Challenges faced by the National Gov. (1a) Flashcards
What challenges did the national gov. face?
- Dealing with the rise of extremism
- Confronting the economic challenge of the Great Depression
Why did extremism fail to gain support in Britain?
Partly due to the national gov.
Who was Oswald Mosley and the BUF?
Oswald Mosley formed the BUF (British Union of Fascists) in 1932 with the aim of emulating Mussolini style leadership
What was the BUF like?
Racist and anti semitic
How was the BUF party funded?
By Mosley himself and some wealthy aristocrats
How many members did the BUF have in the 1930s?
50,000
What was the ‘Battle of Cable Street’?
- Took place in 1936
- The BUF marched through East London (home to many Jews and Irish immigrants)
- Turned into a violent clash
What made the BUF even more unpopular?
WW2, Mosley was imprisoned for 3 years until 1943 and the BUF was banned
What was the Communist Party of Great Britain like?
More successful than Mosley and the BUF
When did the CPGB gain MPs and how many?
One in 1924 and 1935
What was the maximum of the vote that the CPGB gained?
0.4%; British electorate rejected communism
What prevented Communism from ever taking off?
Traditions and the strength of Trade Unions
What did the CPGB use to try and infiltrate the Labour party?
- They used ‘entryism’
- This involved trying to steer their ideas further to the left
- Labour banned CPGB members from joining Labour to support this
When did the CPGB gain some support?
After Russia helped to defeat Nazi Germany
What did unemployment never fall below in the interwar period?
1 million
What did unemployment rise to in 1932?
3 million
In 1929 what was unemployment like?
5% of the unemployed had been jobless for over a year
In 1932 what was unemployment like?
16.5% of the unemployed had been jobless for over a year
What lead to a fall of union membership?
- Mass unemployment
- By almost 50%
- From 8 million in 1922 to 4.5 million in 1932
Which workers tended to fight harder for their jobs and pay?
Traditional heavy industries - it was against employers wanting to make cuts and improve productivity
Who did the government try to support during this time?
The unemployed, but they didn’t have the resources to do this
Also the gov. tended to side with the employer in trade disputes
What industry was in terminal decline and working conditions remained poverty stricken?
Traditional heavy industries (by 1939)
When did the National gov. remove the £ from the gold standard?
1931
What happened when the National gov. removed the £ from the gold standard?
The value of the pound depreciated from $4.80 to $3.40
What did removing the £ from the gold standard allow?
Quicker recovery from the depression compared to other countries
How did unemployment change after the £ was removed from the gold standard in 1931?
Unemployment fell from 17% to 8.5% between 1932 and 1937
What happened to interest rates when the £ was removed from the gold standard in 1931?
Interest rates were cut from 6% to 2%, leading to greater borrowing
This policy was called ‘Cheap money’
How much was the rate of long term gov. borrowing cut by after the £ was removed from the gold standard in 1931?
1.5%, slashing the cost of gov. debt repayment
What did greater borrowing trigger after the £ was removed from the gold standard in 1931?
A boom in mortgages and house building
How were exports and industrial production affected by the £ being removed from the gold standard in 1931?
- Exports were cheaper as prices of British goods fell by 45% + sales went up by 28%
- Industrial production rose by 46%
