Labour after 1906

Question 1

Due to the Lib-Lab pact, how many seats did Labour win?

Answer 1

29

Question 2

Who were some of the working men included in the party?

Answer 2

• Keir Hardie
• Ramsey MacDonald
• Will Thorne

Question 3

Whats things did Labour struggle due to?

Answer 3

• Labour MPs were working men which meant they knew little of Parliament/procedures
• 30 Labour MPs were not cohesive
• Keir Hardie was inspirational, however he didn’t have the qualities to make Labour effective

Question 4

What was the Osborne Judgement?

Answer 4

W.V Osborne challenged Labour to demand political levy which was charged by TUs went to Labour MPs salaries and the Lords voted in favour of Osborne. This meant it would be difficult for Labour to operate as an effective political force.

Question 5

What were some of the positives of Labour after 1906?

Answer 5

• Labour movement grew in support at grassroots level
• between 1906-14, TU membership rose from 900k to 1.5m
• membership of socialist societies grew from 17k to 33k, local labour societies, 1906=83 1914=158
• they were far more organised, for the 1916 election they planned to put forward 100 candidates