Growth Of The Labour party

Question 1

Knowledge

Answer 1

Labour Party (formed in 1900) aimed to help working-class people allowing labour to act as a contender for votes with liberals putting them under pressure

1906 election- labour won 29 seats by 1910 election- gained an additional 42 seats , becoming increasingly popular and influential putting pressure on the liberals

Question 2

Analysis

Answer 2

Labour party important reason for liberal passing reforms:
many of reforms including
-school meals act of 1906 was due to an idea of a bill brought to Parliament by the labour party, suggests the liberals took several ideas from the Labour Party and passed their reforms as “an antidote to socialism.”

Question 3

Negative analysis

Answer 3

Labour party had little support before WWI- not in a position to put the liberals under pressure (lack of significance)
- if the labour party was more of a threat than the liberals would have campaigned for change in 1906 but their campaign manifesto had no word of social reform /signs of being threatened by labour

Question 4

Evaluation

Answer 4

Most important reason to largest extent growing fast by 1909 large amount of unhappy people due to unemployment encouraging them to turn to the labour party
-lost by-elections to labour party afraid of attack from socialists wish to preserve power- passed reforms
Lloyd George confirmed: “I warn you about the labour party. I warn you that it will become a terrifying force that will sweep away liberalism. We have a liberal parliament but we must act to help the poor we must rid the national disgrace of slums. We must eliminate widespread poverty which scars land glittering with wealth otherwise the working men of Britain will vote labour instead of liberal.”