British Domestic Politics 1929-1939

Question 1

What does CPGB stand for?

Answer 1

The Communist Party of Great Britain.

Question 2

In 1920, the CPGB had how many members?

Answer 2

2.5K

Question 3

CPGB beliefs included…

Answer 3

1. Absolute equality - a classless society.
2. Common ownership rather than private ownership.
3. Revolution to the rich.

Question 4

Why did Communism grow in the 1930s?

Answer 4

• Unemployment of the 30s.
• Hunger marches led by communist leaders.
• Weakness of the government.
• Collapse of the Labour Government in 1931.
• The fact the National Government failed to reduce the unemployment rate quickly.

Question 5

Who funded the CPGB?

Answer 5

The USSR - The Comintern secretly funded the CPGB.

Question 6

The communists in Britain published what?

Answer 6

Propaganda - the main in the “The Daily Worker” newspaper, which reached the circulation of 80K people.
This targeted the younger population in particular university students.

Question 7

What were communists who attended Cambridge university called?

Answer 7

The Apostles.

Question 8

Three failures of the Communist Party.

Answer 8

1. The party was constrained by official policy set down from Moscow. This involved trying to join with other reforming parties from 1921 to 1929. The Communist Party was caught between trying to work with Labour and trying to be independent.
2. The party faced opposition. It was discredited by the Zinoviev letter in 1924 and the anti-Russian propaganda.
3. The policy urged by Moscow of stirring up revolution and class conflict by forming ‘red unions’ resulted in hostility from the TUC and achieved little.

Question 9

What does the BUF stand for?

Answer 9

BUF stands for the British Union of Fascists.

Question 10

Who led the BUF?

Answer 10

Oswald Moseley.

Question 11

By 1934, how many members did the BUF have?

Answer 11

50K !

Question 12

What were Fascist beliefs?

Answer 12

1. There should be a strong leadership - against democracy because it is said to lead to division; national unity overcomes class divisions.
2. Strong racial beliefs meaning they were against immigration and ethnic minorities.
3. The state would take over the economy and bring in tariffs.

Question 13

Three failings of the Fascists in Britain.

Answer 13

1. Many people believed that the use of such violence was unnecessary, it shocked the public.
2. Led to the Daily Mail withdrawing their support - membership of the BUF fell from 50K in June 1934 to 5K in June 1935.
3. Battle of Cable Street 1936 - Moseley tried to intimidate the Jews in the East End by organising a march through the streets - Jews and Communists barricaded the streets - led to ugly violence.

Question 14

When was Moseley interned?

Answer 14

1939.

Question 15

When was the abdication Crisis?

Answer 15

1936

Question 16

Who was the prime minister of the second Labour Government 1929-1931?

Answer 16

Macdonald, he remained prime minister of the minority government.

Question 17

Who passed the Housing Act of 1930?

Answer 17

Arthur Greenwood passed the 1930 Act.

Question 18

What did the Housing Act of 1930 begin to subsidies for?

Answer 18

Slum clearances. Slum areas of housing existed in most inner city areas and were generally old, neglected and unhealthy places to live.

Question 19

What did the 1930 Housing Act lead to?

Answer 19

The clearance of more slums than at any time previously, and the building of 700K new homes.

Question 20

What did the Unemployment Insurance Act of 1930 entail?

Answer 20

It restored the cuts made in the unemployment provision by the Conservatives and increased the number of workers who were eligible for ‘transitional benefit’, in other words, money paid when their payments under the unemployment scheme ran out.

Question 21

How successful was the Unemployment Insurance Act of 1930?

Answer 21

The government was forced to reintroduce cuts in 1931 and the levels of unemployment doubled and more; 2.6 million were now out of work.

Question 22

Three terms of the Road Traffic Act of 1930.

Answer 22

1. Driving offences were introduced into law such as dangerous driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.
2. Drivers had to have third party insurance and the first driving tests were introduced, though only initially to disabled drivers.
3. There were more restrictions to govern the construction of motor vehicles and the Highway Code was introduced.

Question 23

Two measures that reflected Labour’s belief in more government control.

Answer 23

1. The London Transport Bill of 1931 - brought London trams, buses, and underground under one public authority.
2. The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1931, increased controls over producers.

Question 24

What significant event happened in 1929?

Answer 24

The Wall Street Crash

Question 25

What happened to stock markets during the Wall Street Crash?

Answer 25

The stock market fell by 89% and many people experienced bankruptcies.

Question 26

What is said to be the cause of the Wall Street Crash?

Answer 26

They say that overproduction was the cause. Lead to deflation in prices and profits.

Question 27

What is the phrase that describes the affects of the Wall Street Crash?

Answer 27

“When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold.”

Question 28

How did the Wall Street Crash affect GB?

Answer 28

• Britain soon felt the effects of the loss of the American markets and the reduction in European trade as other nations suffered.

Question 29

By the end of 1932, how high was unemployment?

Answer 29

Unemployment rose to almost 3 million by the end of 1932.

Question 30

What British industries suffered the most from the crash?

Answer 30

Staple industries, like coal and shipbuilding.

Question 31

Who was the Chancellor 1929-1931?

Answer 31

Snowden.

Question 32

What did the Coal Mines Act of 1930 follow?

Answer 32

Rationalisation; struggling industries should be restructured, and the inefficient ones should be closed done.

Question 33

The Coal Mines Act of 1930 brought in what?

Answer 33

The 7.5 hour working day to tackle overproduction.

Question 34

Snowden brought in the Agricultural Market Act of 1931, what was the aim of this?

Answer 34

To restrict production, encourage efficiency, and maintain prices.

Question 35

What group made use of the Agricultural Marketing Act?

Answer 35

The Hops farmers who formed the Hope Marketing Board in 1932, and succeeded in raising the very low prices of hops paid by the brewers by 70%!

Question 36

Why did Snowden introduce extensive public work schemes?

Answer 36

To get people back to work and using their wages to buy goods which in turn would stimulate production.