David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
Liberal prime minister who led Britain in the later war and argued for moderation towards Germany at the peace conference
Born in Manchester to Welsh parents, he made his name as a radical Liberal orator. As chancellor of the exchequer he introduced the 1909 People’s Budget and the National Insurance Act, laying foundations of the welfare state. After serving as minister of munitions and secretary for war he became prime minister in December 1916. At the Paris Peace Conference he opposed reparations that would wreck the German economy and sought to check French dominance. In 1921 he concluded the Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement and negotiated the creation of the Irish Free State, but resigned in 1922 when the Conservatives left the coalition. In 1936 he met Hitler and praised him. He died in 1945.
Career timeline
- 1890MP for Caernarvon Boroughs
- 1908–1915Chancellor of the Exchequer
- 1915–1916Minister of Munitions
- 1916Secretary of State for War
- 1916–1922Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1919British representative at the Paris Peace Conference