Britain 1- The Liberal crisis Flashcards
what were the conservatives key ideology and policys? (1900-1906)
continued union with Ireland, maintenance of empire, limited intervention in businesses, strong foreign policy
what was the impact of the Boar wars on the conservatives? (1900-1906)
support decreased after revelations of Britain’s tactics in the Boar war and ‘Chinese slavery’ scandal
conservatives
what was Lord Salisbury’s impact on the conservatives?
Described as an adept political manipulator, became conservative leader in 1881, he became prime minister 3 times, the Conservatives dominated British politics under Salisbury as prime minister
what was Arthur Balfour’s impact on the conservatives?
leader of the conservative party (1891) and prime minister (1902), indecisive and weak leader, his party was seen as divided
he was a Liberal
what was Joseph Chamberlain’s impact on the conservative party?
first a radical Liberal and then a Liberal unionist, Salisbury has constantly struggled to keep him on a tight leash
what were the failures of the conservatives after 1900?
Balfour’s government appeared increasingly short of ideas, enthusiasm for the empire waned after revelations of British tactics in the Boar wars and ‘Chinese slavery scandal’, social investigators (e.g. Booth and Rowntree) had exposed the depth of poverty in Britain yet the conservatives had not introduced any major reforms for 20 years
what were the Liberals key ideology and policys? (1900-1906)
Laissez-Faire (supported limited state intervention) for a minimum living standard for all, free trade, quotas, defending the rights and freedoms of the individuals, reducing privilege and educating working classes
what was Herbert Asquith’s impact on the Liberals?
After the Boar wars, he and other Liberals believed that war should be supported largely to prevent accusations of a lack of patriotism, he was Campbell Bannerman’s chancellor, he was a skilled debater and fearsome political strategist, longest serving prime minister in the first half of the century winning 2 elections in 1910, reputation was tarnished by his failure to respond to the government crisis caused by WWI
what was David Lloyd George’s impact on the Liberals?
challenged Liberal Imperialists (such as Asquith) + believed war was morally wrong so was branded ‘pro- Boar’, prime minister 1916-22
what was Henry Campbell Bannerman’s impact on the Liberal party?
as war dragged on and lost its appeal the Liberals began to re-group under his leadership, faced with the prospect of a minority government, he called an election to contrast the conservative’s fighting within the party over Tariff reform woth the firm commitment to free trade, this gamble won them 400 seats
what was the impact of the Boar war on the Liberals?
the war caused divide within the party between ‘pro boars’ and people who agreed with the war.
successes of the Liberal party (1900-1914) (2)
New Liberalism was formed which gave them a new appeal to the working class, won 400 seats in the 1906 election
what were the failures of the Liberal Party (1900-14)? (2)
Boar war caused a divide in party (‘pro-Boars’ and ‘pro-wars’), conservative majority still in HOL
what was the labour party’s main support base?
trade unions and working class
what pact did Ramsay Macdonald (labour) agree to with the Liberals in 1903 and what did this mean?
the electoral pact which meant 31 LRC candidates fight the conservatives alone
what were the successes of the Labour party (1900-14)? (3)
formed an electoral pact with Liberals allowing 31 LRC candidates to fight conservatives, trade disputes act in 1906 reversed the Taff Vale decision, more unions began to affiliate to Labour + increased their seats to 42 in December 1910
what was the failure of the Labour party (1900-14)?
initially, they lacked funds and only managed to contest 15 seats in the 100 election and had only one two of these
what 3 social problems did the British state face in 1906?
stark contrast between wealth and poverty, inequality (4 million lived at or below substinence, educational opportunities were still limited for the vast majority
what 2 political problems did the British state face in 1906?
women and many men did not yet have the right to vote in parliamentary elections, UK was England centered, demands were growing for devolved power especially in Ireland
what 2 economic problems did the British state face in 1906?
Britain’s industrial and commercial supremacy was being challenged by USA and Germany, there were stark contrasts between wealth and poverty (10% of people owned 90% of the countries wealth.
why did the education act cause the conservatives to lose support before the 1906 General election?
it roused the fury of non-conformists who were outraged that their taxes might be spent on church of England schools
why did the Licensing act of 1904 cause the conservatives to lose votes and Liberals to gain before the 1906 General election?
this annoyed the temperance section of the non-conformists voters who switched to voting for Liberal
why did the chinese labour issue cause the conservatives to lose votes and Liberals to gain before the 1906 General election?
it damaged the conservative government in the eyes of non-conformists and trade unions as non-conformists disagreed with the treatment of the Chinese and trade unions feared a decrease in wages
why did the Taff Vale case cause the conservatives to lose votes and Liberals to gain before the 1906 General election?
the conservatives failed to take the part of the trade unions during the cse when they ruled the company as within its rights to sue the trade unions. trade unions were horrified and now unable to call successful strikes so no longer supported the conservatives and voted Liberals in order to campaign against them.
what were the three reasons for the Liberals introducing a series of reforms?
political strategy (gaining support), improving national efficiency, genuine desire to reduce poverty
what were the differences between old and new Liberalism?
old- Laisezz-faire, limited state intervention, ‘self-help’
new- state intervention, new ideas e.g national insurance, free school meals, ‘safety nets’, implied higher govt spending
what two issues divided the Liberals before 1906?
free trade and Laissez faire
which nations had inspired much of the new Liberals’ social reform?
New Zealand, Germany
who were the four main new Liberals?
Henry Campbell Bannerman, H.H Asquith, David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill
why was national efficiency a reason for the Liberal’s social reforms? (1906-14)
need for healthy working class for military and economic reasons
why were political interests a reason for the Liberal’s social reforms? (1906-14) (3)
thought that limited amount of reform would satisfy the people + prevent working class voters from supporting radical ideas; not too much reform as middle class would resent the extra taxes needed; ambitions of individuals=a (Lloyd George and Churchill)
3 successes of the early Labour party
30 MPs in Parliament, trade union memebership increased (900,000 to 1.5 million), Local labour societies 1906= 83 to 1914= 158
3 failures of the early Labour party
new MPs (working class men mainly) had limited education and administrative experience so were intimidated; financial crisis- lost their funding and salaries for MPs; they did not form a strong cohesive body
how did the conservatives still remain poweful after losing a majority in the HOC?
used their majority in the HOL to block the Liberal policies
what was the HOL’s nicknamed following the 1906 election?
‘Balfour’s poodle’
how did intellectuals contribute to the emergence of new liberalism?
intellectuals such as T.H. Green, L.T. Hobhouse and J.A Hobson argued that old Liberalism put too much stress on the individual and not enough on the role of the state in society therefore they supported the idea of state intervention.
how did Herbert Asquith contribute to the emergence of new Liberalism? (3)
passes a range of new Liberalism influenced reforms, appointed Lloyd George and Churchill who both supported radical social legislation, good debating skills so dominated HOC
how did David Lloyd George contribute to the emergence of new Liberalism? (3)
introduced Old Age Pensions Bill (1908), planned national insurance scheme, genuine concern to improve standard of living for very poor
how did Winston Churchill contribute to the emergence of new Liberalism? (2)
played key role in trade boards act + setting up labour exchanges, concerned about the issue of low wages and unemployment
how did Campbell-Bannerman contribute to the emergence of new Liberalism?
passed multiple reforms (e.g free school meals); passed the first wave of reform legislation, united different factions of the Liberal party
when was the Lib-Lab pact?
1903
name two reasons why the labour movement was growing at grassroots level
increase in trade unions, minimum standard of living
who led the conservatives in the House of Lords?
Balfour
what bill put forward by the Liberals had to be abandoned due to the response from the lords?
the peoples budget
why was the 1909 budget so contentious?
money for the reform meant taxing rich land owners
what was the education act (1902) and who did it anger?
The act meant all schools were funded from local rates and was created to improve how schools were payed for
what did the 1904 Licensing act reduce the power of?
public houses
what was the Taff Vale Case and who did it anger?
the Conservatives ruled that a company was within its rights to sue a trade union which infuriated trade unions as it made it almost impossible for them to call successful strikes.
what was the Tariff reform campaign? (1903)
Chamberlain wanted to reintroduce taxes on imported goods with a lower level tariff for goods imported from countries within the British empire compared to from non-empire countries
what is Irish Home Rule?
the idea that Ireland should have its own parliament and government whilst still remaining within the UK.
how much of the country was considered ‘poor’? (1906)
30%
which two reforms were an attempt to reach a healthy workforce for national efficiency (1906-14)
health insurance and old age pensions
which two individuals contributed to social reform during 1906-14 due to ambition?
Lloyd George and Churchill
what was the order of the Liberal leaders? (1898-1931)
Henry Campbell Bannerman 1898-1908, H.H Asquith 1908-1926, David Lloyd George 1926-1931
who were the three main individuals linked to the conservative party?
Lord Salisbury, Arthur Balfour, Joseph Chamberlain
who were the three main individuals linked to the Liberals?
Herbert Asquith, David Lloyd George, Henry Campbell-Bannerman
why did Chamberlain break away from the radical wing of the Liberal party and who did he join instead?
because he didnt believe in home rule for Ireland, he oined the Liberal Unionists
what is imperial preference?
lower tax on good imported form within the empire
what reforms did the conservatives make prior to 1906 election to improve social reforms?
nothing other that the 1902 education act
what were the advantages of imperial preference?
protect British industry, provide revenue for social reform and strengthen the empire
how did the Boar war gain the Liberals support?
harsh tactics and highlighted malnutrition
what year was the taff vale case?
1901
what year was the lib lab pact?
1903
how many did the Liberals have in the 1906 election?
401
what did the Boer war expose?
malnutrition present especially in cities and concerns about physical decline of British race. Liberals gained support by claiming conservatives had neglected poverty in cities
what was the 1904 licensing act also known as?
a ‘brewers bill’
why was conservative leadership a reason for their loss in 1906?
Balfour, although highly intelligent, lacked political skill and was not sensitive to public opinion and appeared not to understand the deep social issues of the time
what were the issues with New liberalism?
implied higher govt spending which contradicted traditional Liberal emphasis on thrift and low taxation
