양차대전 사이의 영국 경제와 제국 = British Economy and Empire during the Inter-War Years

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Britain experienced a long slump during the inter-war years. The depression raised the rate of unemployment and made the staple industries increasingly worse. At that time the British government enforced some economic policies such as the return of the gold standard system, its abolition, and the strengthening of the sterling bloc based upon the networks of the empire. The situation of the British economy in the mid-1930s became better in comparison with that in the 1920s. P. J. Cain and A. G. Hopkins point out that most economic policies of the British government represented some interests of gentlemanly capitalists, expecially of financial capitalists in the City during the inter-war years. According to their explanation, the attitudes of the British government towards the gold standard or Ottawa Imperial Conference were deeply related to the intention of pound sterling`s protection, which was the embodiment of gentlemanly capitalism. But the hot debates around the gold standard in the 1920s show that staffs of the Bank of England and governmental officers (expecially Treasury officers) recommended the British government to join the American gold coins standard. Winston Churchill, the Exchequer at that time criticised their views, and decided to return the gold standard for the future prosperity of the empire and the strengthening of the empire networks. And the formation of the sterling bloc was also a result of rational selections of the government for escaping from the long slump. These selections were not influenced directly from the gentlemanly capitalists. In history, ``intention`` must be discussed separately from ``result.`` It seems to me that there are some exaggerations in Cain and Hopkins` interpretation that most financial policies represented gentlemanly capitalists` desires and intentions during the inter-war years But it is also true that those policies could be helpful for their capital-accumulation.