When Diplomacy Fails presents a master's dissertation by Zach Twomley Chapter 4

The Case of Belgium

and the discourse of honour

British opinion remained divided as to its foreign policy direction and of honour.

British opinion remained divided as to its foreign policy direction, even as Sir Edward Gray, stood up to present his speech at 3pm on the 3rd of August 1914.

The day before had borne witness to a gradual shift in cabinet position, but the process was far from

complete and neither Prime Minister Aswood's government nor the country were prepared for a major

European war. Gray's speech was multi-layered. It addressed Britain's commitments to France carefully,

continued to emphasise that Britain had a free hand in Europe, and it drove

home emotional arguments by invoking honour and morality-based rationalisation. The task of this chapter

is to highlight the case of Belgium as a prime example of the use of honour by examining the parliamentary

debates of the 3rd of August 1914.

Belgium had not been a straightforward case for British statesmen. Due to its later importance and symbolism for the Allies,

there has been a tendency to depict Belgium as the issue that transformed British opinion

among the citizens, statesmen and media.

Yet, in the days leading up to her invasion by German forces, some in Britain debated the validity of the Belgian treaties and whether they could still apply to the current crisis. There was also

concern as to whether Belgium would resist the German invasion in whatever form it took,

and the acknowledgement therein that Britain could not be more Belgian than the Belgians.

The situation had also changed since 1870,

and a lack of diplomatic clarity, combined with colonial affairs, had blurred the certainty of obligation somewhat.

Podcast footnote.

Belgian atrocities in the Congo and the very public campaign in Britain to investigate and denounce them in the early 20th century did much to blacken Belgium's image.

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