P2- The Great War- Its Impact Politics- 1914-39 Flashcards
1914- lib- start of ww1
Lib debates whether to support war
Some shouldnt- not lib
Split lg and asquith in 1916- traditional and patriotic lib
Asquith try to appease both camps- wait and see policy and voluntary recruitment
Dora
Aug 1914
Defence of the realm act
Gov wide powers to introduce restructions on civilian pop at any time while britain at war
Press censorship- newspapers restricted in info allowed to print
Esp military disasters, mutiny in ranks, casulty figures manipulated, german destruction
Considered un-lib
Shell scandal
1915
On western front
Meetings between bonar law, lg (more con influence)
A resulted in sudden announcement of formation of coalition gov (con in cabinet influence)
‘Last liberal government in british history was killed within a quater of an hour’
Lg minister of munitions in new gov
Women work factories suddently 5x ammunition production
Total conscription
1916
Military service act- more right wing
Unmarried men 18-44 and close to retirement
Later conscription 18-44 married men
Easter rising also unsettled coalition
Resignition of lg and asquith
Lg wanted to introduce small war cabinet of 3 men in late 1916- bonar law, carson (ulster union), and lg- asquith not one of 3
Then accept idea after con threatedned to resign
Times criticised a as a weak leader and leads to a rejecting war cabinet
Lg and con cabinet minority resign
A resign to call lg bluff
Backfire- lg becomes pm
At time- terrible conditions, no end in sight, easter rising
Maurice debate
1918
Lg lied about how many british troops in fr
Asquith exposed it- public made clear lg lying
Q legit of lg
Further split lib hatred between two
1918 ge
Lg (coalition lib) and asquith (Asquith lib) against each other
Lib coalition did better- asquith lib 36 seats
Most seats con coalition- but still support lg
Issues divided lib during war
Conscription- lg total, a hold back
Intervention- should go to war
Censorship and dora
Maurice debate- falsification of tropps in france and luing
Election seperated a or coalition
Blame asquith for lib decline
‘Wait and see’ approach- indecisive
Frustrate patriotic lib- esp shell scandal
Wont serve in lg coalition= split lib
Put party first- stick lib principles- should have been abandoned in this context
Lg to blame for lib decline
1918 cont with coalitoin rather rewrite lib
Conscription and intervention in war- against lib principle
Put nation first
Issues damaged lg reputation 1922
Lab party- lost to working class, as rep of peoples act
Lib appeal educated class- noty many working class
Women over 30 more con
Assess how far lib decline inevitable by 1923
No but concerning signs
Lib decline inevitable by 1923- yes
Threat lab party- 1923- lab more votes
Lg fail reunite the party
Lg lib credentials lost- black and tans
Lib decline inevitable by 1923- no
Lab small diff
Could reunite after war
Didnt force coalition with labour
Lg could introduce pr but didnt
Lib gained in war
Lg man who won the war
Solved shell scandal- lg minister munitions
Dora pragmatic
1914- outbreak of war saved libs from civil war ireland and suffragettes- but ireland still problem
Lib died 1910-14
Dangerfield- the strange death of lib england 1935
Argued liberals couldnt handle agitation by ty, suffragettes and diff groups in ireland
Died ‘from disillusionment over the inefficacy of the word ‘reform’
Healthy lib party knocked out by ww1
Rejected dangerfield veiw
Wilson- downfull of the liberal party 1914-35
Tu , lab and suffragettes ‘symptoms of illness’
But ‘involved in an encounter within a rampant omnibus (wwi’
‘Never to rise agian’ struck old man down
More balanced interpretation- lib dead pre war
Lemieux- 1995
In 1914- ‘cannot be given a clean bill of health; many worrying signs were there’
Worst of union militancy over
Suffragettes attracted publicity but not a threat
Hol tamed parliament act 1911
Interventionists for war
Grey, asquith, churchill
Debt of honour owed to france- secret agreements
Hard line neutralists in 1914
Burns and morley
Resignition from gov after plan to intervene in war
Only morley, burns, trevelyan
Defects to labour due to war
Trevelyan
Ponsonby
Those who believed asquith not involved enough in war
Mond, dalziel, guest
Chief whipo role
Gulland- couldnt raise morale of backbenchers
War council
Set up nov 1915
Failyre
Inc balfour- rep con
Fisher resignation
1915
Failure campaign in turkey- lack coop between army and navy, poor intelligence and plannig
Beaverbrook historian suggest this initiated the crisis
Wilson perspective on crisis
Shell scandal than lord fisher resignition
Success of lg as minister of munitions
Official history stated- ‘he laid the foundations of the ministry’s productive capacity on a scale so vast taht it was almost sufficient…. To carry the country to the end of the war’
Lg pessimistic in 2015 on war
‘Too late in moving here! Too late in moving there!’
Asquith mistrust of lg
Wrote in 1917
‘I knew him to be incapable of loyalty or lasting gratitude’
Clashes in hoc between asquityh and lg
Debates on indian cotton duties, rep of people bill, irish conscription
1918 election
Lg and his supporters gained 47% vote, almost 70% seats
Opp party leaders lost seat- asquity, henderson, macdonald,
Coalition gov 1918-22- indsutrial relations
Keen to safegaurd peoples jobs- safegaurding industries act
Tarrifs on certain goods, as high as 33.3%- going against free trade lib pokicu
Shipbuilding, shells textiles esp tarrifs
Extention of national insurance helped to protect workers against unemployment- addison act
Lg and coalition 1918-22- land fit for heroes
Pledge in 1918
Education reform- 4 to 14
extended old age pensions
Addison housing act 1914
Wanted to reinstate reputation as a reformer
Sucess land fit for heroes
Fisher education act
Failure land fit for heros
Prisoner of tories
After war- council housing building almost stopped
Geddes axe- benefits, housing
Econ depression 1921- coalition
Unemployment increased from 400,000 to 2mill
Conservatives wanted to curtail benefits and housing
Ireland- coalition 1918-22
Sinn fein replaced hr in 1918 and had no support libs
Civil disobedience erupted in ireland between british army and ira
Lg ‘black and tans’ to supress violence
Truce called 1921 and peace deal negotaited with irish free state- anglo irish treaty
Question raised- lg negotiate with murder gang
Sucess ireland- coalition 1918-22
Truce called 1921 and peace deal
Irish free state formed
Ended a-i war
Failure ireland- coalition 1918-22
Repressed ireland- black and tans
Responding to civil dispbedience with british army
Foriegn policy russia- coaliton gov 1918-22
Support e, europe against bolsherviks- prepared to give arms to poland
Trade treaty with russia eased relations in 1921
Foriegn policy russia failed- coalition 1918-22
Went too extreme by arming poles
Lost popilar support
Alienate right wing with trade deal
Honours scandal- coalition gov 1918-22
Sold honours to raise funds- 50,000 peerage, 10,000 knighthood
Falure-
Illib
Repulsed many
Grayson criticiased- ‘national scanda;’
Sa robinson- commited fraud
Foreign policy turkey- coalition gov 1918-22
Uk backed greeks- ‘autocrats
Didnt go well, could gone to war against turkey
Could have draged into another ww
Looked dictatorial- danger rep
Privatisation of coal industry- coalition gov 1918-22
Sankey commisson nationalism- lg refuse
Was popular amongst coal niners
Mine owners protected profits by cutting wages- lead to strike- may never forgive lg
Sucess privatisation coal indsutry- lg coalition gov
Prevent general strike in 1921
Failure privatisation coal industry- lg coalition
Ignored sankey commisson
Coal niners never suppport lg- and w trukey, shift to lab
What led to fall lg 1922
Econ depression
Failure reconstruction- gedees axe
Tarrif alienated libs
Prblems with ireland
Foreign policy failures
Honours scandal- rooted in fact he lacked a political base after lib split
Con incrrease safer lg as libility
Sankey commission
Oct 1922
2-1 con dcide withdraw support lg
Lg left no10
Bonar law pm
1923- con
After bonar law pm, king chose baldwin to be next pm
First soley con gov since 1906
Sucess in housing polucy-neville chamberlain- though private bodies
Press in field foriegn polciy
1923-ge
Depression in 1921 increased unemployment- baldwin wanted to bring in protectionist tarrifs as way of tackling unemployment- needed mandate from public
Lib united temporarilyu against tarrifs
Results disaster for baldwin- 258 setaslib won 159, lab 191
What happens post 1923 ge
Baldwin happy for lab gov go qhad- lab couldnt be too radical as legislation blocked by con
Lib also hppe for labs to go already- beleieve would be a disaster
1924- macdonald lab gov
Minority not radical cabinet- 8 ministers public school educated - unable to introduce disarmament
Wheattly housing act
Old age penion
Dawes plan- foreign policu- macdonald involved in this usa loan
Main sucesse existance of gov at all
Addison act
1919 lg coalition
Aim to build 800,000 new homes
Establish concpet of local authority housing provision
Local authroties supported with money from central gov to buy up land and demolish slums
Addison act- analysis
Some diff local authroiteis reluctant to act
Shortage of naterials increased cist to £910 each, eventually down to £385
Limited by geddes axe
Built 120,000 by 1942
Good quality, sep rooms, garden
Local authority provision
Wheattly act
1924 lab
State subsidy set up by previos con gov increased from 6-£9 per house
Hosuing built rented, to benefit working class
Geenwood act
1930
Renewed subsidy for council housing building
Sped up clearinng of slums
Greenwood act analysis
1929
Wall st crash suspended between 1931-34
Lt 1939 more created and slums cleared, over 700,000 built
Fishers act
Education 1918 lg coalition
Elementary education only
School compulsory to 14
Free places for brighter children to continue education at secondary
Teacher wages doubled
Built new schools
Fisher act- analysis
Some local authroities chose not to provide shchol beyond 14
Number who stayed in education post 14 v low
After geddes axe- decreased education
Haddow report
1926 baldwin con
11+ to divide students from grammer schools and secondary modern
Some didnt implement pre 1944 due to cost
Haddow report- analysis
Contentious issue
No motiation secondary modern as no exams
1919 pension reform
Coalition
Doubled to 10 shillings/weei
Claimed at age 70
1924 lab went even further
1919 pension reform- analysis
Not many lived until 70
But life expectancy had increased by 6u
Didnt support dependancy
Widows, orphans and old age contributary pensions act
1935 balwin gov
Both employer and employee paid into pension support from gov
Can claim 10s from 65- extra money dependant children
Widows, orphans and old age contibutroy pensions act analysis
Compliant citizen
More forced saving
Lower age claim
Not that generous offerings
Tb act
1921
Onliged county and bororugh councils to provide sanatorial care and after care services to tb patients
Infected patients put in hospital to prevent spread of disease
Tb act analysis
Not cure or prevent
Only one disease
Dawson report
1920
Hospitals should be linked into state system
Origins nhs- took longer to come about
Local gov act
1929 baldwin
Ended and replaced por law with public artisan committes -pac
Run by local councils
Funded central gob
Workouses out of date- so good change
Unemployment act 1920
Cover those earning less than 250/year
Claiming 15 weeks, 15 shillings men, 12 women
Not for agricultural labour, domestic servants, self employed
Covers dependants
Ui act 1921
Lg coalition
Introduced uncovenanted beneift not required contributions- dole
Lt unemployed conc in certain areas for unrest
Paid for 2 peruids, 16 weeks, means tested
Ui act 1921- analysis
Expensive as unemployment increase, econ depression 1929
Gov help maintain those fell into high times
Increased dependancy
1924 ui act
Lab
Increased unemployemnt benefiist
Removed 16w block
Much more protectionist
Increased laziness
to what extent did the lives of women improve after 1914
Loa- limited extent
Social
Econ
Political