Grey, Sir Edward, First Viscount Grey of Fallodon

Grey, Sir Edward, First Viscount Grey of Fallodon
(1862–1933)
   British foreign secretary from 1905 to 1916, Sir Edward Grey had much to do with taking the country in World War I. Descended from an old Whig family with a tradition of military and political service, and distantly related to the Earl Grey of the great reform bill, Grey had an undistinguished academic career at Balliol, Oxford. In 1884, he became private secretary to Sir Evelyn Baring, later Lord Cromer, effectively the British proconsul in Egypt. Elected to parliament as a Liberal in 1885, Grey remained loyal to William Gladstone during the split of the Liberal Party over home rule the next year. When Lord Rosebery went to the Foreign Office in Gladstone’s 1892 government, Grey became his parliamentary undersecretary , and thus the department’s voice in the Commons.
   In opposition after the Liberal defeat of 1895, Grey aligned himself with the Liberal imperialists in supporting British actions at Fashoda and in South Africa. When the Liberals returned to power under Henry Campbell-Bannerman in 1905, Grey went to the foreign office. Although ruling out a firm commitment to defend France against Germany, Grey permitted the Anglo-French military staff talks begun under the Tories to continue. The Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 drew Britain yet closer to the Entente powers. In 1914, Grey strongly insisted to the House of Commons that Britain must intervene against Germany; however, he also remarked, famously and prophetically, that “the lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.” Grey was left out of Lloyd George’s 1916 cabinet, thus ending his official life after more than a decade at the foreign office.
   See also <>; <>, 1914; <>; <>.
   FURTHER READING:
    Albertini, Luigi. The Origins of the War of 1914. 3 vols. Translated by Isabella Mellis Massey. New York: Oxford University Press, 1952;
    Robbins, Keith. Sir Edward Grey: A Biography of Lord Grey of Fallodon, London: Cassell, 1971;
    Trevelyan, G. M. Grey of Fallodon, London: Longmans, Green, 1937.
   MARK F. PROUDMAN

Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon — Infobox Officeholder honorific prefix = name = The Viscount Grey of Fallodon honorific suffix = KG, PC, DL imagesize = order1 = Foreign Secretary term start1 = 10 December 1905 term end1 = 10 December 1916 monarch1 = Edward VII George V… …   Wikipedia

  • Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet — Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet, PC (11 May 1799 ndash; 9 September 1882) was a British Whig politician. He held office under four Prime Ministers, Lord Melbourne, Lord John Russell, Lord Aberdeen, and Lord Palmerston, and notably served three times …   Wikipedia

  • Grey (surname) — Grey is a relatively rare[1] surname. It may refer to: Contents 1 A F 2 G M 3 N Z 4 See also …   Wikipedia

  • Grey Baronets — There have been three Baronetcies created for members of the Grey family, one in the Baronetage of England, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Two of the creations are extant as of 2007. The… …   Wikipedia

  • George Cave, 1st Viscount Cave — The Right Honourable The Viscount Cave GCMG KC PC Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain …   Wikipedia

  • Earl Grey — For the blend of tea with the same name, see Earl Grey tea. For the village in the Canadian prairies, see Earl Grey, Saskatchewan. Earl Grey is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for the General Charles Grey, 1st …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey — The Right Honourable The Earl Grey KG PC Prime Minister of the United Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey — The Earl Grey. Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey, KB PC (October 1729 – 14 November 1807) was one of the most important British generals of the 18th century. He was the fourth son of Sir Henry Grey, 1st Baronet, of Howick in Northumberland. He served… …   Wikipedia

  • Rifkind — Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind, KCMG, QC (* 21. Juni 1946 in Edinburgh, Schottland) ist ein konservativer Politiker und Abgeordneter des britischen Unterhauses für den Wahlkreis Kensington und Chelsea. Er ist Chef der Tory Reform Group. 2005 war er… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Harold Macmillan — The Right Honourable The Earl of Stockton OM PC FRS Prime Minister of the United Kingdom In office …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”