Britain Political Flashcards
WW1 statistics
£8 billion war debt
700,000 dead
1.4 million wounded
Coupon election 1918
coalition 478 seats
asquith 28 seats
Chanak Affair 1922
LG threatened Turkey with war without common wealth consent
Irish Settlement 1922
LG wanted to split Ireland, threatened war to get his way
Unemployment insurance act 1921
Dole expanded
Addison housing act 1919
promised 500,000 homes
only delivered 213,000
Gender disqualification act 1919
illegal to bar women from jobs
people still did
Agricultural act 1920
wanted to stabilise wages for farmers
wages fell from 46 shilling to 36 shilling
Unemployment June 1921
2 million
LG resigns
October 1922 - bonar law takes over
1922 election
Cons 37%
Labour 29.4%
Bonar law administration
Poor USA relation, occupation of Ruhr
Dies April 1923, no successor names
king asks baldwin
1923 election
Cons 258 seats, lost seats due to liberals uniting
Labour 191 seats
Hung parliament, Baldwin resigned
Labour 1st Term
lasted 11 months
Dawes plan 1924
£30 million loan to Russia
JP Campbell and Zinoviev letter
interfering in case, inquiry held, labour lost and resigned
letter published in daily mail calling for revolution loosing labour support
1924 election
Cons 419 seats
Labour 151 seats
Baldwin second term 1925-29
first full term since war
locarno treaty 1926
General Strike 1926
return to gold standard made exports expensive, hurt trade industry
£23 million to prop wages 31st July 1925
Samuel Commission April 1926 - not satisfied
May 3rd 1926 general strike 9 days
Gov lost £433 million
Trade Disputes act 1927
Banned strike action
Baldwin Legislation
Pensions act 1925
Unemployment act 1925 - 16 week cap removed
Central electricity board 1926 - creation of national grid
Representation of peoples expansion 1928 - women over 21 vote
Local government act 1929 - local council more control
1929 election
Cons 38% vote 260 seats
Labour 37% 288 seats
2nd labour government
Had to rely on Liberals
Coal mines act 1930 - fixed wages, reduced hours
The Great Depression
October 29th 1929
£100 million loan
Labour didnt have experience
May report July 1931
George May 10% wage cuts means test on dole benefits cut vote 11/9 party split, MacDonald hands in resignation
1932 unemployment rates
3 million
1931 election
National government wins 90% of seats
National government leadership
Macdonald 1931-1935
Baldwin 1935- 37
Chamberlain 1937
Cons used Macdonald as a puppet and dominated in backround
How did Britain improve exports
Devalued the currency by leaving the gold standard in 1931
How did National government enforce economic policy
interest rate cut from 6% in 1931 to 2% in 1932
1932 import duties bill - 10% tariff on imports
Special areas act
£2 million for worst parts of country
44k workers to move, 30k to go in training
not much achieved
Abdication crisis
Jan 1936 Edward 8th becomes king
hated due to nazi affiliation and gayness
Edward chooses Wallis Simpson over crown dec 1936
Liberal opposition
majorly split and faded out of politics
Labour opposition
lansbury takes over
1935 - most percentage of voters ever 154 seats
BUF
1932 Mosely 20k to 50k members 1934 long knives lost support got 18% of vote in London leaders arrested due to war
Communists
1920 created to co-op with Labour
helped by depression
faded in 1939
depression = 6000 members but only 75000 votes
Unemployed workers union
Wal Hannington
wanted to remove means test
1932 18 hunger marches with 2k people
faded due to recovery
