Chapter 9 Flashcards
Political Developments
What percentage and number of seats did the Conservatives achieve in November 1922?
37% and 330 seats
What percentage and number of seats did the Conservatives achieve in October 1924?
48.3% and 419 seats
What were the most prominent reasons for the Liberal decline in the 1920s?
Divisions within the Labour party, no way of handling electoral costs, liberals disadvantaged by the electoral system, could no longer rely on the Irish Nationalists, loss of traditional working class support
Why did Stanley Baldwin call for an election in 1923?
He wanted a mandate in order to secure a majority and implement tariff reform
Why was the Labour minority government formed?
Working class voters switched allegiance from Liberals to Labour, Labour was now well-organised and funded, experience in government during the war
How did Ramsay MacDonald aim ‘to gain the confidence of the country’?
No changes were made in regards to colonial rule, defence spending, parliamentary or cabinet procedures
Why was the Housing Act so successful?
Wheately increased the Conservative subsidy from £6 to £9
How was MacDonald so successful in creating the Dawes Plan?
The conference that he chaired reduced German reparations and negotiated the withdrawal of the French from the Ruhr (known as the Dawes Plan)
Why did other parties consider Labour ‘too soft on communism.?
MacDonald not only acknowledged the Bolshevik government but also negotiated a commercial treaty where Russia gained £30 million
How were the Labour’s accusations of supporting communism given greater weight?
They were accused of interfering the justice system when the Attorney General withdrew a prosecution against left-wing, Bolshevik-supporting journalist
How did the Campbell Case encourage even greater political scandal?
MacDonald resigned following a vote of no confidence, when he could have just made an inquiry
How did the Daily Mail further link the Labour Party to communism?
The Daily Mail published the ‘Zinoviev Letter’ supposedly sent from the USSR which encouraged acts of subversion, and infiltration of the Labour Party
What were some of the reasons for the Conservative dominance in the 1920s?
The impact of the First World War, electoral change (the Representation of the People Act), post-war events in Ireland, broad-based support (increasing support from the working class), funding, newspaper support
What controversial economic policy did Churchill introduce?
He restored the pound to the gold standard which meant increasing its value by 10%, which may have led to a further growth in unemployment
What did the unemployed become known as during this decade?
‘The intractable million’
