George Peabody Gooch (21 October 1873 – 31 August 1968) was a British journalist, historian and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician. A follower of

Lord Acton John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, 13th Marquess of Groppoli, (10 January 1834 – 19 June 1902), better known as Lord Acton, was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer. He is best remembered for the remark he wr ...

who was independently wealthy, he never held an academic position, but knew the work of historians of continental Europe.

Personal life

Gooch was born in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, London, the son of Charles Cubitt Gooch, a merchant banker, and Mary Jane Gooch, ''née'' Blake. His eldest brother was

Henry Cubitt Gooch Sir Henry Cubitt Gooch (7 December 1871 – 15 January 1959) was a British barrister, educationalist and Conservative politician. He was the second son of Charles Cubitt Gooch, merchant banker, and Mary Blake, and an older brother to George Pe ...

, a future Conservative MP. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, where he gained a

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

in History. He won the

Thirlwall Prize Since 1884, the Thirlwall Prize was instituted at Cambridge University in the memory of Bishop Connop Thirlwall, and has been awarded during odd-numbered years, for the best essay about British history or literature for a subject with original rese ...

in 1897, but failed to gain a fellowship at Trinity despite the support of Lord Acton.

Member of Parliament

He was elected at the general election of 1906 as Liberal Member of Parliament for

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, but lost the seat at the general election of January 1910. Whilst an MP he voted in favour of the 1908 Women's Enfranchisement Bill. He stood again in Bath at the general election in December 1910, but did not regain the seat, and was unsuccessful again when he stood at a by-election in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

in November 1913. Gooch succeeded Sir Richard Stapley in 1919 as Chairman of the Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust. During the 1930s, in seeing that war was approaching, he encouraged the Trust to put aside a small fund to assist the educational needs of Second World War refugees. He was President of the

Historical Association The Historical Association is a membership organisation of historians and scholars founded in 1906 and based in London. Its goals are to support "the study and enjoyment of history at all levels by creating an environment that promotes lifelong lea ...

(1922–1925) and of the

National Peace Council The National Peace Council (NPC), founded in 1908 and disbanded in 2000, acted as the co-ordinating body for almost 200 groups across Britain, with a membership ranging from small village peace groups to national trade unions and local authorities. ...

(1933–1936). In June 1936 he was elected to serve on the Liberal Party Council. Gooch edited the ''

Contemporary Review ''The Contemporary Review'' is a British biannual, formerly quarterly, magazine. It has an uncertain future as of 2013. History The magazine was established in 1866 by Alexander Strahan and a group of intellectuals anxious to promote intellige ...

'' from 1911 until 1960.

Historian

After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Gooch became an influential historian of Europe of the period and was critical of British policy. He was active in the

Union of Democratic Control The Union of Democratic Control was a British pressure group formed in 1914 to press for a more responsive foreign policy. While not a pacifist organisation, it was opposed to military influence in government. World War I The impetus for the ...

. For about ten years from the mid-1920s onwards, he was involved, with

Harold Temperley Harold William Vazeille Temperley, (20 April 1879 – 11 July 1939) was an English historian, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge from 1931, and Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge. Overview Temperley was born in Cambridg ...

, in the publication of the official British diplomatic history. The selection of Gooch for the project selection was made over the reservations of

James Wycliffe Headlam-Morley Sir James Wycliffe Headlam-Morley, Order of the British Empire, CBE (24 December 1863 – 6 September 1929) was a British academic historian and classicist, who became a civil servant and government advisor on current foreign policy. He was known a ...

and of Temperley himself, who believed that Gooch was too committed to a pro-German position and too critical of Sir Edward Grey. Gooch has been noted as a significant revisionist historian of the Europe of the early 20th century, in particular in relation to the causes of the First World War. He has been described as one of the "early revisionists", alongside

Harry Elmer Barnes Harry Elmer Barnes (June 15, 1889 – August 25, 1968) was an American historian who, in his later years, was known for his historical revisionism and Holocaust denial. After receiving a PhD at Columbia University in 1918 Barnes became a pr ...

and

Sidney Bradshaw Fay Sidney Bradshaw Fay (13 April 1876 in Washington, D.C. – 29 August 1967 in Lexington, Massachusetts) was an American historian, whose examination of the causes of World War I, ''The Origins of the World War '' (1928; revised edition 1930) remains ...

Awards and honours

Gooch received many honours. became a

Companion of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...

in 1939, and a member of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

in 1963. He was appointed to the

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...

in 1954. He was elected

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

in 1926 and honorary fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge in 1935.

Works

*''The Second Empire'' (1st ed. 1960) *''English Democratic Ideas in the Seventeenth Century'' (with

Harold Joseph Laski Harold Joseph Laski (30 June 1893 – 24 March 1950) was an English political theorist and economist. He was active in politics and served as the chairman of the British Labour Party from 1945 to 1946 and was a professor at the London School of ...

(1st ed. 1898, 2nd ed. 1927, 3rd ed. 1959) *''History of Our Time, 1885–1911'' (1911) *''History and Historians in the Nineteenth Century'' (1913) Second rev. ed. (1952). New ed. with new historical survey and Preface. (1959) *''The Races of Austria–Hungary'' (1917) *''Germany and the French Revolution'' (1920) *''Life of Lord Courtney'' (1920) *''A History of Modern Europe, 1878–1919'' (1923); 2nd ed. 1946 *''Franco-German Relations 1871–1914: The Creighton Lecture for 1923'' (1923) *''Germany'' (1925) *''British Documents on the Origins of the War, 1898–1914'', with

(11 vols.) (1926–1938) *''Recent Revelations of European Diplomacy'' (1927; 3rd ed. 1940) *''Courts and Cabinets. (New York, 1946)'' *''Frederick the Great: The Ruler, the Writer, the Man''. (New York, 1947) (German edition Göttingen 1951) *''Studies in German History. (London 1948)'' *''Maria Theresa: And Other Studies'' (1951) *''Under Six Reigns'' (autobiography) (1958) *''Catherine the Great: And Other Studies'' (1966)

Notes

References

* Eyck, Frank ''G. P. Gooch: A Study in History and Politics'' (1982), detailed scholarly biography * Gooch, G.P. ''Under Six Reigns'' (1958) his autobiograph
Online free to borrow
* Hirsch, Felix E. "George Peabody Gooch", '' Journal of Modern History'', Vol. 26, no. 3 (September 1954), pp. 260–27
in JSTOR
* Medlicott, W.H. "G. P. Gooch", ''Journal of Contemporary History'', Vol. 4, no. 1, Colonialism and Decolonization (January 1969), pp. 201–203 * Sarkissian, A. O.''Studies in Diplomatic History and Historiography in Honour of G. P. Gooch, C. H.'' (1963)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gooch, George Peabody 1873 births 1968 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of King's College London Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of the Order of Merit Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) English historians Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 Politics of Bath, Somerset Fellows of the British Academy