This study has involved a detailed investigation of the development of the Labour party's foreign policy between its formation and the end of its first period in government. It has explored the development and interaction of progressive ideas on foreign policy in this period and shown how these ideas fared in the Labour party. It has not been assumed that Labour was doctrinally united, nor that policy proposals were the result of a straightforward translation of ideas, be they socialist, radical or liberal, into a programme. Rather, the ideological divisions that existed within the Labour party have been delineated, and policy development has been regarded as a process that takes place in – and is informed by – a political and institutional context. Thus policy, as well as serving a programmatic function, can also play a part in maintaining or building up a party's coalition of support. for this reason, analysing policy development must involve consideration of the distribution of power in the party's policy-making process.

Politics and ideology in the development of a Labour party foreign policy, 1900–24

Past misinterpretations of developments in Labour's foreign policy have occurred for two main reasons. First, the richness of the ideological debate on foreign affairs has been underestimated. Only on the basis of a detailed elucidation of the ideas and policy proposals of the most influential groups and individuals associated with the strands of progressive thought identified in this work is it possible to make a proper assessment of the ideological influences on the Labour party at this time.