British Policy and European Reconstruction after the First World War is a study of the political economy of Europe after 1919. Dr Orde provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of reconstruction: financial stabilization, credit, trade and development. She shows how policies were much affected by the connected problems of reparations and war debts. In all this, Britain, as a major trading nation and financial centre, weakened by the war but less physically damaged than many belligerents, played a crucial role which has not hitherto received comprehensive treatment. Dr Orde examines the period between 1919 and 1924 in great detail, placing subsequent events in the historical context of wartime planning and concludes with the international economic conference of 1927. Special attention is paid to public policies and private institutions, particularly banking.
