ABSTRACT
It is said that knowledge is power. Evidently if one is in possession of the facts then deciding upon a particular course of action can be made easier. For Conservatives in the 1930s, resident in a parliamentary democracy with the benefits of security derived from Britain’s island status, understanding and appreciating the transformation that was taking place on the continent was not necessarily an easy task. How did they acquire knowledge of the dictators? As the international situation deteriorated one would expect the emergence of a general distrust of the dictators. Other factors were operating that played upon the prejudices, fears and expectations of the party. Although many of these influences are difficult to quantify, it has nevertheless been possible to identify a number of potential factors such as religion, personal experience, history and culture. The importance of understanding these motivations rests with enabling a greater appreciation of how and why foreign and defence policy evolved in the late 1930s. With a greater knowledge of European affairs came a determination either to conciliate the dictators, or to oppose with every means possible.
