Most of the essays in this book were first collected together in October 1931, immediately after Britain had left the gold standard. They reflected Keynes's attempts over the previous dozen years to influence public opinion and policy over the Treaty of Versailles, over which he had resigned from the Treasury in June 1919, reparations and inter-allied war debts, stabilisation policy, the gold standard and the shape of liberal politics in Britain. In 1972 the essays were reprinted but with the full texts of the pamphlets he had included ' Can Lloyd George Do it?, The Economic Consequences of Mr. Churchill, A Short View of Russia, and The End of Laissez Faire. At that time, the full texts of his of his two post-1931 pamphlets ' The Means to Prosperity and How to Pay for the War ' were added. As a result the book contains examples of Keynes's finest writing on economic policy and politics.
Introduction; D.Moggridge
PART I: THE TREATY OF PEACE
Paris
The Capacity of German to Pay Reparations
Proposals for the Reconstruction of Europe
The Changing of Opinion
War Debts and the United States
PART II: INFLATION AND DEFLATION
Inflation
Social Consequences of Changes in the Value of Money
The French Franc
Can Lloyd George do it?
The Great Slump of 1930
Economy
The Consequences to the Banks of the Collapse of Money Values
PART III: The Return to the Gold Standard
Auri Sacra Fames
Alternative Aims in Monetary Policy
Positive Suggestions for the Future Regulation of Money
The Speeches of the Bank Chairman
The Economic Consequences of Mr. Churchill
Mitigation by Tariff
The End of the Gold Standard
PART IV: POLITICS
A Short View of Russia
The End of Laissez-Faire
Am I a Liberal?
Liberalism and Labour
PART V: THE FUTURE
Clissold
Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren
PART VI: LATER ESSAYS
The Means to Prosperity
How to Pay for the War