Politics 1906 - 1914; (complete) Flashcards
Why was the January 1906 election one of the most decisive results of the 20th century + what happened?
-Landslide victory for Liberals
-Libs won 400 seats; clear majority over any alliance of any other parties
-Conservatives reduced to 157 seats; most of cabinet lost seats, including PM Balfour
-There was a good showing of Labour candidates, gained 29 seats
What did the Liberals do for social reform after coming into office in 1906, why were there varying views on this?
-Introduced set of social reforms more far-reaching than any measures passed by other govs
-Some historians argued these aid the foundations for the modern welfare state
-In 1906, many Libs still committed to Gladtsonian laissez faire Liberalism; minimum government intervention in people’s lives
-Had no clear social reform programme; social welfare wasn’t a key election issue
Who were the ‘New Liberals’ and what did their views consist of?
-Interested in moving away from laissez faire ideology—> view that state intervention was necessary to achieve minimum acceptable standard of living
-Believed in more humanitarian approach to social problems, recognised poorer sections of society needed state assistance
-Still had Gladstonian Lib ideas like self-help & hard work ethic but here was a growing acceptance that poverty was more often caused by external factors beyond persons control
-Implied higher levels of gov spending, contradicted trad view of thrift + low taxation
What did the more radical liberals believe?
Believed there should be some element of redistribution of income by taxing rich, diverting some money to poor; most obviously by taxing land belonging to privileged classes
What was the compromise done for traditional Liberalism and New Liberalism in the 1909 budget?
Value of land rose dramatically w/ urban development —> Liberals in gov raised a tax on incremental value of land
What were some examples of key figures who brought awareness to the human misery & suffering due to poverty?
-New gen of middle-class Libs like Herbert Samuel
-Him + others were influenced by findings of Booth & Rowntree 1890s/early 1900s
-Journalist H.W Massingham & philosopher L.T Hobhouse wrote of necessity of state intervention in social policy
-Civil servants w/ strong convictions, eg Robert Morant & William Beveridge made their views on social reform & poverty felt in government circles
-DLG visited Germany to witness welfare legislation in action & him + Churchill were most known New Libs
-Charles Masterman; ideas had considerable influence, exerted pressure from junior gov position post 1908
Why was PM Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman successful despite being considered a dull Liberal leader?
-Succeeded in bringing together divided Lib party by persuading various groups to set aside differences to defeat Conservatives + take office
-Gathered a cabinet that was considered one of exceptional talent & ability; had balance as represented key opinions & beliefs within party
Who were some key figures that were a part of the 1906-08 cabinet and why was this significant?
-Traditional Gladstonians
-Moderates like Asquith & Haldane
-New Liberals like DLG
-WC Labour MP, John Burns
For the first time, the landed classes didn’t dominate the cabinet
Did the Liberal policies of 1906-1908 reflect New Liberalism?
-Campbell-Bannerman was a trad Gladstonian Lib; most legislation introduced under his premiership reflected that
-Small # of New Liberals were included in cabinet but seemed to have little influence on policy
-Fresh intake of Lib MPs canvassed leaders to use power of state to respond to huge social issues
-New Libs argued against individualism & for collectivism, took campaign to press when Lib Chief Whip said “The Liberal Party must crusade against collectivism”
Why was tackling poverty politically expedient for the Liberals, aside from the influences of ‘New Liberalism’?
-Lib gov was made aware of growing concerns over issues caused by poverty but equally conscious of potential threat from Labour
-Anxiety among Lib leadership that if it didn’t attempt to meet needs of WC, voters would increasingly turn to Labour Party
-Social reform programme Libs introduced prior 1914 could be seen as antidote to spread of socialism, as well as influence of ‘New Liberalism’
Why and how did the cabinet reshuffle in 1908?
-CB died, Asquith took over
-Cabinet reshuffle following altered balance of power in gov; more emphasis on social reform
-DLG promoted to Chancellor of Exchequer, Churchill to President of Board of Trade
Why were there divided opinions on whether Lloyd George was a complete convert to New Liberalism?
-Some of his speeches in 1906 showed a desire for the Liberals to tackle social problems
-Could have been motivated by need to minimise potential threat from Labour
What are the Liberal governments of 1906-14 most renowned for?
Programme of social reform
What led to one of the major constitutional crises of the 20th century?
Liberal challenge to the political power of the House of Lords causing great tension within Parliament & public debate outside
What was the role and conduct of the House of Lords, how did this change?
-With each step towards parliamentary reform during the 19th century, the power of the House of Commons increased and the House of Lords decreased, by 1901 they were on even footing
-The last word on a bill really lay with the Lords, who had the power to veto a bill after passing Commons
-However, it’d become custom for finance bills (budgets) to not be vetoed by them, as parliamentary business would be bought to a standstill
-The Campbell-Bannerman & Asquith govs became increasingly frustrated at the Lords tactics in blocking legislation, thought it was exceeding its role as a revision chamber
What was the relationship like between the Conservatives and the House of Lords?
-Balfour lost his seat in the 1906 election but was soon retuned to parliament via a by-election
-The vast majority of the Lords were traditionalist & supported the Conservatives; Balfour took advantage of this. He worked with their leader, Landsowne, and encouraged them to vote against Liberal legislation
-Salisbury used this tactic in 1894 to bring down Gladstone’s Home Rule Bill + bring down Rosebury, 1895
What was the 1909 People’s Budget and what did it trigger?
-DLG put forward his first budget, where he aimed to raise money to finance his social reforms (+ fund building of battleships in face of growing naval threat from Germany) via direct taxation/income tax; was to be known as People’s Budget
-The House of Lords reacted strongly to what they saw an attack on their landed wealth & privilege by breaking convention of never voting on a money bill
-Nov 1909; threw out DLG budget, set in motion constitutional crisis
What were the results of the 1910 general election?
-Asquith declared Lords actions unconstitutional, called election for Jan 1910
-Liberal victory was narrow; 274 seats over 272 Conservatives. Balance rested w/ Irish Nationalists who held 82 seats & Labour w/ 40
What did the Parliament Bill propose and what did it result in?
-Parliament Bill presented to Commons by Asquith sought to end power of veto of Lord; proposed to deny Lords power to amend/veto money bill, impose maximum delay of 2 years, hold elections every 5 years (instead of 7)
-Irish leader John Redmond agreed Irish Nationalists support to get Act through, on condition Home Rule was reintroduced; Lords pass budget but hold out against attack on their power
-Genuine attempt to negotiate settlement of crisis w/ Cons + Lib meetings (Constitutional Conference) w/out success. Asquith risked another election in December, again resulted in Irish + Labour holding balance
When was the Parliament Act passed?
May 1911
How did Asquith get the Lords to accept the Parliament Act?
-When the Lords employed delaying tactics, Asquith revealed an agreement he made w/ George V to create enough Liberal peers to swamp Conservative peers in the Lords if they rejected the Act
-After a debate in the Lords, the Act was passed by majority of 17 votes
What were the impacts of the Parliament Act 1911?
-Was a triumph for democracy & reduced power of unelected second chamber
-Bought end to long period of dominance of aristocracy, marked ascendancy of House of Commons
-Prevented undemocratic Conservative exploitation of their majority in the Lords
-Confirmed principle that democratically elected gov should carry out their work as long as it has confidence of House of Commons; reflected will of people
-Gave balance of power to Irish Nationalists, got Home Rule Bill
-Removed barrier for Labour to eventually achieve own legislative programme via democratically elected Commons
How did the Labour Party develop from 1903 onwards?
-1906 election was a crucial milestone in development of Labour Party
-Election of 29 MPs was an undeniable success, meant for first time they had a solid block of representation in parliament after being newly-formed
-Positioned strengthened by Lib-Lab Pact of 1903, where Libs depend on Lab support for election success
To what extent did Labour influence Liberal reform legislation from 1906-1914?
-In new parliament, Labour group agreed to give support to Libs but also looked to them to address it key concerns over working conditions, unemployment & most important; reversal of Taff Vale decision so gov quickly passed the Trades Dispute Act, 1906 to help the unions
-Legislation reduced hours of work for miners, introduced controls over sweated industries
-Social reform passes by Libs from 1906-14 were welcomed by Labour in principe but criticised for not going far enough
-However, the Liberals had an overwhelming victory in the 1906 election & Labour wasn’t wealthy or strong enough to bring them down
How did Trade union support benefit Labour Party formation?
-1900; Labour Representation Committee was largely dependent on union funds for survival
-Levy on each union= 10 shillings for every 1000 members
-1908; # of workers belonging to unions supporting LRC rose from 350,000 in 1900 to 1m+
-With increased funds from union support after 1906, LRC could put up more candidates for election
-As union membership continued to increase, unions had greater input into Labour Party’s structure at both national & local level
What were the reasons for Labour failing to make an impact from 1910-14?
-1911; Lib gob introduce payment for MPs of £400 per year, facilitated WC men standing for Parliament
-By end of 1910, # of Labour MPs rose to 41, appeared that Party was growing in strength
-However, Labour came at bottom of each poll in every by-election contested between 1910-14, lost 4 seats
-Situation regarding union funds thrown into disarray by Osborne Judgement 1909; illegal for unions to use subscription to support political party & jeopardised Labour Party financial security
-Divisions regarding socialism; critique from Fabians (Webbs) that Party failed to put socialist principles into practice to attract WC vote & lacked leadership + merely a ‘wing’ of the Liberal Party
-Criticism over Lib-Lab pact, fear withdrawing would weaken their electoral position
-Growth hindered before 1914 due to limitations of electoral system; big % of WC men w/ no vote
