Challenges To The Status Quo 1886-1914- Society And Politics Flashcards
Voting sucess for liberals
1900- 44% - 184mps
1906- 49% - 400mps
Voting loss conservative
1900 51.1% 402mps (w support 68 lib unionists-against hr)
1906 43.6% 156mps
Labour sucess
1900 1.8% 2mps
1906 5.9% 30mps
Why lberals more sucessful despite not significant increase in percentage support
-fptp
-higher overall turnout
1906 election in ireland
Conservatives amd unionists more seats than liberals
And took all 9 university setats too
Wales 1906 results
Liberals 32 seats
Conservatives none- despite only just over half going to liberals
Scotland 1906
58/78 seats liberals
Extent of liberal landslide- geographic
-won traditional rural seats
-significant gains in south and east
-even won lancashhire- traditionally conservativ
-balfour lost own manchester east constituency
Lloyd george descriptoin of balfour
‘More a mannerism than a man’
Impact of education act 1902 on non-conformists
Chamberlain
‘Active instead of merely passive opponents’
Stat to show how education act 1902 changed conservative support
1900-1902 9/10 by elections won by conservatives
After failed
Why liberals so successful in wales 1906
Anti-education act most intense there
Tariff reform - impact within conservatives
1903- chamberelian- outline ddebate- ‘imperial preference
-perhaps a third were in favour in conservatives
-sept 1903- joe resigned from gov, as did several free traders- spread message to country
Balfour concerned about party quote
Sep 1905
Chief whip told him that the party machine was ‘sadly in need of repair’
Quote about how free trade unified liberals
‘Ideal party adhesive’ (pearce)
Newspaper support in 1906
Fewer supported conservatives than in 1900 but still more than of liberals
Asquith quote predicting liberal landslide
May 1903
Supposedly said to wife
‘It is only a question when we shall sweep the country’
How man nonconformusts in britain
4mill 1906
600,000 had vote
Hpw many catholics in england who could vote 1906
200,000
Tend to vote liberal
Why may jews vote liebral
Protest gov aliens act 1905
Why may trade unionists vote liberal
Taff vale judgement
Cartoon against tariff reform
Taxation would ‘flattening him out’ him being the working class- ‘larger share upon the masses’ ‘broadening the basis of taxation’
‘Tory rat’ ‘nibbling at the big loaf’ ‘in the poor man’s cupboard’ to make it a little loaf
How many in conc camps boer war
26,000 died
Mostly women and children
200,000 women and children died generally
By 1902- boer war
Less of a success
Kipling- ‘no end of a lesson for britain’
How many recruits were malnutritioned boer war
40%
Narrow chest
Stunted groth
Chamberlain quote on home ruke
‘Absolutelt opposed to such a policy’
Felt that it had drawn the partys attention away from urgently needed social reform
Liberal attempt to win back defectors
1887 round table conference
Liberal unionists
Split from liberals with own whips and organisation
60-80 mps
Home rule
Liberals who joined conservatives
Chamberlian
Colonial secretary 1895-1903
Trend followed by other upper middle class businessmen
Liberal decision to try to gain support when conservatives in power 1890s
With ‘speaker’ party mouthpeace- oppose everything that conservatives say
Distinguish between ‘the party of progress and the party of reaction’
Alternative approach to gaining support when conservatives in power 1890s
Haldane
Preferred a period of consolidation and regrouping
Until ‘the ground is cleared of the rubbih which covers it’
Roseberry attitude to gaining more support 1890s
Need single issue to unite
After anti-imperialist and removing glastonians
Dual vote for conservative support
7% of electorate had dual vote- where worked and lived
Defected from liberals
How many seats did conservatives loose in 1907
201
Quote for impact of tariff reform splitting party
‘This split the conservative party as fundamentally as home rule had split the liberals’
Impact of education act 1902
‘Stirring the hornets’ nest of nonconformist opinion’
Free trade side of liberals how helped to appeal working class- quote
‘Focus on a fundamental bread and butter issue which was bound to attract more working-class votes’
Was the liberal party dead or alive in 1914- diff perspectives
Liberals died 1910-1914
Healthy liberal party knocked out y ww1
More balanced interpretation
Liberals died 1910-1914- historian approach
Dangerfield
‘The strange death of liberal england’ 19335
Argued liberals couldnt handle agitation by ty, suffragettes and diff groups in ireland
Died ‘from disillusion over the inefficacy of the word ‘reform’’
Healthy liberal party knocked out by ww1- historian perspectie
Rjected danngeerfields view-wilson- ‘the downfall of the liebral party 1914-35’
Tu, labour, suffragettes- symptoms of illness
But ‘involved in an encounter w a rampant omnibus (ww1)’ ‘never to rise again’
More balanced approach to liberal decline- historian approach
Lemieux- 19965
Iin 1914- ‘cannot. Be gven a clean billl of health; many worrying signs were there’
Worst of unon militancy over
Suffragettes attracted publically but not threat
Hol tamed b6y parliament act
Labour party initial sucess
29 labour mps in 190066 due to lib lab pact, gained experience in parliament, liberals 397 mps, massive majority
Trade disputes act 1907660- based on labour party billl- meant tu peacefully picket without fear legla avyion draining their finances- proving more viable act
Miners federation of gb (mfgb)) affiliated to labour party
12 sponsored mps
Amalgamation of regional mnors union founded in 1888- hghly involved ndustrial action
Featherstone 1893, tonypandy 1910
Membershp over half mill
1911- helped labour- mps paid- no evidence as next election mid war 1915
Labour party decline in support
Ideological closeness of labour to liberals ‘tsole the labour party clothes’0- new ‘social democratic’ appeal
Labour managed to influence iwth workmens compensation act
Acts regarding school meals and medical inspections but input limited to mnor amndments
12 by-elections 1910-1914- failed to win ovver, lost 3 to liberals
Osborune judgement 1909- couldnt be dunded by tu- lost 8 seats n by elections and in 2 1910 elections
Labour lack of progress nationally
Came 3rd in contest with lib and con- relied on lib lab pact- no recognisable politicians
Even lacked in mining regions- between lib and lab most vote lib
progress locally- labour
Local councils- gained more each year up to 1914
91 councils in 19066 and 171 in 1913
Local support in lancasihre and yorkshire- 90 constituencies with working class majority
Signs that labour may be a threat in future 1914
Tu movement ncrease 2.660-4.1 mil 1910-14, 1.66mill union members affiliated to labour
Socilaist hstorians eg, pelling claim problems created by unon vilence show liberals out of sympathy wth working class- so demand labour
Mfgb affiliated- coal mining comm many now could vote
Under 1913 ty act- unions which wanted to raise funds for political partes hold ballot on this - overall members vote almsoot 300k to 125- win for
Judgement of threat of labour party 1910-14
1910-1914- not a serious threat0 lib still powerful and entreched
Aftter 1914 more so- tu act 1913- funds political party, mps now paid
19066 trade disputes act
Reveersed taff vale judgement
No case could be bought against a union for damages caused by strike action and making peaceful picketing legal
Tu strong legal position looking forward
Osbourne judgement 1909
Tu couldnt fund political parties
Lab mps not afford to take seats without funding by strong tu
1911 parliament act
Mps now paid
1913 tu act
Reversed osbourne judgement- tu had to vote to fund
1914- increase indusrial action
Great unrest
1910- 3 people killed miners strike s wales- police shot nto crowds- disputes over payment for miners
1911- 1 killed tonypandy
Liverpool- shot 2 dea
June 1911- seamons union went on strike and doctors and railways came out n sympathy
Why did the great unrest take place
Economy thriving and unemployment low- workers could agree to better wages
Tu members increase to 4 mill- more powerful
Russian rev 19065- class warfare, fighting against dictatorship, inspired chage
Trade disputes act- strike without fear of picketing
‘Sympathy strikes’ frequently employed- triple alliance of railwaymen, miners and transport worker foormed to give mutual sipport during strike action
How far syndicalsm threat to status quo
Offshoot socialism— unions run country, overthorw capitalism- status quo
Popular in europe- esp france
But not a considerable threat
People strike for economic not poliitcial reasons
Lack revzeal- germany france spain
Labour party against- macdonald claimed ‘the impatient, frenzied, thoughtless child of poverty dsappointment and responsibility’
How well was the great unrest adressed - yes
National insurance act 1911- health uneemployment
Miners given min wage
Lloyed george from wales- understood more about ordinary poeple
No rev- sundicalism didnst catch on
How well liberals respond to great unrest- badly
Heavy handedness
How much tu threat 1910-1914 to liberals
Moderate threat
Heavy handedness
Legislation
Security of gov
Heavy handedness- how much tu threat to liberals- yes
Gov brutal and illiberal over fatalities in tonypandy and liverpool
So called ‘workers rebellion’ of 1910-1914 another area for whch lib gov recieve criticism over as reaction
How much tu threat to liberals 1910-1914- heavy handedness- not
1912- lloyd george used threat of egrmands to offset potential strike
Lg effective mediator between employees and unions and often managed to avert strikes on national level
Legislation- tu threat to liberals- yes
Gov shouldve acted more swiftly to reverse osbourne judgement
Donald reid claims that ‘the gov had pushed an unemployment policy but had not atttempted to follow an overall labour policy’
Legislation- tu threat to liberals- not
Ni act 1011- aliviated worst effects unemployment
Min wage and limit hours
Introduced mechanisms to settle disputes such as industrial council and arbitration
Security of gov- tu threat to liberals- yes
Fears of syndicalism and general strike to bring down gov
The times described national miners strike as ‘the gretaest national catastrophe since the spanish armarda’
Security of gov- tu threat to liberals- not
Syndicalism threats dd not happen
Vast majority of strikes over economic rather than polictial issues
Arguments that women SHOULD have the vote
Women contribute more to society0- femal doctors cant but male drunkards could- illogical discrimination
Already pay taxes and rates but cant bvote
More likely. To get qual pay, politicians have to listen to their electerate- lookig at women who were opressed
Women should NOT have the vote
Too emotional
Too radical- ‘let the. Babies bote’ from gentlemans journal
Hgoes against nature, women disigned to have childen
Vote could lead to demand more- job when cant do the housework
Women are ignorant
Liberals concerned as women can by nature and not labour- male working calss
Suffragist
1897-
Fawcett- nuwss
United many women organisations
Democratic organisation
Men could join
Methods- lecture, write, organise more petitions, poster, leaflets
Suffragette
1903
Emmeline pankhurst and christabel and sylvia
Wspu
Branches all over country leaders not elected, dictated by pankhurst, men not allowed to join
Methods of suffragettes
Impatient wth peaceful methods ‘deeds not words’
1905 christable p and annie kennedy attend liberal party meeting shout - ‘willl the liberal gov. Giv women the vote
Police tried to remove them- christabel spat tin their face, chose prison over fine- publicity
Chain to buckingham palace railings
Attack property- toffee hammers
Lloyd george house bombed
Suffraggettes helped granting of female vote
At first many newspapers support- daily male- ‘no class have ever got the vote except at the risk of something like revolution’
Suffragettes convinced that violence helped the cause- ‘the arguemnnt of the broken pane of glass is the nmost valueable arguemnt in modern politcis’ pankhurst 1911
Presented as heros retrospectively- sufragette movement developed nto a tremendous force’- boyd
Suffragettes hinder granting of female vote
Damage causeed annoyance- ‘unwomanly tactics like heckling and pestering politicians’ ‘had alienated the more cautious sympathetics’- atkinson- historian
‘Nothng could indicate more plainly their lack of fitness to be entrusted with the exercise of political power’ mroning post 1912- hight of window breakiing campaign
‘Havent the suffragettes the sense to see that the worst way’ ‘is to’ ‘intimidate a man into giving them what he would gladly give otherwise- lloyd george 1912
How well did the lib party deal with suffraggettes
Tactics sucessful
Public opnion
Lib sucess/actions
Tactics suffraggettes- lib party sucessful in dealing with
Incrase suffragette militancy after 1910 signo f their desperation rather than sucess
Butler mlitant suffragettes ‘over reached’ themselves, raised fears of what may happen if women were gievn the vote
Suffragettes dealt with by lib- no- tactics suff
L1913 saw emily davidson die at derby
Arson attempt on post bozes, houses of politicains such as lloyd george
Public opinion- lib party deal wth suffraggets- yes
Pankhurst forced to flee country and contnue campaign from france
Defeat in 1923 of labour politican- lansbury by unionist anti-suffragette
Bow and brimley by election, stood on pro-suffragette ticket suggests not supported
Pubic opinion- not- dealt well with suffragetes
Force feeding of female politicaal prisoners who attempt hunger strikes destroy reputation of gov
Treatment of sufrfagettes often burtal and harsh- infamous cat and mouse act
Surely liberals active supporters of campaigns- political reform, mass of ndividuuals , attain injustifces
Lib sucess/actions- deal with suffragettes
By 1914- lib weathered storm of suffragette campagn
Most con eg. Lord curzon opposed women suffrage, illusion liberals not on a limb n terms of their stance and hd backing of parliament as a whole
Lib success/actions- lib party with suffragettes- no
Lab discredited in their refusal to grant women the vote before 1912
Leading lb feared concilliation billls gave rise to new breed of future con voters- gov backed out of conciliation bill 1912 as suffragette villnece increased
Factors which attributed to conservative domnance 1886-19065
Wom 3/4 ge
Dvisions within liberla party
Middle class support
Attitudes towards imperialism
Improved conservative party organisation