Key events Flashcards
What was the General strike
In 1926 the Trade Union Congress had a vote and decided to all go on strike for miners. People who looked on feared a communist uprising so support was brought to the conservatives.
What was the consequence of the pound being removed from the gold standard in 1931 by the national gov.
- It allowed for a quicker recovery from the depression than other countries.
- Unemployment fell from 17% to 8.5% between 1932 and 1937
- Interest rates were cut from 6% to 2% leading to more borrowing. This was called ‘cheap money’
- This triggered a boom in mortgages and house building
- Prices of British goods fell by 45% and sales went up by 28% and industrial production rose by 46%
What were the two examples of reform Ramsay Macdonald followed through with before the national government.
1930 Housing Act - Cleared slum housing and constructed better council housing.
1930 Coal Mine Act - This was a way of fixing quotas and stabilising prices of coal mine owners. This improved the financial security of those working in the coal mines.
What stopped the labour governments program for reform.
The depression of 1929. It was warned that the country was going through an ‘economic blizzard’ and so the national government was the response.
What was significant about the town of Jarrow after the depression hit
Everyone who worked in steel, coal and the shipyard lost their jobs.
What were problems the national government was facing
- Loans were needed from America but the interest was too high.
- Presence of fascism in Britain
- The depression
- Previous bad economic decisions
Describe the results for the national government in the 1931 election
they got 554 seats out of 600.
How to leaving the Gold standard affect the value of the pound
The value of the pound depreciated from $4.80 to $3.40.
How did the conservatives do poorly in the 1929 election.
Their message was “Safety first” which basically meant vote for me because you have before. It was very uninspiring
How is it the National government came to be
In 1929 there was a proposal in the labour government to cut unemployment benefits by 10% which Ramsay and Phillip Snowden were in favour for, but a George Lansbury was against it and so the party split.
Without a party Ramsay Macdonald went to the king to call for an election to resign but was persuaded to go on by the king.
By 1932 how many of the unemployed had been jobless for over a year.
16.4% of the unemployed in 1932 had been out of employment for over a year
What was the 1921 Black Friday Strike
Railway workers refused to go on strike for the coal miners, breaking the triple alliance. This was seen as a betrayal of the miners.
What was the Battle of Cable Street and when
In 1936 Fascists marched through a primarily jewish part of London but were stopped by anti-fascist protestors who met in a clash.
Describe the communist party of GB
The communist party was able to get 1 seat in the 1924 and 1935 elections, but their share of the vote never rose above 0.4%. They did better than Mosley but the extreme was rejected by the electorate.
Describe Oswald Mosley and the BUF
Oswald Mosley formed the British Union of Fascists which reached 50,000 members throughout the 1930s. The Battle of Cable Street took place on 1936. Tried to emulate Mussolini style leadership.
