British Rearmament and the Treasury, 1932-1939

British Rearmament and the Treasury, 1932-1939 tells the story of how the department responsible for government finance used its control over expenditure to influence Britain's defence policy in the Nineteen-Thirties. As such this book is concerned with Military History and Public Administration. But it is also concerned with Economics and Economic History, for the Treasury's view on defence was intimately concerned with the Treasury's view on the future of the British economy.

Thus the Treasury's influence on defence policy is examined not only in the light of criticism of members of the armed services, but also in light of criticism by Keynes.

The author has drawn on new evidence from the Treasury and other government papers recently made available at the Public Record Office in London. He has also drawn upon a number of private collections, including the papers of Neville Chamberlain.

As a result, the book casts new light on the period, and provides new background for considering such diverse topics as appeasement and unemployment.

The main focus is on the relationship between the Treasury and the defence departments, and how Britain's readiness for war in 1939 was affected thereby. No previous history of the thirties has studies the operation of the Treasury in such depth, and yet at the same time the reader is provided with a comprehensive analysis of British rearmament.