Lloyd George found himself in the thick of things. More than once did David have the thought that if they won Home Rule for themselves, all the troubles for the Welsh would end. In Crichita, where Lloyd George lived, it was thanks to his tact that the opposition forces refrained from clashes.

1.3 Lloyd George - 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 seek popular demands in Wales: depriving the Church of England of privileges, reducing redemption payments for land, 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, giving fiery speeches. Many of his associates and opponents recognized that a man who appeals to feelings is absolutely invincible in Wales. But the first elections were difficult for David; when the votes began to be counted, the Conservative (Nannie) and the Liberal (Lloyd George) were level, but David literally beat his opponent by less than 20 votes at the last turn.

A few days later Lloyd George left for London. This ended the first period of his life. A simple village guy achieved considerable success: he became a solicitor and was elected as 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 was sitting where, what parties were occupying seats in the meeting room. The procedure for introducing Lloyd George went virtually unnoticed. Lloyd George shook hands with the Speaker and took a seat on one of the back benches. Here he was to remain for over ten years.

At first, David still didn’t quite understand what needed to be done and what not; he wrote to his uncle: “I voted against bimetallism, but I don’t know why.” 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. In Parliament, the issue of providing subsidies to innkeepers and taverns in connection with the restriction of the sale of alcoholic beverages was discussed, David knew very well how dishonestly taverns profited in his native metas, and gave vivid examples to confirm his point of view, and then ridiculed the government majority leaders who defended the bill . The always imperturbable Chamberlain even jumped on the spot when the newcomer dared to touch him. David's stunning speech received support not only from liberals, but even from conservatives. The next morning, all the London newspapers were full of articles of praise about the speech of the young, little-known Welsh deputy, and one of the newspapers wrote that the young parliamentarian's speech foreshadowed a brilliant career for him. After this speech, it will not be long before David gets the opportunity to speak in the conference room, but as soon as he succeeds, he always provides vivid, 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 by doing so he could create a reputation for himself as a defender of the common people. During this first period of his political activity, the Welsh MP took a place on the left flank of the Liberal Party.

During this period, the Liberal Party was experiencing a crisis and to overcome the crisis, in October 1891, at the conference of the National Liberal Federation in Newcastle, a democratic program was developed, which was 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 carrying out 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, separation of church and 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 they had great success, where Lloyd George won again.

Lloyd George begins to enter the larger political arena; he openly comes into conflict with the political elder Gladstone. Lloyd George even resorts to parliamentary tricks that an experienced politician might resort to. David and his friends among the Welsh MPs used obstruction tactics, introducing more than a hundred amendments to the draft Church of England 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 became prime minister and formed a cabinet of liberals, Lloyd George secretly joined the 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 agricultural policy. He comes to the conclusion that while the “Whigs” grouped around Gladstone are running the affairs of the party, he should strengthen his position in Wales. Speaking at many conferences, David is not afraid to put forward slogans of autonomy for Wales, the provision of a 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 would push them away from the leadership of the movement.

At this time, Lloyd George's relations with the London liberal leaders continued to deteriorate, and it even got to the point that David and his three like-minded people announced they were leaving the liberal faction and declaring themselves independent deputies. But they took their words back when Gladstone's Government resigned and the Government was formed by Rosebery, which introduced a bill directed against the dominance of the Episcopal Church in Wales. In 1895, during a parliamentary debate, Lloyd George's first clash with Asquith, the Home Secretary, took place. Asquith sharply rejected the amendment proposed by David. In response, David and his Welsh political friends took a harsh stance against the Government, which played a major role in the fall of the Liberal cabinet in 1895.

In Wales, Lloyd George gave one fiery speech behind the arc, the organization "Young Wales" was formed. Its goal was autonomy for Wales. Lloyd George was the author of the text of the battle anthem “Sons of the Mountains. Song of a united Wales. This hymn was sung at many gatherings. But soon there was disappointment, David failed to create a party, many liberal representatives did not support David’s slogans and he went to the north of Wales, where, in the end, he managed to break the resistance of his rivals from the liberal federation. In the south he failed. And Lloyd George becomes disillusioned with ungrateful Wales and decides to leave it, especially since horizons opened up before him in England.

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

Still sitting on the back bench, Lloyd George carefully studies parliamentary procedure and tradition, takes an eye on outstanding parliamentarians, and improves his oratory skills. But Lloyd George understood that party leaders make all the difference in the political arena; after Gladstone, the Liberals were led by Lord Rosebery, who made a career in office, 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 careers of each of them, drawing some positive traits from each. Insolence, causticity, the ability to detect weak points in an opponent's motivation, wit - all this brought Lloyd George the reputation of one of the most interesting parliamentarians. Many Liberal leaders still treated the Welsh MP with some disdain, calling him a frantier. In turn, Lloyd George made many caustic remarks about them. David, not without reason, noted that they could not in any way stabilize the situation in the Liberal Party, which continued to slide downward after the terrible failure in the 1895 elections. In one of his articles in 1897, Lloyd George revealed the fundamental problem of liberals: by focusing on criticizing conservatives, they cannot offer anything positive to the country. You can’t win elections with a negative program, “this is short-sighted politics.” At the end of the century, David sharply criticized the conduct of the Anglo-Boer War and called for an end to the war using “barbaric methods.” From early 1901 Lloyd George became energetically involved in a campaign to expose these methods. On February 18, speaking in parliament, he condemned the destruction of Boer villages and repressions against women and children. In June he again denounced the concentration camp system. David called for ending the war as quickly as possible through negotiations and concessions. He buys the Daily News, turning it into a liberal mouthpiece. When Lloyd George's Liberal resolution was voted on on June 17, 1901, 70 Liberals supported it and 50 abstained. Thus, the MP for Caernarvon emerged as one of the leading figures in the party. In July 1901, the influential Sheffield Independent newspaper stated: Lloyd George is the “driving force of the party.” But at a chauvinist meeting in Birmingham, David could not bring himself to listen, and he heads to Bristol, where he gives his fiery speech after which Lloyd George turned into a “national figure.” He gained a reputation as a man whose love of truth bordered on dizzying audacity.

At the turn of the century, a sharp situation arose in the working circles of Great Britain, although in the first stages of the clash between the workers and the Government there was still no concern and Lloyd George himself did not consider the workers a serious political force at the beginning, but later he changed his position towards the labor movement, especially after the emergence of proletarian party. During this period, David resorted to an attempt to update the Liberal Party by introducing clauses to support workers into the program. During this period of time there are other issues that fall within the scope of Lloyd George's activities. Lloyd George supports the free trade 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." Lloyd George's main field of activity at this time was the fight against the Tory education bill. The stumbling block of the “education reform” of the Conservatives was the implementation, under the pretext of introducing universal primary and secondary education, the Tories tried to strengthen parish schools, which were supposed to become the basis in the education system and from now on taxpayers had to support even parochial schools. Lloyd George entered into controversy against this reform. And yet, at the end of 1902, the government pushed this bill through parliament, despite David's ardent opposition. But Lloyd George did not resign himself - he became one of the inspirers of resistance to the implementation of the law in Wales and England, expressed mainly in mass refusals to pay tax for 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 Education Bill, as this could damage the party in the elections - if any party ceased to obey the Acts of Parliament, it would turn into a “series of revolutions”.

The fight over the education bill dragged on for a long time. The Welsh MP's calculations were justified. He managed to strengthen his popularity in Wales and win new followers in England and Scotland. Lloyd George, according to prominent official R. Morant, was heading towards a “great political victory.” By 1905 it became clear that Lloyd George was emerging as the leader of his party. Winston Churchill rightfully called him “the best fighting general of the liberal army.”

Activities of the liberal cabinet.

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discredited and accepted his attacks on Chamberlain, but lost his calm from criticism of himself. Commentators at influential newspapers then increasingly wrote about the likely political rise of Lloyd George. But the Times advised him to abandon his former “guerrilla” tactics, “he has become a serious politician and a contender for high office.” Lloyd George is also becoming an object of interest for the Conservatives, even Balfour himself remarked when David finally moved to the Opposition front bench in 1904: “It is high time Lloyd George is the best fighting asset the Radicals have.” But there was one “but”: at that time, Lloyd George’s “low” origin, vulgar manners and “revolutionary” phrases - all this irritated the king. But the British monarch had an unerring sense of people who were destined for great political careers. David began to be invited to Buckingham Palace and other ceremonial receptions. And finally, the “unemployment law” of 1905 overthrew the Conservative cabinet, and the government was formed by the Liberals. The new government was compared to the "cabinet of all talents" that existed a century earlier. In fact, it included three future prime ministers - Asquith, Lloyd George and Churchill.

On the eve of the formation of the new cabinet, there were many guesses about what post Lloyd George would occupy; he was promised any of the posts; he himself most of all wanted to take the post of 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 also 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 routine reigned in the Ministry of Commerce for many decades; no bills were developed that would reflect the serious changes taking place in the economy, transport, communications, etc. As always, David took on the job with his characteristic enthusiasm and determination. It was in his role as Secretary of Trade that Lloyd George first showed himself to be an excellent organizer. He introduced novelty after novelty into 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 chamber, directors of the docks and officials - they all come in one by one for one thing or another.” All Lloyd George's bills passed very quickly without any resistance from the opposition. The main reason for David's parliamentary successes was that the measures he recommended were regarded by the bourgeoisie as emergency “patriotic” steps taken to improve the efficiency of a number of important parts of the British economy. Many shipowners and other businessmen initially treated the radical minister with distrust, but conversations in a friendly atmosphere and the ability to constructively explain everything replaced anger with mercy.

David begins to deal with other issues, he advocates for the restoration of the rights of trade unions and achieves this. Lloyd George speaks out for an active policy in carrying out social reforms on a UK-wide scale. David becomes especially popular when he resolves a critical situation with the discontent of railway workers. After this, the name Lloyd George becomes known throughout the world. The king and queen admire him, 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 country again needed Lloyd George's mediation services. The Trade Secretary resolves a dispute in the Manchester cotton industry. A few months later, he prevents a strike among 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 schools bill and speaks on issues not within the competence of the Minister of Commerce. “The Prime Minister entrusted this to me, and not to Asquith,” Lloyd George boasts in a letter to his family, because at that time it was Asquith who was destined 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 initiated the first battle with the House of Lords. On December 1, 1906, the Minister of Commerce spoke in Oxford and, breaking unwritten traditions, several times mentioned the role of the monarch in the political life of the country: it is necessary to “clear the path from the people to the throne,” we cannot tolerate the fact that every demand emanating from the people - and Lloyd George always argued that the House of Commons represented the interests of the people - met with obstacles in the upper house. “If the House of Lords persists,” a serious problem will arise - “whether the country will be governed by the king and peers or by the 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 position.

In 1906-1907, he took part in the development of social reforms, but this 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 adopted restricting the work of children and adolescents.

In April 1908, Campbell-Bannerman retired. Asquith formed the new government. Along with Asquith, the largest political figure in the reorganized cabinet was undoubtedly Lloyd George. Asquith did not like Lloyd George and did not sympathize with many of his plans. However, he paid tribute to the Welshman's exceptional political intuition and often followed his advice. “Lloyd George has no principles,” the Prime Minister told Lord Crewe. In Asquith's government, Lloyd George became Chancellor of the Exchequer and was in fact considered the second most important post in the British cabinet. Most newspapers welcomed Lloyd George's new appointment. The Times proclaimed: “No better candidate for the post could be found.” Even the Tory Daily Mail, which had once reviled him, now wrote that his “career is the best and most comprehensive justification for this choice”; he has excellent knowledge of the practical side of business life, has initiative and a “talent for conciliation.”

Lloyd George immediately began new business, he began to lead the discussion of the 1909 budget. It contained noteworthy articles related to the Old Age Pensions Bill. The “father” of the pension project was Lloyd George. At that time, old age pensions were already provided in New Zealand and two provinces of the Commonwealth of Australia. Persons who have reached the age of 70 can apply for a pension in England. 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 Minister of Finance in Swansea on October 1, 1908. The liberals, he said, had done everything in their power for three years to “cure the 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 no need to be afraid of social reforms.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faced difficult tasks - balancing the budget deficit and finding new sources of revenue for the state treasury. The significant increase in government spending at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries was explained by expenditures on armaments and the fight against imperialist rivals. Appropriations for the navy grew especially rapidly. In 1908, the government increased allocations for the navy by 2 million pounds sterling, an increase in allocations was also supported by Lloyd George, but he stated that allocations 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; maintaining a duke costs twice as much as fully equipping a battleship,” 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 would feel the cost of weapons did the Welsh politician generally agree to speed up naval construction.

In the first 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 a land tax, which had not existed before 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 upcoming budget submission. Lloyd George was full of fighting spirit.

Never before has the Chancellor of the Exchequer's budget speech been so eagerly awaited 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 his budget speech, Lloyd George said: “This is a war 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 blissful age when poverty and misfortune will disappear, just as the wolves that once swarmed our forests have disappeared.” It was announced that landlords would be subject to taxes on land, as well as the introduction of a tax on owners who had become incredibly rich through the sale of land.

The adoption of the budget was so delayed 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 The 1909 budget was supported by the majority of the lower parliament, but there was still resistance from the House of Lords. Lloyd George traveled around the country telling ordinary people about the positive aspects of the budget for the working population and received unprecedented support. Once again, the radical position towards the landlords causes a surge of anger among the royals and the king himself. At a private meeting between Edward VII and Lloyd George, the king complained: “My friends are put at risk by this land tax; could not a duty be imposed on sugar or tea instead?” . Lloyd George popularly explained to the monarch what reasons prevented him from taking such measures. The king agreed with Lloyd George's arguments, and the minister promised to exercise great restraint.

In the autumn of 1909, on the eve of the budget debate among the peers, a rumor spread that the cabinet was planning to dissolve the House of Lords. But neither Asquith nor Lloyd George wanted to resort to such unpopular policy measures. But still, the Chancellor of the Exchequer wanted to provoke the Lords to reject the budget. He told his assistant: “let the lords reject the budget, this will give us a chance that we will never have.” Indeed, many Lords called for the budget not to be adopted. The House of Lords debated on the budget for six days. On voting day, November 30, the most frail elders arrived in the meeting room and the budget was rejected by a majority of 350 votes to 75. The reasoning was that 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: “They are now in my hands. Their greed triumphed over their cunning." The Liberals launched an election campaign, striking blow after blow at 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 said that such a crisis had not happened in England for more than two centuries... “the upper house tore up the constitution and 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 acquired ancestors with such difficulty..."

David, speaking at rallies against the lords, referred to his businessman friends who paid taxes and did not see anything special about it, unlike the lords. But these slogans did not help the liberals much; in the new parliament they gained 275 parliamentarians against 273 from the conservatives, and now the main role was played by the Irish with 82 deputies and the Laborites, who had 40 deputies, they could tilt the political pendulum in one direction or another.

On 28 April 1910 the budget was passed by the House of Lords. Having won a political victory over the lords, David's next step was to defeat Asquith, perhaps even with the help of the Conservatives. During these years, more and more businessmen supporting different parties appeared among Lloyd George's acquaintances and friends. Here are financier Isaacs, newspaper magnate Riddell, and businessman and millionaire Aitken, who moved from Canada. In the Conservative Party, businessmen seize leadership positions; This appealed to Lloyd George, who still did not like 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 a block with Lloyd George. In 1910, there were again contradictions between the lower and upper houses of parliament, which the government took advantage of 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 in another compromise. The new law limited the veto power of the House of Lords, but retained its serious ability to hinder any progressive measures.

In 1910-1911 there were again workers' protests for greater rights; many of the proletarians spoke out for an open struggle against entrepreneurs and advocated strikes. Entrepreneurs, in turn, are putting increasing pressure on the government, encouraging it to show greater “decisiveness.” At their request, the authorities flooded many industrial zones with troops. The Minister of Finance remained one of the few influential politicians who continued to consider compromises and small concessions as a necessary and hardly replaceable means. In 1911, Lloyd George focused his efforts on passing the Social Security Bill. The insurance bill was criticized by some industrialists in far-right newspapers. The National Protest Committee, which had arisen in London, staged a large meeting at the Albert Hall. The “strike force” here were high-ranking British ladies, concerned about rumors that the state was going to take domestic servants under protection. Doctors also protested, fearing for their earnings. The government was forced to make concessions and make changes to the draft insurance law. In 1911, the Chancellor of the Exchequer initiated another financial and political measure - the establishment of payment for deputies of the lower house. The budget for the 1911-1912 financial year allocated 250 thousand pounds sterling for the salaries of parliamentarians.

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

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

The prime minister and other cabinet members 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 capital magnates. While leading the transition of the economy to a war footing, David simultaneously contributed to the strengthening of state-monopoly tendencies and the improvement of a system of regulation and control beneficial to big business; at the same time, Lloyd George made some concessions to the workers, which raised the authority of the Minister of Finance, both in the eyes of capitalists and workers.

Lloyd George and other politicians talked a lot about limiting the profits of capitalists; in 1916, a new law was passed on progressive taxation of “excess profits”. Asquith's government increasingly resorted to intervention and government 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 current problems. At this time, distrust of Asquith, Lloyd George seeks to go beyond his role and strengthen his position in the cabinet, Lloyd George took up problems of grand strategy and relations between the allies. He constantly criticized Prime Minister Asquith, thereby trying to undermine the prime minister's influence. David also speaks out against the Minister of War Kitchener, accusing him of the fact that the three million army of England does not have clear plans. Lloyd George is conducting active negotiations with the opposition, strengthening contacts with Bonar Law and Balfour, which also served to increase tension in the British Cabinet. Lloyd George's constant appearances in the press brought the ministers' behind-the-scenes contradictions to the public, which further undermined Asquith's cabinet. David made a statement regarding the Minister of War: “let him go as commander-in-chief to France.” At the same time, Lloyd George was supposed to be appointed as a parallel Minister of War, after which Kitchener was bombarded with dissatisfied statements from conservatives and publications from influential London newspapers. This forced the Minister of War to admit that the Entente was suffering setbacks on all fronts. Lloyd George and Bonar Law decided to act together, seeking to replace the Liberal cabinet with a coalition one. David at this time no longer needed parliamentary support; he could do it on his own. Bonar-Law paid a visit to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who agreed with his view that major changes were needed. “Of course we must have a coalition because there is no alternative,” said Lloyd George. “Taking the Tory leader by the arm, he led him through the passage connecting two houses in Downing Street to the Prime Minister. Asquith immediately bowed to the inevitable...” These two major political figures decided on the most important political event in a few minutes, which once again proves the influence and authority that the Welsh solicitor 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, joined the cabinet, and the non-partisan Kitchener remained in the government.

On May 17, Lloyd George wrote to his brother: “I remain Chancellor of the Exchequer.” The next day: “If I want, I will remain Minister of Finance.” But David formed a new ministry specifically for himself, the Ministry of Armaments. In Lloyd George's view, this appointment was the first step towards the War Office, which was to be followed by an appointment to the post of Prime Minister. But for now I had to work. And Lloyd George knew how to do this. Sparing no effort, David worked day and night to strengthen England's weapons system 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 us wait long for them in the weapons system. On David's initiative, England was divided into 12 zones for the production of weapons. An inventory was made of the machines and machines available in the country that could be used to make weapons. The minister constantly traveled from city to city, from plant to plant, spoke to workers, engineers, entrepreneurs who produced guns and ammunition, and established friendly relations not only with businessmen, but also with the leaders of trade unions. Under Lloyd George, the number of weapons produced increases sharply. David made a proposal to parliament to allocate loans for armaments to the British army, to which consent was given. The minister also gave various incentives to large industrialists; profits were guaranteed for the accelerated production of weapons. Entrepreneurs were also provided with subsidies for the re-equipment and expansion of factories and workshops.

At the beginning of 1915, workers began to rebel at the enterprises. The government took emergency measures. Under the leadership of Lloyd George, the Law “On Military Equipment” was developed on June 23, which envisaged the prohibition of strikes in all enterprises related to military production, and labor conflicts were to be submitted to government arbitration. Lloyd George achieved the right for himself to declare any plant or factory in Great Britain an enterprise “working for war.”

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

On April 23, 1916, the Easter Rising began in Ireland and was suppressed by government troops. At the end of May, Lloyd George began a conference with the Irish leaders and Carson. David put forward a proposal that included the immediate implementation of the Home Rule law, but the agreement was opposed by the majority of members of the government, including the prime minister. At this time, an important event occurs for Lloyd George, which he could not even think about. Secretary of War Kitchener decides to go to Arkhangelsk on the cruiser Hampshire; 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 was blown up by a German mine, and the Minister of War was killed. 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 give up the post of Secretary of War to Lloyd George. Mrs. Asquith considered this decision a grave mistake; she prophetically wrote in her diary: “It’s only a matter of time before we leave Downing Street.” Lloyd George continued to move towards his main goal, accession to the main residence of the British Prime Minister, 10 Downing Street. David Aitken's friend said about 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 out of the premiership. Asquith tries to launch a counterattack, to embroil David with Bonar Law, 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 proponent of the slogan “war to a victorious end.” Asquith and Foreign Secretary Gray were initially against Lloyd George's statement, but then, when the Asquith-Grey duo collapsed. The Prime Minister was forced to support the Minister of War. There was friction everywhere - in the cabinet, the military committee, the admiralty, the war ministry and in parliament. Lloyd George thought out 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 taken up by conservatives. On November 23, the Morning Post signaled the final attack, demanding emergency powers for Lloyd George. On 25 November 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 inappropriately at this time, not understanding the seriousness of his situation and possible resignation, and left to spend the weekend out of town. Conservative ministers are announcing the possibility of resigning, but the situation could have been avoided with immediate cabinet reconstruction. Asquith seemed to have already wavered, but suddenly the majority of Liberal ministers and even several Tory ministers spoke out for his support. Asquith hopes to be able to retain the post of prime minister 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 take the stage and dictate his terms, and on December 5, Asquith handed the king his resignation.

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

3.1 Formation of a coalition government.

As tradition requires 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 never thought of competing with Lloyd George. Conservative leaders, together with Lloyd George, developed tactics for conducting business. Balfour goes to the king with a formulated conclusion: “a government without Lloyd George is unthinkable; the former Minister of War is better suited than others to the role of its head.” On the evening of December 6, Lloyd George accepted the king's formal commission to form a government.

Lloyd George had been on the political arena of Great Britain for a long time, but had never had such influence as now, liberals could no longer hold full power in their hands, and conservatives needed a popular leader, which David became. A lot of coincidences brought David to Downing Street, perhaps they all happened by chance, or perhaps 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, uncontrollable impulse and subtle maneuver, wild 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 English ruling circles entrusted power at their most difficult hour.

Lloyd George wanted to form a government of people he could trust and who would be loyal to him at all times, regardless of political leanings or crises. But the current situation did not allow him to do this. 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 Lloyd George's cabinet, a poll was conducted in the House of Commons, which showed “that out of 260 Liberals, 135 were ready to support the government I led. This meant that about half of all party members still followed Mr. Asquith. The Irish party consisted, in general, of supporters of Asquith, and the labor party was divided into supporters of war and determined pacifists. The Conservatives who were part of Asquith's coalition were not happy with David's appointment as prime minister. He himself wrote: “As for some of them, until the very end there was not a single minute when they were not happy about my resignation.” Lloyd George did everything to prevent the wishes of many political opponents, who predicted the resignation of David's government in the next 6 months, from coming true. In order to gain the support of the Conservatives, Lloyd George listens to the opinions of Bonar Law and Lord Edunda Talbot. By this time, one of the Conservative leaders had already taken over as Foreign Minister. Lloyd George considered another important task of strengthening the cabinet to be 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 unambiguously 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 humanity: “I hate war and am horrified by it. I sometimes wonder if I'm dreaming all this? This cannot really happen. 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 only be achieved as a result of victory will collapse.” Lloyd George seeks parliament's consent to the main role in the conduct of hostilities not of the cabinet, but of the military council, which he himself heads. In the political line of the new government, three issues were developed that needed immediate resolution - 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. Nationalization of control over the coal industry was to be carried out on a large scale; profits were planned to be calculated on a pre-war basis. There was also an acute problem 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 also orders an increase in the production of items for agricultural work. Lloyd George called on each settlement to provide itself with food, and the farmer was instructed to use as much unoccupied land as possible for arable land. 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, a prototype of the existing military council, which can use unlimited possibilities for conducting military operations. The first war cabinet consisted of Lloyd George - chairman, Lord Curzon, Henderson, Lord Milner and Bonar Law, who was entrusted with leadership of the House of Commons, since David could not attend its meetings very often, although Lloyd George did not miss a single important meeting chambers.

On the issue of Liberal participation in Lloyd George's cabinet, he was faced with the fact that all the former Liberal ministers had adopted, at a meeting to which the Prime Minister was not invited, a resolution that obliged 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 throughout the years 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 worthy candidates for ministers, one of them was the former Prime Minister Asquith, in David’s opinion, he could not lead the state with dignity, but how a member of the War Cabinet might be useful, but Asquith did not want to participate in any government in which he was not himself prime minister. 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 government Lloyd George saw was Winston Churchill, one of “the most remarkable and mysterious men of our time.” But the Conservatives, and especially their leader Bonar Law, were too hostile towards Churchill; they recognized this man’s talent, but did not want him to take any ministerial chair. Despite the opposition of the Conservatives, Lloyd George appoints W. Churchill to the cabinet. As for the remaining Liberal ministers, Lloyd George believed that none of them was able to help the government with their advice to the same extent as those who 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 extended an invitation to join the government to Herbert Samuel, who did not take part in any of the intrigues of that time. But he refused the offer, explaining that he did not consider Lloyd George's government 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 perhaps no one except the prime minister himself truly believed in the longevity of this government.

Unlike the previous government, the Labor Party was represented in greater numbers in this cabinet, with eight of its representatives occupying 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 people close to him who were experienced and independent of any party. So Lloyd George creates a special department within 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 possessed a thorough acquaintance with agricultural matters, having previously been the manager of one of the largest and best estates in the country. Stanley Baldwin became the youngest government minister. A new department was also created to more systematically and productively organize the country's human resources, the National Military Service became this department and Neuville 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 Ministry of Labor, which was headed by John Hodge. G. Fischer headed the Ministry of Public Education, who 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 this, no protocols were kept even on the most important cabinet decisions. And this secretariat took up the issues of preparing 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 his first steps as prime minister, Lloyd George tried to present the new government as national, and indeed the cabinet headed by David consisted of people from different social groups and political leanings, 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. During his premiership, David faced a whole range of problems, both external - the First World War was going on, where England participated in it with varying degrees of 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, establishing a military dictatorship, and he did it well; 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 the ruling circles, in order to avoid an internal explosion, should rely not only on force, but also on maneuvers; it was necessary to more 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 situation in the rear, significantly expanding state control in all spheres of the economy, can one 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, workers suffered from the high cost and lack of food. In 1916 alone, prices for basic necessities jumped by one third, and for 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 fall of 1917, we had to go further: state subsidies were introduced to wholesalers in order to stabilize prices for bread and potatoes. Following this, the government was forced to take extreme measures; cards for bread and meat were introduced. Many different orders were issued threatening fines for profiteering and spoilage of food. Lloyd George brought order to trade with enemy countries, since during Asquith’s time, in 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, trade profits of most large firms and companies continued to grow. This was facilitated by regulation in the distribution of raw materials and fuel, streamlining of the system of orders and contracts, and concealment of the true amounts 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 techniques and made concessions. Since September 1917, wages for miners and military factory workers were increased. Lloyd George continued to pass many laws that contributed to the consolidation of the entire population, for example, in December 1917, the cabinet recognized the shop stewards as a legal organization. In February 1918, a previously discussed law was passed to significantly expand the composition of voters: all men over the age of 21 (with a six-month residency requirement), military personnel and women over the age of 30 received the right to vote. At the initiative of the head of government, a new Ministry of Reconstruction was formed; emphasis was placed on the transformation of the country and the search for other, better orders. Lloyd George retained 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 status of workers and farm laborers, health care and housing construction. This ministry helped to strengthen confidence in the government and could force people to wait until the 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 it would not last long, that everything was hanging on by a thread. Much depended on how things would go at the front. In turn, the balance of political forces within the country remained an important factor determining British strategy.

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

When Lloyd George became prime minister, he found on his office desk a memorandum from the Admiralty, which was pessimistic about the prospects for the fight against German submarines. “To this day, no definitive answer to this form of war has been found; perhaps such an answer will not be found at all,” it said. Lloyd George ordered the search for effective anti-submarine defense to be accelerated. Machine guns and cannons were installed on merchant ships, and airships, airplanes, and depth charges were used to combat underwater pirates. The Prime Minister did his best to encourage the construction of new ships; “tonnage is victory,” he repeated. But Germany was stronger at sea, and the number of ships sunk by England increased. There were rumors that food in England was left for 1-2 months, the German press was choked with delight, hoping for the humiliated requests of the “mistress of the seas” for a truce. “If Great Britain still ruled the seas, then in the days leading up to the victory over submarines, the trident in her hands shook,” recalled Lloyd George. The convoy system began to be successfully used, when merchant ships gathered in caravans and sailed to the seas under the protection of warships. Early in 1917, Lloyd George seized on the idea of ​​the convoy system, correctly assessing its importance. Admirals and some shipowners opposed the idea of ​​convoys, as they believed that it would lead to difficulties and possible stagnation in the convoys. But the prime minister insisted on using 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 turned out to be the most favorable for conducting maritime trade. In 1918, single steamships were no longer found in sea waters near England, and a total of 16,530 ships sailed across the Atlantic under the escort of British warships. The German tactic of trying to cut off Britain from the rest of the world was defeated by the eminent politician David Lloyd George. Lloyd George was involved in another strategic direction in the Middle East. Lloyd George was interested in plans to conquer Palestine and other lands still under Turkish control. France also laid claim to the “holy lands,” but David wanted to get ahead of his allies. On December 11, British troops occupied Jerusalem. "The hearth of Christianity liberated!", "Lloyd George's Christmas gift!" - the newspapers wrote.

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

The main battles on the continent fell on the British armed forces, which carried out a fairly consistent offensive, which the Prime Minister tirelessly monitored, calling army commanders to his residence several times a day and making various recommendations. At this time, Germany called on England to sign a separate peace, but Lloyd George's official attitude towards a compromise peace remained the same. At this time, the English prime minister was inspired by his victories, both in internal and external issues. 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 Passchendaele, he said. Lloyd George made a miscalculation, but he did not beg for merit of the first importance. But the blow still occurred on March 21. This German attack confronted the Allies with disaster. At least that's what it seemed after the initial successes of the German troops, which swept away the British V Army and approached Amiens. The Allies faced the threat of a split into two parts. The British command was not prepared for such a turn of events.

The defeats threw Lloyd George off balance. He appealed to the US President and Secretary of War for urgent help. The British Prime Minister said to 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 produce any special results. At the Allied conference on 3 April in Beauvais, "the Prime Minister," Haig recorded, "looked as if he were completely terrified." Concerned about placing blame for the failures on one of the military leaders, Lloyd George hinted at Haig's resignation at a meeting of the war cabinet, but did not insist on it. The “culprit” was found in the person of the commander of the V Army. However, attacks against Lloyd George became more frequent in the press. 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 Morning Post with accusations against the prime minister, he made a request in the House, hinting that the head of government was hiding the true situation. A confused Bonar Law promised to conduct an investigation in the absence of Lloyd George. Upon learning of this, the prime minister furiously attacked his deputy. But he managed to avoid legal proceedings against the newspaper charges. On May 10, a debate took place in the House on 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 that he had delivered. And Lloyd George spoke, as always, quickly and energetically. A simple comparison of the former prime minister's lackluster performance and the bright, confident speech of his successor gave the latter a considerable advantage. Lloyd George completely denied all the accusations brought against him. It was not in vain that he rehearsed his speech in front of Milner and O. Chamberlain. His answer, writes historian R. Black, can be regarded as one of the most brilliant parliamentary presentations. After the prime minister’s speech, no one dared to take the floor; During the voting, 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 would remain despised by 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 relations with them again. After this further aggravated crisis and a complete split in the Liberal Party, the public was convinced of Asquith’s unsuitability as a leader, and Lloyd George decided by all means to hinder the political activity of the old core of Liberals.

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

And now the world war has come 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 put so much effort into ending this imperialist war that engulfed all of Europe and has touched almost every corner of the world in a way that 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 to him as a winner, and he wanted to take full advantage of this. He tirelessly poses for photographers, appears more often in parliament, reserving for his speeches news of major military successes, truces on certain fronts or the overthrow of governments in countries of a hostile coalition. In London, Lloyd George held a victory parade. Clemenceau, Foch, Italian Prime Minister V. Orlando and many others arrived here. But the Welshman felt like the main hero of the occasion. Didn’t he reach the unsurpassed heights that he had dreamed of for many years?

David Lloyd George took advantage of this moment and, in order to once again gain the support of the British population, he begins an election campaign at the head of a renewed coalition. Election prospects have been studied by government officials since early autumn. On October 5, Bonar-Law, in a letter to Balfour, advocated the dissolution of Parliament and a further blockade with Lloyd George. They believed that the Conservatives could not win the election without such a popular leader as Lloyd George, and also believed that if they did not move closer to David, he could disintegrate the Conservative Party and the Conservatives could split just like the Liberals. They believed that the head of government was popular and would achieve success in the elections. And after them he will be dependent on the conservatives. The Tory leader believed that Lloyd George would repeat the path of J. Chamberlain and join the ranks of the Conservatives; he was even ready to give him the position of party leader. At that time, the Conservative bosses were most afraid of the growth of the labor movement and the leftward movement of the Labor Party. They needed Lloyd George as a recognized master of subversion among the working people, as an enemy of socialism. Bonar Law could therefore reassure his party colleagues that "in the most important way" Lloyd George's aims coincided with their own.

Lloyd George then cared little about such considerations and forecasts; he set a firm course for the speedy holding of elections and an agreement with the most die-hard Tories. On November 2, in a letter addressed to Bonar-Law, which remained secret for ten days, the Prime Minister officially proposed a joint election campaign for the Conservatives and formulated some tasks. These included promoting the unity and development of the British Empire and strengthening 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 approved the deal at the meeting of the parliamentary faction on November 12. Bonar-Law 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-Law came up with a new method in order to win elections: they awarded their candidates special certificates, which meant that these candidates were pro-government and that they deserved 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 issue land to everyone, and especially to former military personnel. The promise to demand that Germany pay indemnity for the losses of the British during the First World War was especially effective.

Some promises were actually kept, but others remained just Lloyd George's election gimmicks.

The coalition won an unconditional victory in the elections to the House of Commons. The majority of seats in the House were won by the Conservatives and 136 seats were won by Lloyd George's party, called the Liberals. 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 figure for all of political history, and historical science in general. David was able to achieve what no other person could 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, reducing the working day for workers and employees, increasing cash payments, providing subsidies and benefits to various segments of society. One of the most important issues raised, and remained key throughout Lloyd George's political career, was the equal rights of all British citizens. And in fact, David managed to achieve results. Of course, one cannot underestimate the role of Great Britain and Lloyd George personally 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 British economy fell apart and collapsed; he was able to negotiate with the main monopolists and joint-stock companies so that they would invest their capital in the domestic market, which helped maintain 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 had enough food.

Thus, the political biography of David Lloyd George reflects the main stages of the history of England since the end of the 19th century, helps to find out what various techniques 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, has adopted some of the ideas and plans of the outstanding Prime Minister David Lloyd George and introduced them into its 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. Part II 1870–1918. Ed. A.I. Moloka and V.A. Orlova. 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 century

beginning of the 20th century, Orel, 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 socialists

movement at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries, M., 1962.

7. Kertman L.E. The labor movement in England and the struggle between two tendencies in Labor

rist party (1900–1914), Molotov, 1957.

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

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

10. Senyobos, S. and Methen. Contemporary 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) - British Minister of Colonies in 1895 - 1903. In 1880 - 1886 he was a member of the government. At the beginning of his career, he was 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 between two tendencies in the Labor Party (1900–1914), Molotov, 1957, pp. 148–149.

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

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

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

7. Ibid., pp. 176–178.

8. The government announcement indicated that the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd George was being vacated (in favor of McKenna) “temporarily.”

9. Carson E.G. (1854 – 1935) – lawyer and politician. One of the leaders of the reactionary Orange group that fought against Irish independence. In 1917 - member of Lloyd George's war cabinet.

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

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

12. Right there.

13. Ibid., page 23.

14. Ibid., page 34.

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

16. John Burns (1858 – 1943) – leader of the English labor movement, reformist. One of the leaders of the London dockers' strike of 1889. In 1892, elected to parliament, Liberal. In 1905–14 Minister of Local Government, in 1914 Minister of Trade.

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

18. Ibid., page 73.

19. Haig Douglas (1861 – 1928) – Earl, British Field Marshal (1917). During World War I, corps commander, army commander, and from December 1915, 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. Repeatedly minister. In the 1880s - 90s. leader of the radicals. During the 1st World War, he was a chauvinist and militarist.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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