rise of Labour Flashcards
1880s agriculture in Britain
900k employed and contributed to 15% of Britain’s GDP
Green on political action
since the 50s people used the constitution and parliamentary procedures as a basis for political action and there was no fear of revolution
1840s economic policy
income tax re-introduced
reduction of indirect tax and establishing banking
poor law + friendly societies became prominent and self-help was a crucial theme. little state involvement- restrictive budgetary policy under Gladstone + Disraeli outrightly rejected protectionism
changing global position 1880-1914
1902 alliance with Japan, defensive alliance with France and Russia 1907
1899-1902 2ND Boer war
Canada, NZ + AUS introduced tariff on British goods
direct involvement in Empire eg Chamberlain as colonial secretary in 1895 introduced colonial infrastructure developments and went on a tariff reform crusade
decline in British economic position globally
3rd place in world share of manufacturing output of iron steel 1890-1914. was previously 1st
Britain’s agriculture 1914
7% of GDP
51% of the population lived in towns with populations bigger than 100k. was 36% in 1880
1900 welfare schemes
1906-14 liberals provided subsidised school meals
1908 old age pensions
1908-9 health and dental inspections in schools
1909 introduction of national health and unemployment insurance legislation
1909- graduated rates of income tax
legislation that weakened aristocratic influence over land holdings
1880 Ground game act - removed aristocratic influence over hunting, so allowed farmes to kill rabbits and hares on their land
1881 Irish land act
1883 agricultural holdings act
changes to HOL
1910-11 veto powers abolished reducing aristocratic influence as the Tories became the party of property more generally
Green quote on the significance of the Labour party’s formation
“Labour was regarded as a symptom as well as a cause of social and political change, an indication of the new agenda demanded by the mass electorate enfranchised in 1884”
London County Council
formed 1899
controlled by radical progressives until 1907 who wanted social reform that opposed privilege. their programme focused on sanitation, housing, unemployment, length of the working day, sickness, income and quality of living space. they insisted that ‘fair wages and conditions’ clause be added to all contacts
they also stated that public ownership was desirable when held by a democratically elected body
John Benn
radical in LCC who believed its primary role was to remove private corporations from the public sphere
LCC implementing social change
1890s- £3.2k in loans for parks and open spaces and £1.8 mill for paving works + number of sanitary inspectors increased
parish role in social improvement
35 parishes formed public libraries
Shoreditch opened municipal technical schools
vestries introduced work schemes or relief for the poor
1889 London Government act
replaced vestries with 28 borough councils with 1,362 councillors and in 1906 the Conservatives dominated with only 2 boroughs controlled by progressives
Battersea Trades and Labour Council
directly employed labour on a 48 hour working week
provided municipal housing and electricity
set aside public works until winter when employment was at its highest
Labour council in Woolwich
supported direct Labour force, trade union pay and conditions, house-building and improved sanitisation
Labour MP- George Lansbury on unemployment
“the right to relief must be reciprocated by acknowledging the obligation to the community to take work when it was available. In its turn, the community should be obliged to ensure that suitable work or training was indeed available”
Labour in Leicester
1906-14 Labour membership on the city council rose from 10 to 14
1905-6 the unemployed marched to London and this created a distinction between the moderate alternative to socialism of liberals and Labour who wanted nationalisation, 8-hour working day, provisions of coal and milk and referred directly to community
Women in Labour
Women’s Labour league founded in 1906 and the Women’s liberal federation broke off from the liberal party who refused to acknowledge female suffrage
MacDonald’s declaration of what Labour stood for
- adult suffrage including women
- abolition of the HOL
- devolution to local authorities
- tax and rent of land monopolies to aid local authorities