Balfour, Arthur James

Balfour, Arthur James 

Born July 25, 1848, in Whit-tingehame; died Mar. 19, 1930, in Fisher’s Hill, county of Surrey. English statesman; from 1922, Lord Balfour. One of the leaders of the Conservative Party.

From 1887 to 1891 he served as the minister of affairs for Ireland, implementing a policy of harsh repression against the Irish national liberation movement. He was minister of finance during 1891–92 and 1895–1902. From 1902 to 1905 Balfour was prime minister; his government supported Japan in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904–05, and concluded an agreement with France (1904) which became the basis of the Entente. He was naval minister in 1915–16 and minister of foreign affairs from 1916 to 1919. He was the author of the so-called Balfour Declaration (November 1917) on the creation of a Jewish “national home” in Palestine; the document reflected the striving of British imperialism to maintain its domination in the Near East. From March 1918 Balfour was an active participant in the implementation of anti-Soviet intervention. He was a member of the government during 1919–22 and 1925–29. He led the English delegation to the Washington Conference of 1921–22.

REFERENCES

Young, K. A. J. Balfour.... London [1963].
Judd, D. Balfour and the British Empire. London-New York, 1968. (Contains bibliography.)