The Quest for Stability: British War Aims and Germany, 1914-1918

British war aims concerning Germany developed haphazardly during the Great War of 1914-1918. The vicissitudes of unexpectedly conducting total war-one lasting more than four years-periodically deflected their consideration. Inter-Allied diplomacy and pressures from non-governmental lobbyists from Central-Eastern Europe seeking independent states to succeed the Habsburg, Romanov, and Wilhelmine empires forced reconsideration at crucial moments, for instance, after the advent of the nascent Bolshevik regime in Russia in late 1917 to early 1918. So, too, did British public opinion. Nonetheless, the British government had a clear general strategy: return stability on the European continent. In this context, the prime minister after December 1916, David Lloyd George, became central. Beyond the general aim, however, he wanted to avoid firm commitments over a range of issues touching Germany to give him flexibility in negotiating with the other Allied leaders at the eventual Peace Conference. Thus, less concerned with the minutiae of transforming war aims involving German territorial losses, disarmament, and paying for the war, he looked to make deals that might lack strategic purpose.