Editing David Lloyd George (section)

=== Minister of Munitions ===
{{see also|Minister of Munitions|Shell Crisis of 1915}}
[[File:David Lloyd George 1915.jpg|thumb|left|Lloyd George in 1915]]
Lloyd George gained a heroic reputation with his energetic work as Minister of Munitions in 1915 and 1916, setting the stage for his move up to the height of power. After a long struggle with the War Office, he wrested responsibility for arms production away from the generals, making it a purely industrial department, with considerable expert assistance from [[Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford|Walter Runciman]].<ref name="Adams 1975 232–244">{{harvnb|Adams|1975|pp=232–244}}</ref> The two men gained the respect of Liberal cabinet colleagues for improving administrative capabilities, and increasing outputs.{{sfn|Grey|1925|loc=ii, pp. 242–244}}

When the [[Shell Crisis of 1915]] dismayed public opinion with the news that the Army was running short of artillery shells, demands rose for a strong leader to take charge of munitions. In the [[Asquith coalition ministry|first coalition ministry]], formed in May 1915, Lloyd George was made [[Minister of Munitions]], heading a new department.{{sfn|Fraser|1982|pp=77–94}} In this position, he won great acclaim, which formed the basis for his political ascent. All historians agree that he boosted national morale and focussed attention on the urgent need for greater output, but many also say the increase in munitions output in 1915–16 was due largely to reforms already underway, though not yet effective before he had even arrived. The Ministry broke through the cumbersome bureaucracy of the War Office, resolved labour problems, rationalised the supply system and dramatically increased production. Within a year it became the largest buyer, seller and employer in Britain.<ref name="Adams 1975 232–244"/>

[[File:M 124 Kitchener Llyod Paul Mantoux George Bertie of Thame Asquith Beyens de Broqueville Bourgeois Roques Briand Lacaze JOffre de Castelnau Rachitch Yovanovitch Vesnitch Pachitch Isvolski.JPG|thumb|280px|Lloyd George, [[Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon|Edward Grey]], [[Herbert Kitchener]], [[Nikola Pašić]], [[Antonio Salandra]], [[Alexander Izvolsky]], [[Aristide Briand]], and [[Joseph Joffre]] at a conference of the [[Allies of World War I|Allied Powers]] on 27–28 March 1916 in Paris]]

Lloyd George was not at all satisfied with the progress of the war. He wanted to "knock away the props", by attacking Germany's allies—from early in 1915 he argued for the sending of British troops to the Balkans to assist Serbia and bring Greece and other Balkan countries onto the side of the Allies (this was eventually done—the [[Macedonian front|Salonika expedition]]—although not on the scale that Lloyd George had wanted, and mountain ranges made his suggestions of grand Balkan offensives impractical); in 1916, he wanted to send machine guns to [[Romania during World War I|Romania]] (insufficient amounts were available for this to be feasible). These suggestions began a period of poor relations with the [[Chief of the Imperial General Staff]], [[William Robertson (British Army officer)|General Robertson]], who was "brusque to the point of rudeness" and "barely concealed his contempt for Lloyd George's military opinions", to which he was in the habit of retorting "I've 'eard different".{{sfn|Corrigan|2003|p=316}}

Lloyd George persuaded [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Kitchener]], the [[Secretary of State for War]], to raise a [[38th (Welsh) Infantry Division|Welsh Division]], and, despite Kitchener's threat of resignation, to recognise nonconformist chaplains in the Army.{{sfn|Corrigan|2003|pp=309–311}}

Late in 1915, Lloyd George became a strong supporter of general conscription, an issue that divided Liberals, and helped the passage of several [[Military Service Act 1916|conscription acts]] from January 1916 onwards. In spring 1916 [[Alfred Milner]] hoped Lloyd George could be persuaded to bring down the coalition government by resigning, but this did not happen.{{sfn|Jeffery|2006|p=176}}