Sunset or dawn?: F. S.!Oliver's 'Endless adventure' in history and politics, 1921-1934

The impact of the Great War on the political thought of the inter-war period in Britain is a fascinating and elusive topic. This article argues that the career and writings of E S. Oliver, a highly regarded and well-connected Conservative publicist, reveal much about this issue. Oliver had never been a lover of democracy, and much of his writing between 1904 and 1920 had advocated a form of 'Radical Conservatism'. In 1914, Oliver was an enthusiast for war. Already a committed imperialist and an uncompromising supporter of military conscription, his Ordeal by Battle (1915) represented a serious assault on the liberal values under which the war was being fought. However, Oliver's work in the interwar period, particularly his acclaimed study of politics in the age of Walpole, The Endless Adventure, reflects a different set of concerns. Written in a more consensual and emollient tone during an era of realignment and adaptation, the volumes represent a fundamental retreat from previously held political ideals and convictions. Composed in the shadow of the Great War, Oliver's celebration of 'Englishness' and English history struck a powerful chord with some contemporaries and sheds a revealing light on the 'mindset' of the period.