Britain 16 Challenges to stability Flashcards
what caused the abdication crisis?
the well-loved king Edward VIII had been attracted by Wallis Simpson and by traditional standards she was unfit to be queen so when the king announced his intention to marry her, there was a constitutional crisis
why was Wallis Simpson unfit to be queen?
American with no Royal or aristocratic connections and had been married and divorced once and had a second husband who she was in the process of divorcing
what was one proposed solution by the king which was rejected by Baldwin?
a radio broadcast asking if the population would accept a morganatic marriage
when did king Edward VIII abdicate?
11th Dec 1936
who replaced Edward VIII following his abdication?
his brother became king George VI
why was the abdication crisis a success for Baldwin?
he earned praise for his typically calm and unflustered handling of the crisis
when was the BUF founded and by who?
Oct 1932, Oswald Mosley
how did Mosley promote the BUF?
used his ability as an orator and gave hundreds of speeches, published 3 books and wrote many articles
whos support did the BUF have?
Lord Rothermere of Daily Mail
how many members did the BUF have?
50,000 by 1934
where was the BUF strongest?
northern cities like liverpool, Manchester and Leeds
who were the typical supporters of the BUF?
young W-C men disillusioned with traditional political parties and the system which they believed showed limited effort to deal with unemployment unlike fascist Italy and Germany
how was the BUF’s threat limited?
never became a mass movement. the BUF was a failure with no MPs or councillors elected. following the violence in the Olympia hall in 1934, lost support of Lord Rothermere. ‘Battle of cable street’- 1936 was another example of BUF violence
what was the british communist party?
CPGB
what was the philosophy of the CPGB?
to provide the W-C and M-C supporters with a more equal and progressive society
what events caused the increase in CPGB support?
mass unemployment, break-up of Labour govt-1931 and creation of BUF-1932
how did the CPGB gain support?
several TU leaders were members, communists played key role in major strikes and in organisation like the NUWM, which organised hunger strikes and and mass demonstrations (Led to some violence)
what did the CPGB membership increase by during the early 1930s?
doubled
what was the name of the communist newspaper and what was the daily circulation?
the Daily Worker, 80,000
what was the communist book club and how many members?
Left Book club, 50,000 members by 1939
how was the CPGB’s threat limited?
never had more than 1800 members + NG never seriously worried, police kept a close eye on activities and legislation could be used to prosecute
how did NG policies limit political extremism?
-1934 Incitement to Disaffection Act-prosecute anyone advocating revolution or violence
-public order act 1936- forbade wearing of political uniform + police greater power to control and ban political meetings and demonstrations
how did the 1931 and 35 general elections show there was limited threat of extremism?
ensured stability and prevent extremist parties from exploiting any power vacuums
how did the Labour movement limit political extremism
leading TUists like Bevin spent much of their career fighting communist influence in TUs, rejected all attempts by communists to bring about a ‘popular front’
