"War has always been fatal to Liberalism. "Peace, Retrenchment, and Reform" have no meaning in war. Moreover, a nation, to make war effectively, must be prepared to surrender individual right and freedom for the time being. If the war is prolonged, that submission becomes a habit. Victory is the triumph of force and not of reason. After every great war there is a period during which belligerent nations incline to divide into two extreme camps—roughly known as revolutionary and reactionary. In that temper Liberalism is at a disadvantage. That is why it is today at a discount throughout Europe. Even in America its doctrines assume the form of a dictatorship. The temporary collapse of the Liberal Party in this country was inevitable from the moment it became responsible for the initiation and conduct of a great war. The instinct of the ordinary Liberal in that respect was sound. The War therefore made him uneasy."
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Prime Ministers of the United KingdomPoliticians from EnglandBritish peersPoliticians from WalesPeople from Manchester
Original Language: English
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Sources
Volume I, p. 448
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Lloyd_George
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David Lloyd George
1863 – 1945
britischer Politiker
461 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by David Lloyd George →
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