Balfour's government

Question 1

Things Balfour did well (social and political reforms)

Answer 1

• 1902 Education Act → compulsory Secondary Education
• Taxes to fund C of E schools
• 1902 alliance with Japan to deter Russian ambissions in Afghanistan, Persia and Tibet
• 1903- Conservative Irish Land Act → made loans more available cheaply for those who wanted to buy their own land
• 1904 Licensing Act → limiting number of pubs
• 1904 Britain and France sign → Entente Cordiale which improved their relationship and ended their disputes over land in North Africa
• 1905 Unemployed Workman Act → grants to businesses in order to provide more jobs
• Sir John Fisher Naval reforms → organisation improved but needed Lib. gov of 1906 to see radical changes

Question 2

Incident that undermined political voices of workers under Balfour

Answer 2

Taff Vale and ASRS union- 1901

Question 3

What happened at Taff Vale?

Answer 3

1901
Short term:
Undermined worker’s voice (striking) as the ASRS had to pay £42,000 to the Taff Vale Railway company

Long term:
Spurred on the development of the Labour party as workers felt that they needed a voice and legislation to underline the rights of trade unions.

Question 4

What were the positives of tariffs?

Answer 4

• Allowed Britain to remain isolationist and support growth of internal industry
• Allowed Britain to maintain tariffs that encouraged drinking of beer over wine (therefore remaining more reliant on Irish industry) since the 1810s
• Helped to strengthen the empire → more reliant on imports / exports to colonies

Question 5

Positives of free trade?

Answer 5

• The idea of free trade would cause countries more interdependent on each other and therefore could make war eventually impossible
• Free trade meant that the price of food would remain low
  Free trade
• Many saw tariffs and protectionism as furthering interests of the elite who ran the country as it would allow them to monopolise on certain industries and increase the price of everyday necessities for the working man

Question 6

What were the reasons that Balfour’s government lost the 1906 election?

Answer 6

1. Moral humanitarian issue of Chinese slavery- Balfour’s government was accused of bringing Chinese labourers to South Africa to mine gold and diamonds.
2. Rise of trade unions- increasing pressure for workers rights which Balfour didn’t adhere to
3. Lib-Lab pact- 1903 pact with labour helped to draw in voters
4. Tariff reform → no agreement on conservative policy in contrast to clear liberal stance on free trade
5. Non-conformists → didn’t want public funds going to new church of england schools, didn’t like taxes being paid out in compensation for brewers due to the 1904 Licensing Act
6. Ireland

Question 7

Why did Balfour and parliament want to move Britain away from isolationism at the turn of the 20th century?

Answer 7

Britain had lots of potential enemies:
* France- scramble for Afrcia
* Germany- new fleet starting in 1898
* Russian ambissions in far East → Afghanistan, Tibet, Persia
* Economic disputes with USA

Question 8

What were the unintended consequences of the Entente Cordiale?

Answer 8

Although the agreement between France and Britain was not a binding one of any sort and was intended to settle border disputes and control of colonies, Germany felt “encircled” by the agreement and effective political allignment between France and Britain for the next two world wars.

Question 9

What Act supported the anti-foreign feeling in the UK?

Answer 9

Aliens Act 1905- reducing immigration after more Jewish immigrants from Russia escaping persecution