changing party fortunes

Question 1

list 3 factors that contributed to the changing political environment

Answer 1

• ROPA
• Liberals decline
• Conservative dominance; Plural voting

Question 2

explain why labour was unable to challenge the conservatives

Answer 2

although the labour party did grow in influence during the interwar years and became the main party of opposition, they found it hard to establish themselves outside their industrial working class heartlands. thus their voters were centralised in industrialised areas of the country

Question 3

how was labours influence limited when they were in power? compare w conservative party

Answer 3

when labour did win power in the interwar years, it was for short periods and the did not establish trust with the electorate the same that the conservative party accomplished.

Question 4

significance of the ROPA in contributing to liberals decline

Answer 4

significantly, the ROPA led to a growing number of working class voters that the liberals failed to win over. for example, before the act the labour party went from having 7% of the vote to having 30.5% of the vote after the act whilst the liberals share of the vote declined. clearly, the ROPA led to a ise in labours power and a decline in the liberals.

Question 5

limitation of the ROPA

Answer 5

the working class vote did not increase the the extent where it could have led to such a decline in liberal seats.

Question 6

how did the general strike in 1926 prevent growth of the labour party

Answer 6

furthermore, the 1926 general strike created a sense of class warfare where the middle class volunteered to get the country up and running again and the widespread impact of the action led people associating the disruption with suspicion that the labour party wanted a socialist revolution. therefore, the fear of socialism further prevented the labour party’s growth as more people chose a safer option to vote for.

Question 7

what reasons behind why liberal party lost the 1922 election

Answer 7

lloyd georges personal unpopularity, divisions between the liberals and the rise of labour patyy were significant reasons why the liberal party lost the 1922 election.

Question 8

how did the actions of lloyd george conduct dammage in the liberal party in 1922

Answer 8

in 1922 a scandal emerged where he was selling knighthoods and peerages. this damaged his credibility and portrayed him as corrupt.

Question 9

geddes axe

Answer 9

led to lots of public spending cuts at a time of economic problems in the country. for example health welfare and housing budgets were reduced to £182.1 million in 1922.

Question 10

how did the conservatives capitalise on the liberals dicisions3

Answer 10

the conservatives were able to capitalise on liberal divisions in the liberal party when they felt strong enough to withdraw their support following the knighthood scandal and the unpopularity of the geddes axe. in turn this allowed for the long term success of the conservative party and the liberals lost the confidence of middle class voters as many turned to the consevatives

Question 11

which 2 changes in the electoral system helped the conservatives

Answer 11

• plural voting

- constituency boundaries redrawn

Question 12

plural voting

Answer 12

enabled business men who lived in one constituency and owned property in another constituency to vote in both constituencies. in turn this distorted the amount of conservative voters as business men tended to vote conservative

Question 13

Why were the Conservatives dominant in interwar British politics?

Answer 13

1. The electoral system of 1918.
2. Weaknesses of opposition parties.
3. Effective party organisation.
4. Effective leadership and image

Question 14

How did divisions with the opposition help the Conservatives?

Answer 14

The Liberals, who the main opposition to the Conservatives before 1918, were plagued by division. Much of this was due to Lloyd George, the Liberal leader.

In 1931, the Labour government was deeply divided over how to handle the economic crisis and were decimated in the general election of that year

Question 15

4. Effective leadership and image

Answer 15

The rebranding of the Conservative Party began in the 1870s moving away from the party of wealth and privilege to ‘one nation Tories’ - which promoted empire, patriotism and national defence. This was able to attract working class voters

Question 16

who was The dominant figure in the Conservative Party during the interwar years

Answer 16

The dominant figure in the Conservative Party in the interwar years was Stanley Baldwin, who was leader between 1923 and 1937. He continued this rebranding, through his ‘safety first’ campaign. Therefore, Baldwin gained a reputation for economic competence and this helped not only bolster support from traditional voters but also attracted wealthy, middle class Liberals.