Conservative Party Flashcards
Why did hidden reforms in the 1909 Budget lead to rejection of the bill?
- Budget included licensing + land valuation -> alrdy rejected -> H of L stand up to underhand tactics- Cons belief that budget designed to side step their power b/c libs = maj in H of C -> Cons. maj H of L- power of Aristocracy already been reduced 1905-1909eg. Electoral reform 1884 = less influence on WC-> less say in local affairs
- H of L reluctant to pass bill b/c included provisions alrdy rejected
How did the 1909 Budget go above and beyond normal financial provisions?
- introduced child allowances £10 a year for every child land valuation, graduated income tax -> seen as socialist- many were landowners -> felt subjected to unfair treatment - Alrdy felt under attack financially by 1876 reforms - context of 80’s + Ag depression -> less money
Was it only the Conservative party which opposed the budget?
Widespread opposition- many liberals had doubts- Irish Nationalists MP’s opposed b/c whisky export trade = vital to employment -> brewers+ distillers would have to pay duty- motorists unimpressed -> HR 1893 didn’t show pub support + budget wasn’t a mandate -> duty to protect GB institutions
How did long term rejection of bills by the H of L cause a constitutional crisis?
- maj. of H of L (355) were Conservative- used by Cons. to undermine Lib gov. - Education Bill 1906 aimed to appeal to NC- meant Libs could not fulfil electoral promise to NC- Trade Disputes Bill + Plural voting bill-> both major items on Lib gov legislative programme- Such bills also undermined the power of aristocracy
How did the rejection of the 1909 budget cause tension between the Liberals and Conservatives?
-H of L didn’t normally reject financial bills- Non-elected H of L rejected a elected H of C bil
This led to great controversy in the Liberal Gov. with belief that the power of the H of L should be reduced
– Asquith threatened to flush the H of L with Lib peers if H of L rejected Parliament Act - sought to remove the power of the House of Lords to reject money bills, and to replace the Lords’ veto over other public bills with the power of delay.- Greatly diminished power of H of L which was seen as sacred -> establishment in the foundation of GB -> thus causing great controversy between political parties.
Why did the Boer war make the Conservative party seem uncaring?
Uncaring - B war conc. camps 26k women + children = immoral - Taff Vale Judgement 1901 -> seen as repression to not allow workers to strike- Reminded of this by Chinese Slavery 1902-4 -> appalling living conditions-> separation of men + women - flaggings allegedly authorised by Milner, B war led to a shift in public opinion for imperialism
How much did the Boer war cost the British government?
£210 mill
How did the Conservative party lose the Non-Conformist vote?
- Education act 1902 - Granted ratepayers’ money to voluntary Church of England schools -> NC voluntary schools funds from the state rather than from rates - Licensing act 1904 -> used by NC to castigate gov for intro a levy on industry so brewers could receive compensation for losses through NC taxes -> Cons. gov. couldn’t fund acts without taxes b/c B war drained finances of state
How did the Conservative party lose the Working Class vote?
- lack of action Taff Vale judgement 1901 = uncaring -> prohibited WC from striking only set up royal commission-highlighted by Chinese Slavery 1902-4 - C workers appalling living conditions-> separation of men + women - flaggings allegedly authorised by Milner- publicly viewed as morally wrong- reminded public of B war conc. camps - WC not valued -> lost job op.
Explain why the issue of ‘Chinese slavery’ in 1903 caused opposition to the Conservative Government.
- Upset WC- lost opportunity to work -> lowered amount of av. jobs- giving GB jobs to immigrants- reminder of Taff Vale -> Balfour didn’t reverse decision only set up a royal commission- prevented them from immigration- worried about policy applying in GBLink: WC also upset by the immorality of the way in which Chinese workers were being treated2. Immoral - appalling living conditions-> separation of men + women - flaggings allegedly authorised by Milner- publicly viewed as morally wrong- reminded public of B war conc. camps 26k women + children diedLink: Uncaring, inhumane view which the public had of the Cons. party stemmed from the imperialism displayed during B war3. Decreased support for imperialism due to B war- Chinese workers used to revive S. African econ- f.p. cons. imperialist -> libs not- feared this would become acceptable- gov. again focused more on f.p. than internal problems -> national efficiency + Booth + Rowntree -> poverty
Why did Tariff reform cause a loss of support for the Conservative party?
- Tariff reform controversial -> idea of free trade was practically a religion
- public against empire against + imperial preference
- created op. for libs to criticise Cons. gov
- > reminding public of treatment of WC with TV + CS, using ‘Big loaf, little loaf’ campaign to show WC that tariff reform would lead to increased prices
- > free trade + competition drives prices down
- belief that tariff reform -> decline in GB econ.
- taxes on foreign good -> more expensive home goods - tariff = prices go up
- Many cons. members supported free trade
- Churchill + Duke of Devonshire cross the floor to Libs- Tariff reform split Cons. party
- > split party = weak party
- Issue of tariff reform leads to Balfour’s resignation 1906
- > new gov. formed by united Lib. over free trade under Campbell Bannerman
- loss of Cons. MP’s due to tariff reform led to many new MP’s which public were deemed unexperienced- Lib. Landslide victory general election 1906
Why did the Boer war shift public opinion against the Conservative party?
- 3 years to fight a war against ‘dutch farmers’- conc. camps = 26k women + children died -> unethical - war cost £210 mill -> seen as a fight for aristocracy - money could have been spent on social issues in GB- public believed Chamberlain benefitted econ. from war b/c family was in ammunitions-> against empire against imperial preference
