E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Jeannie Howse, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 17998-h.htm or 17998-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/9/9/17998/17998-h/17998-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/9/9/17998/17998-h.zip) +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | | | While the author of this work uses unusual spelling, a | | number of obvious typographical errors have been corrected. | | A complete list will be found at the end of the book. | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ BEFORE THE WAR by VISCOUNT HALDANE Secretary of State for War from December, 1905 to June, 1912; Lord High Chancellor from June, 1912 to May, 1915.] [Illustration: _London Stereoscopic Co_. Funk & Wagnalls Company New York and London 1920 Copyright, 1920, by Funk & Wagnalls Company [Printed in the United States of America] Published in February, 1920 Copyright under the Articles of the Copyright Convention of the Pan-American Republics of the United States, August 11, 1910 PREFATORY NOTE The chapters of which this little volume consists were constructed with a definite purpose. It was to render clear the line of thought and action followed by the Government of this country before the war, between January, 1906, and August, 1914. The endeavor made was directed in the first place to averting war, and in the second place to preparing for it as well as was practicable if it should come. In reviewing what happened I have made use of the substance of various papers recently contributed to the _Westminster Gazette_, the _Atlantic Monthly_, _Land and Water_, and the _Sunday Times_. The gist of these, which were written with their inclusion in this book in view, has been incorporated in the text together with other material. I have to thank the Editors of these journals for their courtesy in agreeing that the substance of what they published should be made use of here as part of a connected whole. CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 13 DIPLOMACY BEFORE THE WAR 35 THE GERMAN ATTITUDE BEFORE THE WAR 101 THE MILITARY PREPARATIONS 177 EPILOG 207 INDEX 227 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS