Chapter 9-Political developments Flashcards
What is the Dangerfield Thesis?
That Liberals had been fatally wounded before the First World War by: the struggle to pass the 1911 Parliament Act, the move towards civil war in Ireland, the Suffragette militant campaign and industrial unrest.
What were the reasons for the decline of the Liberals?
Electoral costs-Conservatives and Labour had sources of income whereas the Liberals didn’t, making it hard to contest Liberals.
Electoral system- First Past the Post means that Liberals were disadvantaged as there were not concentrated areas of support and as they weren’t gaining seats, people didn’t want to waste their votes.
Loss of traditional support-Labour gained votes from the working class and the number of non-conformists were declining so Liberals lost their vote.
Lack of support-They lost support from Irish Nationalists as they had Home Rule and so weren’t part of Parliament.
What happened after the 1923 election?
The Conservatives won under Bonar Law but he was forced to resign after 8 months due to illness. In his place Baldwin took over.
Why was there a 2nd election in 1923?
Baldwin wanted to put tariffs on imports and so called an election to get a mandate for tariff reform. The Conservatives decreased their votes and Labour gained votes. Baldwin was forced to resign after a vote of no confidence.
Who came to power in January 1924?
A Labour minority government was formed under Macdonald but they were dependent on the support of Liberals.
Why did Labour win so many seats in the 1923 elections?
Working-class voters switched from Liberal to Labour and it was now organised with a formal constitution. They were well-funded and Labour had also gained experience in government during the war.
What were the aims of MacDonald in 1924?
He wanted to gain the confidence of the country and wanted to avoid radical policies to show Labour was capable of running the government and keeping the empire safe.
What were MacDonald’s policies?
He increased old age pension and unemployment benefits. Snowden was determined to keep spending down. Wheatley introduced the housing act which increased the subsidy for each house built and this was paid for 40 years. More than half a million houses were built by 1933 as a result.
What successes did MacDonald’s government have in international relations?
MacDonald chaired a conference that resulted in the Dawes Plan and that helped Germany with reparations. He also showed support for the League of Nations and showed commitment to disarmament.
What failures were there in international relations?
The government gave diplomatic recognition to the Bolshevik government and negotiated a treaty giving a loan to Russia. This gave the Conservatives and Liberals to attack Labour as being ‘too soft on Communism’.
What was the Campbell Case?
The Attorney General withdrew a prosecution against left-wing journalist Campbell after he was accused of urging soldiers to disobey orders. The Labour government was attacked as MacDonald refused to investigate and said he would resign if the majority voted for an enquiry. A majority did vote this way, meaning he resigned.
What was the Zinoviev letter?
During the 1924 election campaign, the Daily Mail published a letter supposedly sent from the USSR telling the Communist Party to infiltrate into the Labour Party. This damaged the Labour party.
Why was there a resurgence in the Conservative Party?
WW1-It split the Liberals and also showed the Conservatives traditional values.
Electoral changes-Representation of the People Act preserved plural voting, which helped the Conservatives, and women seemed to be voting Conservative.
Post-war events in Ireland-Irish Nationalists had their own parliament and so only the Ulster Unionists remained, who supported the Conservatives.
Broad-based support-Conservatives had the support of the wealthy, those who wanted national unity and those who wanted moderate policies.
Funding-The wealth of upper and middle classes provided valuable funds to organise election campaigns.
Newspaper support-They were mainly owned by Conservative supporters who gave the party news coverage in the elections.
What issues did Baldwin’s government have to deal with?
High unemployment, a General Strike and economic issues such as putting Britain on the gold standard.
What social reforms were made under Baldwin?
He continued and improved the Old Age Pensions Act and the National Insurance Act. He also introduced the Local Government Act to give local authorities extra duties and this ended the Poor Law. The Electricity Act set up the Central Electricity Board to improve efficiency and the BBC was established to set up national broadcasting. The Representation of the People Act gave women over 21 the vote and increased the electorate from 22 million to 29 million.
