This session seeks to readdress these assertions by situating the figure of Seton-Watson within the domestic context of early-twentieth century Britain and the cultural vagaries of ‘British identity’. This has subsequently seen him characterized as a political ‘dilettante’ and unwitting pawn of regional nationalists, or a partisan non-state actor who leveraged his connections and influence to shape British policy in favour of his preferred national groups. The First World War saw him channel these energies into anti-Habsburg secessionist causes, specifically the Czechoslovak and Yugoslavian movements. Having written extensively on ethnic tensions in Austria-Hungary since 1906, he gradually established a reputation as Britain’s leading authority on Central and Eastern European affairs and advocate for the rights of ‘small nations’. Seton-Watson (1879-1951) remains a divisive figure.
Over seventy years after his death, the historian and political activist R.W.
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