1a: Changing Party Fortunes - 1918-1931 Flashcards
Which party was in power in 1918?
The Liberals led by Lloyd George
What were the Liberals two main tenets in 1918?
Support of free trade
Believed in a limited role for government
What had the Liberals always been seen as and give an example as to why?
They were the party of social reform (soon to be Labour).
1911 Unemployment Insurance Bill - 7 shillings a week for 15 weeks in a year.
What were the main reasons for the Liberal split after WW1?
- DLG was seen to be too close to the Tories due to their coalition. Libs believed he abandoned party principles and broke away.
- The break meant the vote was split between the Liberals (Asquith) and the Coalition Libs (DLG).
- Many opposed the increased state power of WW1 - conscription from 1916.
What pre-war problems returned for the Liberals?
Irish Home Rule
Female suffrage
Trade Union unrest
What are some examples of Union unrest during the Liberal years?
1919: 32 million days lost to strikes.
1919: The Red Clydeside strike in Glasgow - 90,000 workers campaigning for 40hr week.
1921: Miners’ strike against the privatisation of the pits.
What happened at the 1918 election?
The Liberals lost 235 seats and the Coalition Libs got 127.
Tory landslide - Liberals lost votes due to the Labour Party and the popularity of the coalition.
How was the 1922 election a disaster?
The Tories stopped supporting the Libs.
Liberals got 62 seats and the National Liberals (formerly Coalition) got 53.
Labour gained 85 seats to become the second biggest PLP.
Why was DLG the immediate cause of the Liberal decline?
- Cash for peers scandal (1922): He had sold 1,500 knighthoods and 100 peerages as PM - he was supposed to be the enemy of privilege.
- War w/ Turkey fumed the Tories who abandoned Coalition.
Why did the Cash for Peers scandal remain quiet and then come out in June 1922?
He had sold titles to newspaper barons (Lord Beaverbrook) to keep it hidden.
The Press published the scandal after people who had been convicted of fraud were on the 1922 Honours List.
What happened to DLG after the scandal?
His credibility took a nosedive, harming the Liberal vote and his future prospects of being a prominent politician again.
What was the Labour Party in 1918?
The new party of social reform, born from the TUC in 1900.
What were two significant non-Liberal related reason for the growth of Labour?
1911: Wages for MPs meant more wc people could enter politics.
1918: ROPA trebled the electorate from 7.7 to 21.4 million - all men over 21 could vote, widening the Labour voter base.
What did Labour being a minority govt in 1923/24 mean?
It meant they were reliant on Liberal support - they could not pursue radical policies as the govt would be brought down.
Why did MacDonald’s relations with the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party become strained in 1924?
They criticised him for not being radical enough.
He had to make economic decisions that inevitably harmed the poorest in society.
In its 9 months, did the first Labour govt pass anything meaningful?
Yes - Housing Act, 1924
Increased funding available to local authorities to build houses for lower-income workers.
Why did the Labour govt collapse in 1924?
The Campbell Case, August
A Socialist paper “Workers’ Weekly” had an article calling for mutiny and revolution; this is illegal but the govt dropped charges.
What happened as a result of the Campbell Case?
Macca faced a vote of no confidence which he narrowly won, but lost the 2nd.
He resigned and called an election.
Accused of having commie sympathies - this occurred at a time when he was trying to normalise relations with the USSR.
What shows the Liberal fall (1924)?
They lost 118 seats in the 1924 election, finishing on 40.
What was the Zinoviev Letter?
It was a fake letter that the Daily Mail had said had come from a commie to the CPGB to incite revolution in Britain.
It was an attempt to dissuade people from supporting leftist parties.
Did the Labour vote collapse in 1924?
Not entirely but many disappointed 1st time Labour voters switched to the Tories.
Lost 40 seats whilst the Tories gained 154.
Was the 1929 Labour govt a majority govt?
Nope.
It was another minority (287) who needed Liberal support.
Tories actually gained more votes!
What were key Labour social reforms? 1929-1931
- 1930 Housing Act cleared 750k slum houses.
- 1930 Coal Mines Act: Better pay and more efficient pits.
- Amended Unemployment Insurance: Gave govt powers to set up PWS funded with £25 million.
What economic problems did Labour face in 1931?
The belief they had an unbalanced budget would mean more borrowing - yanks got scared and panic sold the £.
Labour had to make cuts to stabilise and reassure - 10% cut in unemployment assistance.
