Britain 5- politics in wartime

Question 1

What act was passed on 1914 and gave the state an unprecedented level of control on people’s lives?

Answer 1

Defence of the realm act (DORA)

Question 2

What were the 4 terms of the DORA act?

Answer 2

-control of info: censorship and measures against spying
-protection of important centres of communication (e.g. docks and railways)
-regulation of all aspects of people’s live such as food rationing
-increased powers to detain without trial

Question 3

What was DLG put in charge of during the war?

Answer 3

Ministry of munitions

Question 4

When did the Liberals split?

Answer 4

During the 1918 Maurice debate

Question 5

What was the Maurice debate?

Answer 5

A letter to the times newspaper from General Maurice claiming the govt had lied about the strength of the British army in France

Question 6

What did DLG take over when Kitchener died and what year?

Answer 6

Secretary of war, 1916

Question 7

Why did Labour end its wartime co-operation with DLG?

Answer 7

When Arthur Henderson was refused permission to attend a conference in Stockholm which all socialist parties of all countries still fighting were attending

Question 8

What did being freed from being a part of the govt allow Henderson to work on?

Answer 8

Reorganising the Labour Party and putting together it’s policies for post- war Britain

Question 9

How much did trade union membership increase during and by the end of the war?

Answer 9

Doubled reaching 8 million

Question 10

Why was an election called before the end of 1918?

Answer 10

In order to continue the war- time coalition

Question 11

What was the coupon election and what year?

Answer 11

Election and anyone who supported the coalition were given a certificate signed by DLG and Bonar Law and was nicknamed a ‘coupon’

Question 12

What had been passed before the 1918 election which impacted the results?

Answer 12

The representation of the people act

Question 13

What issues that had already existed before war, did DLG’s govt have to cope with again after the war?

Answer 13

Comp from the rising economic power of Germany and USA, worries about the growth of the trade union movement and divisions over Home rule in Ireland

Question 14

What issued created by the war did DLG’s govt have to deal with?

Answer 14

Govt debt, dislocation of trade and industry, problem of demobilising 5 million men

Question 15

Give 4 examples of reform introduced by DLG’s govt after the war

Answer 15

1918, Education act
1919, Addison’s housing act
1920, unemployment act
1920, Agricultural act

Question 16

What didn’t the 1918 education act involve?

Answer 16

Raised the school leaving age to 14 and gave large grants to local authorities to improve teacher’s salaries

Question 17

What did Addison’s housing act involve?

Answer 17

Obliged all local authorities to ensure people had decent housing, 170,000 subsidised houses were built

Question 18

What did the extension of the Unemployment act 1920 do?

Answer 18

Covered an additional 12 million workers with unemployment insurance

Question 19

What did the agricultural act 1920 do?

Answer 19

Supported agriculture by maintaining the war time guarantee of prices for wheat and oats. Guaranteed minimum wage for farm labourers

Question 20

By 1922, what problems did DLG’s coalition govt face?

Answer 20

Period of economic depression (cuts in govt spending), DLG’s colleague Addison left the Ministry of health when subsidies for housing were ended, increased trade union activity and industrial disruption, trouble in Ireland, Bonar Law resigned due to ill health in 1921

Question 21

When was the ‘Honours scandal’?

Answer 21

1922

Question 22

What was the ‘honours scandal’?

Answer 22

DLG was accused of selling peerages to finance his own political part through the ‘Lloyd George Fund’

Question 23

what happened in Turkey and how did it affect Lloyd George’s leadership?

Answer 23

war in Turkey and DLG wanted to send troops but doesn’t get the public support. His popular position is diminishing

Question 24

why did the resignation of Bonar Law lead to the failure of the coalition govt?

Answer 24

he acted as the mutual relationship between conservative backbenchers and DLG and he was replaced by Chamberlain who was less effective and critical of DLG.

Question 25

what govt policies were the Liberals unhappy with and why?

Answer 25

unhappy with interventionist position of the govt in the war
uncomfortable with conscription- 1916
some believed state was threatening civil liberties with DORA 1914

Question 26

what were the issues with govt during the war which meant that the direction if the war was hesitant?

Answer 26

-new coalition cabinet had 23 members which was too many to carry out business of conducting war
-tension within coalition (all key positions held by Liberals and conservatives didnt trust Asquith

Question 27

what year did the conservatives completely withdraw support for Asquith?

Answer 27

1916

Question 28

what did DLG propose in response to the conservatives withdrawing support for Asquith and wanting DLG to replace him?

Answer 28

proposed the creation of a small war cabinet consisting of hinself, Bonar Law + Carson.
Asquith would remain PM but not be part of cabinet

Question 29

what did many Liberal MPs continue to do after Asquith’s replacement by DLG?

Answer 29

many continued to recognise Asquith as party leader but pledged to support govt in conduct of war. Many viewed DLG as a traitor

Question 30

what marked the Labour party’s involvement in the war-time coalition?

Answer 30

Arthur Henderson (1916) became first-ever Labour politician to be given a place in cabinet as the cooperation of the TUs was considered vital to the war effort

Question 31

as part of the coalition govt, what did the Labour party push for?

Answer 31

fixed wartime rents at prewar levels, ‘fair play’, controls on profiteering and unrestricted market forces and for high taxation of war profits

Question 32

what were the results of Labour’s push for policies during war?

Answer 32

1917- price controls introdued which helped stabilise food prices and an excess profits duty introduced in 1915. these both helped enhance Labour’s credibility