Chapter 12-The 1929 election Flashcards
What was the impact of the 1918 Representation of the People Act?
It led to minimal changes for women in society but there were still many who were opposed bringing equal voting. The Daily Mail for example warned about flappers being unsuitable for voting. In elections, it was clear that more women were voting Conservative than labour
What were the Conservatives opinion on introducing equal vote?
Some still favoured lowering the voting age to 25 instead of making them equal with men but after a public meeting with the Home Secretary, Baldwin pushed ahead with a bill or equal voting. This would increase the electorate by 2.2 million.
What was the Conservative Party’s election message?
They wanted ‘safety first’ as Baldwin wanted to be seen as a man you can trust but there were no new ideas to reduce unemployment.
What was the Labour Party’s election message?
They wanted a ‘Socialist Commonwealth’ where industry was reorganised to help all. The failures of strikes meant that they were seeking change via parliament rather than through strike action.
What was the Liberal Party’s election message?
They said ‘we can conquer unemployment’, which was a radical strategy to reduce unemployment within a year by public works. They had reorganised and had funds ready to fight the election.
What were the election results in 1929?
Conservatives won 38.2% of the votes and Labour won 37.1%. However, the Conservatives only had 260 MPs whereas Labour had 288 MPs. This gave Labour their first majority. This shows a significant political development as Labour became the main Conservative opponent.
Why did Labour do so well in the 1929 election?
MacDonald’s constitutional and moderate policies showed the electorate that he could be trusted. The appeal of ‘safety first’ by the Conservatives was limited as people didn’t see a threat. The key issue was unemployment and it was felt that it wouldn’t be helped by remaining with the same Conservative government. Furthermore, Labour benefitted from the FPTP election system as Conservatives had more votes but less seats. Liberals barely won any seats even though they won 23% of votes.
What was MacDonald’s new cabinet like?
He was advised not to create another minority administration but MacDonald just wanted to gain more experience. His second cabinet was similar to his first as Snowden was made Chancellor of the Exchequer. Henderson was put in charge of Foreign Office and Margaret Bondfield became the first woman cabinet minister.
What were the aims of the new Labour government?
They aimed to build more houses, raise the school leaving age to 15, take control over the transport system and tackle unemployment. Henderson supported the League of Nations and so aimed to support international disarmament.
Was was the political situation by 1929?
The 1929 election proved that the Liberal party was in decline and that it was unlikely to become one of the 2 main parties. On the other hand, Labour support was on the rise and it was felt that it was beginning the new age of socialism. The Conservatives were still backed by newspapers, the middle class and many of the working class but they faced a serious threat from Labour. Baldwin’s campaign of safety first had not succeeded and many felt the party needed to modernise. Britain had a fully enfranchised population where women were playing a bigger role.
Was was the economic situation by 1929?
There was substantial growth in new industries but there were problems with the economy before WW1 which had been made worse. There was a decline in the staple industries and high unemployment which never fell below 1 million in the 1920s. The return of money to the Gold Standard led to more economic issues and so the Labour Chancellor removed it in 1931.
Was was the social situation by 1929?
There were major changes in entertainment, fashion and culture. Women were breaking into previously male only domains and the radio was becoming more common. The inventions of the motor car and the possibilities of air travel opened up possibilities for the wealthy.
Was was the international situation by 1929?
The emergence of the USA as a world power after WW1 allowed new ideas and fashion to spread across the Atlantic. The Communist revolution in Russia had created fear of a similar revolution in Britain. Britain was optimistic about the situation in Europe as Germany was beginning to prosper again. However, WW1 had undermined the British rule of it’s empire and one of its issues was how to hold on.
