Baldwin, the Conservatives and the General Strike Flashcards
How did WW1 benefit the Conservatives?
- Liberal failures and splits led to Cons. being included in Asquith and L.G. coalitions
- Robert Blake : ‘On almost every issue that came up, Cons. trad. and ideology was better suited than Liberal to meet the needs of the hour’
- Party which stood for patriotism, strong defence and conscription
- Cons. claimed some credit for the war -335 Conservatives elected in coalition gov.
How did the changed Irish situation help the Conservatives?
When the Anglo-Irish Treaty partitioning Ireland came into operation 1922, no longer any Irish Nationalist MP’s in the commons. Up to 1918, always at least 80 Irish Nationalists who always supported Liberals. The only Irish MP’s in Commons were largely Ulster Unionist -> Cons.
Why was Baldwin a good interwar leader?
- Ideas in a pamphlet = Looking Ahead, in 1924
- Moderate consensus, a partnership between employers and workers, rejected the idea of a class war
- Treated his own workforce with sympathy and understanding, applied the same methods to national labour relations with the exception of GS
- Highly respected by Labour MP’s
- Commons speech 1925 -> killed off a ‘die-hard’ Conservative private member’s bill to reduce TU’s power and ended with the plea : ‘Give peace in our time, O Lord’
- A popular figure in the country and a great electoral asset -> media. Even in 1929 election, won by Lab, Cons. polled more votes than Labour.
- Reunited the Cons. party, holding it together until his retirement 1937
Describe the relationship between the upper classes and the Conservatives
They could always rely on the support of the majority of the upper classes and the upper middle classes - broadly speaking, people of wealth and property - as well as much of the lower middle class; all these sections of society felt that the Cons. Party could best be relied on to safeguard their interests. These were people who had the education, the financial resources, the influence and the press support needed to keep a political party at the forefront.
Describe the relationship between the working class and the Conservatives
Adept at winning sufficient working class support - probably in the region of a third of WC votes.
Explain the Conservative’s continuing popularity due to its readiness to adapt to changing circumstances?
Its basic principles were quite vague: provided the existing capitalist power structure was preserved, so that political power was kept in the hands of the wealthy, property-owning class, the Conservatives were prepared to introduce important reforms. Under Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain, the party again showed its readiness to pursue social reform, and even moved towards collectivism.
What were some important domestic achievements 1924-9?
- The Widows, Orphans and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act (1925).
- The vote was extended to women at the age of 21 but plural voting not abolished
- The Unemployment Insurane Act (1927) increased contributions and reduced benefits, but had the great advantage that benefit would be paid for an indefinite period, provided an unemployed person had been genuinely seeking work. The Conservatives had accepted the principle of long-term maintenance by the state.
- The Central Electricity Board became responsible for the distribution of electricity
- National Grid was started
Outline the Local Government Act, 1929
- Chamberlain
- provided a complete overhaul of local government organisations, rates and provision for the poor: Poor Law Unions abolished and functions taken over by county and county borough councils
- Agricultural land and farm buildings were made exempt from payment of rates, and ind. property and railways made to pay only a quarter of previous rate => designed to encourage farmers and industrialists to expand operation and provide more jobs
- Local councils would receive a block grant from the gov. to cover the cost of services to the poor, and other functions such as public health, slum clearance, roads , and town and country planning. -> much fairer system, expenses were being shared by whole body of taxpayers instead of poor areas with high unemployment having to foot the bill from rates collected locally
How did the war cause the General Strike?
- Background of post-war economic depression -> falling exports and mass unemployment
- During the war, the gov. had nationalised the coal mines in order to control the industry directly
- Great advantage for miners : they were paid a national wage instead of miners in different pits receiving wage levels which varied accordingly to the profitability of the mine.
- Miners wanted nationalisation to continue, but once the immediate post-war crisis was over in 1921, L.G. returned the miners to private control
How did industrialists contribute to the General Strike?
- Failed to promote greater efficiency and more mechanisation, which would have enabled them to compete better with other countries
- Tended to blame declining profits on higher wages, attempts to reduce wages caused strained relations with their workforces
What were the problems of the coal industry in the 20’s?
- Coal sales were probably worse hit than other industries
- stiff competition from G + P which had more mechanised pits
- In 1925, only 20% of British output was produced by coal-cutting machines, rest was produced by hand-picks
- France + Italy were receiving free coal from G as part of reparations
Why was nationalisation of the mines popular?
It was widely believed that only gov. control could bring about the essential modernisation that would enable the industry to survive.
What impacts did the return to the gold standard?
April 1925, worsened the export position of all British industries, not just coal. Keynes and Churchill had over-valued the pound by 10%, making British exports that much more expensive.
How did the coal situation worsen in June 1925?
There was a sudden drop in coal exports, following a brief revival while the G mines in the Ruhr were closed during Gr occupation. The owners announced that they would have to lower wages, abandon the national wage rate and increase hours. The miners protested and threatened action.
How did Baldwin react to the coal situation in June 1925?
Baldwin saved the situation temporarily by providing a gov. subsidy for 9 months to keep wages at the existing levels until a Royal Commission under Sir Herbert Samuel could come up with a solution. Gov. began to make preparations so that it would not have to give way if miners tried the same tactic again.
