Second Labour Government (1929-1931) Flashcards
When did they come to power?
1929.
What was the unemployment rate in 1929?
Over 1 million.
What was the housing act that Labour proposed?
Greenwoods Housing Act 1930.
What did the housing act do?
Offer subsidies for houses which cleared 245,000 slums replaced with 700,000 houses.
What did the Land Utilisation Act do?
Gives Labour powers to purchase land anywhere in the UK.
What did the Agricultural Marketing Act do?
Established marketing boards to help producers.
What did the Coal Mines Act do?
Reduced the miners days from 8 hours to 7.5 hours.
What did the government initially do to unemployment benefits?
Initially they increased the benefit.
What was the Education Bill and why did it fail?
To raise the school leaving age to 15 - and because the Liberal party didn’t support the bill.
What did the government decide to do to the Trades Disputes Act of 1927 and why did this fail?
They attempted to repeal the act but failed due to lack of Liberal support.
What happened in October 1927?
The Wall Street Crash in America.
How did the Wall Street Crash affect Britain?
The value of British exports was halved and unemployment rose.
What was the unemployment rate in 1931?
Nearly 3 million.
What did MacDonald set up in 1930 to help the government?
The Economic Advisory Council to help improve the situation.
Who was Phillip Snowden?
The Chancellor of the Exchequer.
What did Philip Snowden feel the government should do to deal with the crisis?
He felt the government should be balancing the budget.
What was the Labour party torn about?
Whether to cut unemployment benefit.
Who was Oswald Moseley?
A junior minister.
What did Oswald Moseley propose?
He wanted to set up public working schemes and social reforms through government loads.
Why did Moseley resign in May 1930?
Because his “Moseley’s Memorandum” was rejected.
What happened in July 1931?
The Major European Banking Crisis spread to Britain.
What was the May Committee?
It was set up to try and consider how the government could do its expenditure.
What did the May Committee report suggest?
There would be a major budget deficit of £120 million by 1932. Also, it suggested 20% unemployment benefit cuts and £96 million cuts in public expenditure.
How did the report affect the financial crisis?
It drew attention to the British alleged problems. Nearly 1/4 of British reserves dissapeared and ministers were called for emergency meetings.
