Herbert Henry Asquith preferred consensus and was ill suited to managing several urgent problems at once. Lloyd George opposed an unnecessary continental war, while Foreign Secretary Edward Grey worked for a diplomatic solution with little forceful backing from the cabinet. The recent Curragh affair and the resignation of War Secretary John Seely also exposed weak cabinet discipline and civil-military strain. Capable individuals did not add up to a government able to coordinate foreign, naval, and domestic policy under extreme time pressure.
Chapter · 10:44-19:22
Asquith's cabinet and Edward Grey's isolation
The Liberal government's personalities and working habits left foreign policy concentrated in Edward Grey's hands during a multi-crisis summer.