Land and power : British and Allied policy on Germany's frontiers, 1916-19

The First World War destroyed the old European balance of power. In the heart of the continent, a basically strong and probably dangerous Germany remained. English and French Security, indeed European and world stability critically depended upon the containment of the Reich. How could a new equilibrium be devised, especially in the absence of a friendly Russian Great Power to the east and in view of America’s uncertain course in world politics? This book treats on a board canvas one vital aspect of the German Problem in 1919: the redistribution, through territorial change, of the elements of power between Germany and the victors. This study and its conclusions are offered as a tentative reappraisal in the light of a new, fuller evidence and of longer perspectives on the subject. Frontmatter Preface (page xi) Principal Abbreviations (page xiv) PART ONE: THE WARTIME BACKGROUND I. Initial Attitudes on Basic Problems (page 3) II. The American Factor and British Policy, 1917-18 (page 27) III. The Armistice and Territorial Questions (page 53) PART TWO: PRE-CONFERENCE PREPARATIONS IV. Advice of the Experts (page 91) V. Governmental Attitudes before Paris (page 126) PART THREE: THE MAKING OF THE SETTLEMENT VI. The German-Polish Frontier (page 145) VII. ‘Dinner Instead of Danzig’ (page 176) VIII. The Rhine Frontier (page 198) IX. The Treaty of Guarantee (page 219) X. Lloyd George, Wilson, and the Saar Dilemma (page 249) XI. Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Greater Germany (page 282) XII. The Low Countries: Zinc, Strategy, and Compensations (page 312) XIII. Appeasement or Statesmanship? (page 321) XIV. Conclusions (page 364) Bibliography (page 383) Index (page 393)