Abstract

"Expertism" at Oxford and Lord Curzon's Lecture on Frontiers

The article presents information on former viceroy of India Lord George Nathaniel Curzon's view on frontiers in a lecture given at Oxford University. Lord Curzon first dealt with frontiers in history, classifying, not in every case quite convincingly, as frontier wars, nearly all wars involving disputed territory, and then pointed his exordium with "the philosophy of frontiers" as concretely embodied in a passage from Lord Macaulay's "Frederick the Great." Next he spoke briefly of the "origin of frontiers." Reaching then the heart of his subject, he proceeded to discuss "natural" and "artificial" frontiers in what must always be admired as a statesmanlike, a scientific, and a remarkably original presentation of the whole subject.