ABSTRACT
Many contemporaries seemed to lose a sense of proportion in the ‘orgiastic gush’ with which they greeted the five agreements which collectively made up the Locarno accord. ‘This morning the Locarno Pact was signed at the Foreign Office,’ noted George V in the privacy of his diary. An analysis of Locarno must therefore constitute a central feature in Chamberlain’s biography. That he should have had the opportunity to guide British foreign policy was, however, no foregone conclusion in the autumn of 1924. Chamberlain clearly understood the strength of the opinion which they represented. Interestingly he told Stresemann in 1927 that if he were obliged at that date to bring the Locarno treaties before Parliament again, he would not be able to get them accepted. With hindsight it appears that the Cabinet’s decision of 20 March was the turning point in the diplomatic process which culminated at Locarno in October.
