1906-1914 (The Liberal Crisis)- Political (The Liberal Governments) Flashcards
Who won the 1906 General Election?
The Liberal Party
How many seats did the Liberals win in 1906?
401
How many seats did the conservatives win in 1906?
157
Name 8 Conservative failings that resulted in their downfall in the 1906 election?
- The Boer War
- 1902 Education Act
- 1904 Licensing Act
- The Chinese labour issue
- The Taff Vale case
- Neglect of Social Reform
- The Tariff Reform campaign
- Conservative Leadership
Who was the now Liberal PM in 1906?
Henry Campbell Bannerman
What was the fundamental principle of ‘New Liberalism’?
To create a range of social reforms to tackle poverty and the social problems of the day
Why was the 1906 election important for Labour?
It saw them establish themselves fully as a dominant force in Parliament (they had won 29 seats with 6% of the vote)
How had the Boer War initially helped the Cons. win the election in 1900?
Because of 2 things: the patriotic feel of the country and the split in the Liberal Party
Why was the Boer War no good for the Cons. in the long term? (4 reasons)
- The war lasted longer than expected (1899-1902)- ‘army vs farmers’
- More expensive than expected (taxpayers money)
- Methods used by British (i.e. concentration camps for Boer civilians) caused moral outrage
- Exposed the malnutrition in British cities caused by the Cons. neglection of poverty (2/3’s of volunteers failed basic army medical)
What was the 1902 Education act?
Anglican and Catholic schools would now be funded by local rates (local taxes), rather than their church
Why did the 1902 education act anger non-conformists?
Because they didn’t want their taxes spent on schools which they objected to, and they also felt the Church of England had too many unfair advanteges
What was the 1904 licensing act?
Aimed to reduce number of Public Houses, by compensating them for cancellation of licenses
Why did the 1904 licensing act anger the non-conformists
Because the brewers were typically Cons. voters, and the non-conformists named this the ‘brewers bill’ and went back to voting Liberal in protest
What was the Chinese labour issue (1902-1904)?
Chinese labourers were being transported into South Africa and worked for very low wages and stayed in overcrowded camps
Why did the chinese labour act damage the Cons.?
- Moral outrage
- With unemployment high by 1905 in GB, many (particularly the trade unions) feared that the Chinese would come to GB to work, driving down wages
What was the Taff Vale case, and why did it damage the Conservatives?
In 1901 the Taff Vale railway co. and the railway workers union had a dispute, leading to striking. The company took the trade union to court, and wanted compensation for loss of profits. The House of Lords ruled the company was within its rights to sue a union, causing outrage amongst unions. They turned to the Conservatives to overrule the HoL, but Balfour (Cons. PM) refused to introduce legislation against the decision.
Damaged Cons. as it made workers aware of how against their interests the Cons were, and drummed up support for a Labour group in Parliament
How the the Cons. neglect of social reform damage them for 1906?
Boer war had exposed the long-time neglect of poverty by the Cons., and they refused to do anything about it
What was the 1903 Tariff Reform campaign?
idea of Joseph Chamberlain- Taxes higher on imported goods from outside the GB Empire than on those from within the Empire-‘imperial preference’, arguing it would protect GB industry and provide revenue
Why did Tariff Reform damage the Cons. for 1906?
- Many working/middle class feared rising food prices
- Divided Cons
- Re-united Liberals, who could promise to keep food prices down
- Winston Churchill, a leading Cons., voted with Liberals on issue
Why did the Liberals believe in ‘free trade’
Because it was a ‘Bread and Butter’ issue that affected everybody
When did Arthur Balfour become Cons. PM?
1902 (after Lord Salisbury’s death)
Name 3 key reasons why the Cons. lost in 1906 due to Balfour?
- He was a poor speaker
- He didn’t understand social issues
- His decision that his government should step down in 1905 led to the timing of the 1906 election
When was the Lib-Lab pact agreed?
1903
What was the Lib-Lab pact?
Liberals and Labour (LRC) agreed that the Liberals wouldn’t oppose Labour in 30 constituencies where Labour were likely to win, and Labour agreed to restrict candidates in other constituencies in order to not split the anti-Cons vote
Why did the Lib-Lab pact work so well?
- Reduced election costs for both parties
- Both had a broad agreement on many issues, such as social reform
- Labour leadership was moderate, so they were safe allies
What was the biggest difference between Old Liberalism and New Liberalism?
Old promoted laissez faire, New promoted Government intervention for those who needed it in society
Why did the upper classes disagree with New Liberalism?
Because it meant more government spending, which will have to come from more taxes, meaning the rich will keep less of their money
Name 3 intellectuals who had an influence on New Liberalism?
- T.H. Green
- J.A. Hobson
- J.T. Hobhouse
What were T.H. Green’s key ideas of New Liberalism?
Reforms should give people the opportunity to be moral
What were J.A. Hobson’s key ideas of New Liberalism?
The British economy had the problem of ‘under consumption’, and state intervention was needed to reduce unemployment
What were J.T Hobhouse’s key ideas of New Liberalism?
He argued for ‘collectivism’- that the government should distribute wealth more fairly within society through higher taxes on the rich funding social reforms
Name the 3 key political factors behind New liberalism?
- Could bring back together the Liberal party
- Social reform would keep the working class vote from the rising Labour party
- Social reform was the Cons. weakest area
Give 4 reasons why there was concern over Britain’s national efficiency?
- Boer War had highlighted deficiencies in GB military
- Boer war highlighted the poor health of the population in the working class
- Germany, Japan, USA were catching/overtaking Britain in industry
- Germany were growing militarily
When was Lloyd George Chancellor?
1908-1915
Name the 4 key Liberals at this time?
Campbell-Bannerman, Asquith, Lloyd George, Churchill
When was Asquith PM?
1908-1916 (took over from C-B after his death)
Who was arguably the most radical of the 4 men?
Lloyd George
Who was the Labour leader after 1906?
Kier Hardie
Name 3 limitations that labour faced?
- Lacked formal education that other parties had (they were all working men)
- Only 30 MP’s- not a strong body
- Many disagreed with each other, and Hardie wasn’t effective in keeping them together
What were the 3 main pieces of evidence of the growth of the Labour party’s support after 1906?
- Between 1906-14, trade union membership grew from 900k to 1.5m
- Membership of socialist societies grew from 17k to 33k
- Between 1906-14, the number of Local Labour Societies had grown from 83 to 158
Despite their poor 1906 election result, how did Cons. hold onto power?
The HoL were heavily Cons., menaing they could simply block and new Liberal legislation
Who was the Cons. leader in the HoL?
Lord Lansdowne
What was the Osborne Judgement?
Liberal W.V.Osborne challenged his union to demand a political levy, with levies charged by trade unions going to Labour MP’s salaries - Meant it would be difficult for Labour to operate as an effective political force
Name 3 positives of Labour after 1906?
- Labour grew in support at grassroots level
- 1906-1914: TU membership grew from 900k to 1.5m
- Organisation improved and the PLANNED to put forward 100 candidates for 1915 election
