Max Beloff was born in England in 1913. He attended Corpus Christi College, Oxford then taught history at Manchester University. He returned to Oxford in 1946 as the Nuffield Reader in the comparative study of institutions.
Beloff authored numerous books on American foreign policy in relation to Europe and Soviet foreign policy. His book The American Federal Government became a standard text of its time. He also wrote books on Soviet foreign policy and on European history.
Beloff was instrumental in establishing University College, Buckingham, Britain's only purely private university, and served as its principal from 1974 to 1979. He received a knighthood in 1980 and in 1981 was created a life peer.
Beloff delivered a series of three Beatty Lecture in February and March 1967 on the theme "The Balance of Power: Some Reflections on an Old Theme" including "The Partition of Europe and Afterwards", "Post-Imperial Asia" and "International Organization: Records and Prospects". A book length collection of all three lectures titled The Balance of Power was published in 1967 by Allan & Unwin and ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ University Press and is available at the ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ Library .
Listen to Max Beloff's first Beatty Lecture:
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Listen to Max Beloff's second Beatty Lecture:
Listen to Max Beloff's third Beatty Lecture:
Audio: ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ University Archives
Image: UK National Portrait Gallery