British Foreign Secretaries in an Uncertain World, 1919-1939

Michael Hughes is Reader in Modern History at Liverpool University, UK.

• General Editor’s Preface. Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Lord Curzon at the Foreign Office (1919-1924) 3. Ramsey MacDonald at the Foreign Office (1924) 4. Austen Chamberlain at the Foreign Office (1924-1929) 5. Arthur Henderson at the Foreign Office (1929-1931) 6. Sir John Simon at the Foreign Office (1931-1935) 7. Sir Samuel Hoare at the Foreign Office (1935) 8. Anthony Eden at the Foreign Office (1935-1938) 9. Lord Halifax at the Foreign Office (February 1938-September 1939) 10. Conclusion

"Hughes (modern history, Liverpool U., UK) profiles the careers of those who served as British foreign secretary between 1919 and 1939, focusing in particular on their activities while serving in that office. His primary interest in presenting these portraits is to analyze the factors that helped to determine the particular modus operandi of each foreign secretary. Among the major questions addressed in each case are the coherence of the secretary’s views about international politics; the relationship between the secretary and other officials in the Foreign Office; the relationship between the Foreign Office and other governmental actors (particularly the Prime Minister’s office); and the influence of Ministers of Parliament, the media, and pressure groups on the secretary." --Reference & Research Book News