Prime Ministers

Question 1

David Lloyd George

Answer 1

PM 1916 - 1922

Coupon election - split liberal party between national liberals and liberals

Geddes Axe - Retrenchment huge cuts to public spending in 1922

Cash for peers scandal selling kighthoods and peerages which ended coalition with Cons.

Question 2

Stanley Baldwin

Answer 2

PM 1923 - 1924, 1924 - 1929, 1935 - 1937

‘Safety first’ appoach. wanted to appease all classes. a competent politician. advised his party not to attack labour.

Election 1924 - Cons split over free trade VS Protectionism (tariffs)

1926 general strike
1924 - 1929 Gold Standard (blunder that made British exports less competitive).

Question 3

Ramsey MacDonald

1924 - 1924 (9 months)

Answer 3

• Minority Government (ruling party, not a majority) so they relied on other parties support (mainly Liberals) to vote things through. FAILURE.
• Housing (financial provisions) Act 1924 increased money avaliable to local authorities to build homes for low income workers.
• Mid-to-late 1924 several motions no confidences and MacDonald accused of secret communist sympathies.
  Zinoviev Letter - FAKE!

Question 4

Ramsey MacDonald
1929 - 1935
Another Minority Government with Labour winning with support of 59 Liberals

Answer 4

• This meant social reforms were passed.
• 1930 Housing Act: cleared 750,000 slum homes and replaced them with modern housing by 1939.
• 1930 Coal Miners Act: tried to get better pay for workers.
• Unemployment Insurance Act: gave government power to create public work schemes to alleviate unemployment (£25 million put in)

America panic sells pound in sum1931 and proposals of 10% cut in unemployment aid splits Labour.
King George V urges MacDonald to stay even though he and his chancellor are kicked out of Labour. National Gov Formed.

Question 5

challenges of the National Government

Answer 5

Rise of Fascism (Oswald Mosesly and the BUF)

had 50,000 members at its peak.

Question 6

Neville Chamberlain

Answer 6

PM 1937 - 1940
Famous for appeasing Hitler.
Had a failure in Switzerland and resigned when he was nearly voted out by the House of Commons.

Question 7

Winston Churchill

Answer 7

PM 1940 - 1945, 1951 - 1955
During war had a wartime coalition with Cons, Labour and Liberals. Attlee second in comand.

Made the decision to not give in to Germany when surrounded at Dunkirk.

Lost to Labour in 1945 as the Conservative manifesto focused on foriegn policy which Bitain didn’t want after the war. he also wanted a Gestapo force for the Gov.
Surpassed by Eden in 1955.

Question 8

Clement Attlee

Answer 8

PM 1945 - 1951
Won Landslide victory as they promised action on:
- healthcare (NHS 1948)
- housing (Housing Act 1949)
- jobs
- social security
National Insurance act (1946), National Assistance Act (1948) implementation of the 1944 Education Act
'new Jeruselem'
embraced Beverage Report in 1942.

Question 9

why Labour lost in 1951 election

Answer 9

1949 house of commons act (redistribution of seats) - labor loses safe seats.

Rationing, Austerity and Economic Issues
High Taxation, loss of two senior politicians (Sir Stafford Cripps & Ernest Bevin)
Korean War and PERSCRITION CHARGES!!!

Question 10

Anthony Eden

Answer 10

PM 1955 - 1957
a popular, charming and well qualified politician.
won 344 seats in 1955 election.
only 1% unemployment in 1955
Suez Crisis was an embarrasment and he resigned in Jan 1957

Question 11

Harold Macmillan

Answer 11

PM 1957 - 1963