Political landscape Flashcards
The liberal party in the 1918
believed in free trade
limited role for government
1906 on wards implemented state pensions, unemployment relief and beginning of state provided healthcare
faced unrest over issue of Home Rule in Ireland, Women’s Suffrage and increasing trade union movement
all 3 interrupted by war preventing government from being overwhelmed
The Labour Party in 1918
evolved from the Labour Representation Committee of the trades union congress (TUC) closely tied to unions who saw it as a useful tool in advancing men's pay and conditions through getting union-backed MPs in Parliament 40 MPs after 1910 election After 1911 working-class politicians elected to Parliament when Lib gov allowed wages for MPs - politics no longer for wealthy only The Representation of the People Act - electorate tripled from 7.7 to 21.4 million = dramatic expansion in party's voter base
The Conservative Party in 1918
associated with the landed gentry electoral reform forced party to change and attract new supporters End of WW1 - party of middle class and working class who aspire to better themselves through property After 1918 most votes came from enfranchised property-owning women
The decline of the Liberal Party - Elections
1918 Lloyd George had split the party
election was fought between ruling Liberal-coalition and Labour and Liberal opposition
Liberal-Conservative won landslide victory
Conservatives in coalition by far more popular though
Liberals experienced a catastrophic collapse in votes partly due to LGs coalition, promise of social reform and popularity of Labour
The decline of the Lib Dem - Lloyd George
1918 LG was national hero
credited as the “man who won the war”
humble origins from north Wales
he made it clear he was the enemy of privilege and no friend of the House of Lords
In June 1922 news that he was involved in a scandal selling Knighthoods and peerages
knowledge of operation was widespread
during his 6 years he sold 1,500 knighthoods and nearly 100 peerages
Decision to go to war with Turkey, if it sought to revise the terms of the peace treaty it had been forced to sign in 1918 further dented his credibility
Conservative coalition partners disagreed with the policy and held a meeting a the Carlton Club to abandon the coalition with the liberals
Those led by LG (National Lib party) reduced to 53 MPs
Opposition Libs led by Asquith grew to 62 MPs which was still too small to prevent decline
LG personal popularity in 1922 was partly cause of Lib decline and had long-term impact
Rise of Labour - Labour in government
first labour gov led by Ramsay MacDonald in 1924
minority gov
alarming for conservative newspapers like The Times
Opponents compared it to repressive regime in Soviet Russia and suggested there were soviet sympathisers in cabinet
strained relations with National Executive Committee of the Labour Party - forced to make harsh economic choices which affected poorest voters
Prime Minister had to compromise
Dependent on Lib support - any attempt to introduce more radical programme = withdrawal of Lib support and collapse of gov
lasted 9 months - too short for any legislation
Housing Act 1924 was passed
Government collapse
only narrowly won a motion of no confidence
motion against labour came around when Attorney General Sir Patrick Hastings decided to drop charges of incitement to mutiny against socialist newspaper Workers Weekly
Newspaper published illegal article by John Ross Campbell
6th August prosecution against Campbell withdrawn = MacD accused of having secret communist sympathies
case coincided with MacD attempts to neutralise relations with Soviet Union
Second motion against Gov calling for official enquiry into withdrawal charges
MacD forced to resign and call election
The General Election, Oct 1924
Labour’s campaign marred by Daily Mail
Conservative newspaper claimed there had been a letter from Russian communist revolutionary Gregori Zinoviev to British Communist party telling British communists to prepare to overthrow gov
Daily Mail hoped it would stop people voting labour
Stanley Baldwin gov formed majority
Labour voters switched to Conservatives
Libs saw 12% decline in votes and lost 118 seats - defining moment for decline
Conservative dominance, 1924-29
gov presented itself as alternative to Labour and threat of socialism
Baldwin wanted to be seen as moderate politician and appealing to all social classes
Baldwin believed rhetoric of class war was deeply damaging to Britain
Baldwin discouraged party from attacking labour as secret agents of USSR
In March 1929 Labour’s MacD returned to power - conservative won more votes however this did not translate to seats
MacDonald’s social reforms
1930 Housing Act: cleared 3/4 of a million slum houses and replaced them with modern homes by 1939
1930 Coal Mines Act: attempted to ensure better pay and more efficient pits - weakness of legislation ensured mine owners could ignore it
MacD ammended Unemployment Insurance Act giving gov power to create Public works schemes to alleviate unemployment - funded with £25 mill gov money
MacDonald’s gov and economic problems
summer 1931 - rumours budget would be unbalanced causing banks in America to engage in panic selling of the pound = pound slumped in value
to reassure financiers investments were safe gov proposed spending cuts and tax hikes -main measure 10% cut in unemployment insurance
Threat of 10% cut split Labour party and MacDs cabinet = gov resigned on 24th Aug 1931
MacDonald’s National Government
After negotiating with main political parties and at the urging of King George V, MacD formed a National gov from 3 main parties with him as PM
MacD and Lord Philip Snowden (exchequer) seen as traitors to Labour
Labour party passes motion to expel them
They formed National Labour Committee designed to sponsor Labour candidates who supported National gov
MacD called election in Oct 1931 reluctantly as he feared Labour collapse but conservatives in Nat gov insisted
Nat gov won election - conservatives won most seats
MacD remained PM as a figurehead
Labour votes slumped as voters believed party put interests of themselves and unions before national interests
Nat gov lasted until 1945
MacDonald’s premiership 1931-35 and the economic policy and its effects
Nat gov implemented spending cuts which caused previous govs downfall
Public sector pay cuts of 10% led to a mutiny in the Royal Navy at the naval base of Invergordon
introduced limited number of tariffs
1933 end of GS and low interest rates stimulated economic recovery and Nat gov popularity increased
MacD isolated from gov
MacD replaced by Baldwin in 1935
Labour Party opposition
new leader: Clement Attlee
gained 154 seats at 1935 general election
labour vote rapidly recovering from slump in 1931
The growth of extreme political ideas
Communist and fascist parties saw increase in membership as people became convinced liberal democracy no longer had answers to economic crisis
1934 BUF had 50,000 members
1934 Communist party had 9,000 members
Communist Party organised National Unemployment Workers’ Movement which represented hundreds of thousands of the unemployed
Fabians Sidney and Beatrice Webb visited USSR claiming communism was economic success - argued in favour of state planning
