Changing Political Enviroment 1918-31

Question 1

Representation in of the people act

Answer 1

1918
Enfranchised all men- 6 million

Enfranchised property owning women over the age of 30= 8 million

Electorate trebled in size

Question 2

Conservatives 1918

Answer 2

Widened its appeal during war

Majority of voters = MC and UC

25% of WC voted liberals

Had been part of wartime coalition with liberals

Question 3

Liberals 2018

Answer 3

Deeply divided- Lloyd George PM and head of coalition, Asquith head of party

Supporters/ members of the liberals felt Lloyd George too close to the Conservative party
Opposed conscription during the war

Question 4

Labour Party 1918

Answer 4

Formed as part of the TU movement in late 19th century

‘Workers party’ - concerned with workers rights and conditions (pay etc….)

Perceived party of social reform

Question 5

1918 Election

Answer 5

Overwhelming victory for wartime coalition with Lloyd George as PM

Conservative dominated 332/ 459 seats - Lloyd George dependant in their support

Conservatives disliked LLoyd George use of Honours system- sold peerages and knighthoods to gain support

Labour single biggest opposition party 57 seats

Question 6

1922 Election

Answer 6

Conservatives felt strong enough to govern without liberals- conservative win overall majority Stanley Baldwin as PM - seen as party of stability

Labour became official party of opposition with 142 seats

Liberals saw dramatic decline

Question 7

Reasons for decline of the Liberals

Answer 7

Labour Party growth- voice of the ‘WC’ particularly after the representation of the people act

Unpopular nature to f Lloyd George- peerage scandal

Split in party growth

Question 8

Labour administration -problems

Answer 8

Difficult to break the perception that the party only represented the interest of the WC

Lacked trust- conservative voters believed labour and supporters to be covert revolutionaries

Question 9

Fall of the first Labour administration 1924

Answer 9

Campbell affair

Communist magazine editor Campbell accused of incitement to mutiny in one of his articles

Labour withdrew charges- Liberals accused gov of being pro-revolutionary and withdrew support

Labour stepped down- demonstrated lack of trust

Question 10

Second labour administration 1929

Answer 10

Minority government- Macdonald as PM

Dominated by economic crisis-unemployment double and forge in investors lose confidence in British economy

Led to the formation of the national government- coalition between labour and conservatives