Journal of Liberal History

England Objects to the Treaty of Versailles, June 1, 1919

Journal of Liberal History

For the discussion and research of Liberal, Liberal Democrat and SDP history

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On This Day

24 July 1813

Birth of Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell, reformer of the Army

Cardwell first entered the House of Commons as Tory MP for Clitheroe and became a confidante of Sir Robert Peel. When the Conservatives split over the Corn Laws Cardwell sided with Peel. With the formation of Lord Aberdeen’s coalition government Cardwell entered the cabinet as President of the Board of Trade and served in a succession of posts under Palmerston and Russell, but he made his greatest impact as Gladstone’s Secretary of State for War. He abolished flogging and the purchase of officer commissions, replacing it with advancement on merit. In addition, he centralised the power of the War Office and made the Secretary of State superior to the Army Commander in Chief in the person of the Duke of Cambridge, cousin to Queen Victoria and an opponent of reform. The Duke would still be in post nearly 20 years later when another Liberal War Secretary Henry Campbell-Bannerman sought to introduce further army reforms.

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We publish the Journal of Liberal History and a range of books

The Liberal Democrat History Group promotes the discussion and research of topics relating to the histories of the British Liberal Democrats and its predecessor parties, the Liberal Party and the SDP, and of liberalism more broadly.

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We aim to appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of British Liberalism, whether academics, party activists or spare-time students of political history.

Things we do:

Publish the quarterly Journal of Liberal History, containing articles, book reviews, biographies, and meeting reports

Publish books, including Peace, Reform and Liberation: A History of Liberal Politics in Britain 1679-2011, Dictionary of Liberal Thought, and Great Liberal Speeches

Make resources available to students of Liberal history, including news of research in progress and guides to archive sources (see Research resources)

Provide a concise history of the Liberal Democrats and its predecessor parties, along with a more extensive set of historical articles and biographies – the Liberal History Online project, available through themes and time periods.

Publish shorter booklets as concise reference sources, including Liberal History (a concise history of the Liberal Democrats and its predecessor parties), Liberal Leaders 1828-1899, Liberal Leaders of the Twentieth Century and Mothers of Liberty: Women who built British Liberalism

Organise discussion meetings, both in London and as fringe meetings at Liberal Democrat conferences

“There are hazards in everything one does, but there are greater hazards in doing nothing.”

Shirley Williams

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