Section 3 Facts Flashcards
How many seats did the Conservatives win in the 1922 election?
330
How many seats did Labour win in the 1922 election?
142
How many Liberal options were there in the 1922 election?
3
How many seats did the Conservatives win in the 1923 election?
258
How many seats did Labour win in the 1923 election?
191
What percentage of the vote did the Liberals win compared to Labour in the 1923 election?
29.6% compared to Labour’s 30.5%, this did not translate into seats however, Labour received more seats
How many seats did the Conservatives win in the 1924 election?
419
How many seats did Labour win in the 1924 election?
151
Did the Liberal party have a source of income for paying for electoral costs?
No, campaigns were much smaller as a result
What support had the Liberals lost?
Irish Nationalists, workers and nonconformists
For how long was Bonar Law in power after the 1922 election?
8 months
Who succeeded Bonar Law?
Baldwin
Why did Baldwin hold another general election?
On tariff reform
What was the result of the 1923 election?
Labour and Liberals increased their seats, causing a vote of no confidence in Baldwin’s leadership
What was formed as a result of Baldwin’s resignation?
Labour minority government under Ramsay MacDonald
What was MacDonald’s aim in 1924?
Gain confidence of the country
Did the Labour government of 1924 give preferential treatment to Trade Unions?
No
When was Wheatley’s Housing Act passed?
1924 - Increased subsidies for building houses, insisted that these houses were for rent not sale
How many houses were built under Wheatley’s Housing Act by 1933?
Half a million
What resulted out of a conference chaired by MacDonald with countries such as the US, Germany and France?
The Dawes Plan - Reduced German reparations, negotiated French withdrawal from the Ruhr and set up loans for Germany
Why was Labour’s involvement in the Campbell case controversial?
They were seen as too soft on Communism and as interfering in the justice system
What did MacDonald insist after the Campbell case?
The government would resign if the majority of MPs voted in favour of an enquiry into the Campbell Case
When was the Campbell Case?
September 1924 - J.R.Campbell urged soldiers to disobey orders if ordered to fire on striking workers
How did the MPs vote on the Campbell Case?
The majority voted in favour resulting in a general election being called
When was the Zinoviev Letter published?
During the 1924 election campaign
What was the Zinoviev Letter?
A letter from the USSR to the British Communist Party promoting that they infiltrate the Labour government and bring down the British state
What did the Representation of the People Act preserve?
Plural voting
What did Churchill returning the pound to the Gold Standard do?
Increased its value by 10%
What did the unemployed become known as?
The intractable million
When was the Contributory Old Age Pension Act passed?
1925 - Workers and wives received a pension of 10s a week at the age of 65
When was the National Insurance Act passed?
1925 - Unemployment insurance could be claimed indefinitely if the worker was genuinely seeking work
When was the Local Government Act passed?
1929 - Gave local authorities extra duties concerning areas such as public health, they now had greater responsibility
When was the Electricity Act passed?
1926 - Set up Central Electricity Board which created modern power stations and a power grid to distribute power across the country
What broadcasting system was established at this time?
The British Broadcasting System
When was the second Representation of the People Act passed?
1928 - Gave vote to women over 21, putting franchise on equal terms for both men and women
How much did the electorate increase with the Representation of the People Act?
Increased from 22 million to 29 million
How many female voters were there compared to male voters?
2 million more women than men voters
How did Baldwin communicate with the people?
Radio and cinema newsreels
How much more was motor car production in the mid 1920’s compared to 1913?
Three times more
What was economic growth like between 1923 and 1929 compared to before 1914?
It was much faster
How many jobs were provided by the service sector in the 1920’s?
Around 1 million
What did the pounds exchange rate with the US dollar become after Britain returned to the Gold Standard?
Raised to $4.86 from $3.40
In 1926 how many working days were lost as a result of strikes?
162.2 million
How much money did the coal industry lose in the first six months of 1925?
£2.1 million
How did the government intervene in the disagreement between miners and owners?
Provided subsidies and set up the Samuel Commission to investigate
What did the Samuel Commission report?
Wage cuts needed, longer working hours not needed and rejected nationalisation
When did the government subsidies to miners end?
April 1926
When did the miners announce a lockout would be?
1 May 1926 - Unless miners accepted wage cuts and longer working hours
When did the TUC call on other trade unionists for a strike to support the miners cause?
1 May 1926
When did the Government pass the 1920 Emergency Powers Act?
1 May 1926 - Declared a state of emergency
When did Baldwin abruptly end discussions with TUC leaders?
2 May 1926
When did the General strike begin?
3 May 1926
When did the General strike end?
12 May 1926 - TUC accepted a compromise without the miners
How long did the General Strike last?
9 days
How many volunteers supplemented the armed forces?
100,000
What was the name of the Conservative newspaper ran by Churchill?
The British Gazette
What was the name of the TUC newspaper?
The Daily Worker
How much did the strike cost TUs?
Millions
When was the Trade Disputes Act passed?
1927 - Made sympathetic strikes illegal and made it more difficult for TUs to fund Labour campaigns
What did trade union membership drop to in 1927?
Below 5 million
What percentage of the workforce remained unemployed?
10-15%
When was the Matrimonial Causes Act passed?
1923 - Women no longer had to prove cruelty or desertion as an additional cause to adultery as grounds for a divorce
When was the Guardianship of Infants Act passed?
1924 - Gave guardianship of infant children to both parents jointly
When was the Representation of the People Act (Equal Franchise) passed?
1928 - Gave women over 21 the vote
How many women worked in the domestic service in 1931?
1.6 million
In 1931 what was a women’s wage compared to a male’s?
Half
What were many women victims to?
The marriage bar, where women were sacked when they got married
How many women were in paid employment in 1911?
35%, 5.2 million
How many women were in paid employment in 1931?
34%, 6.3 million
In 1924 what percent of women MPs made up the House of Commons?
Less than 1%
In 1920 how many papers were there and what was their circulation?
2 papers with a million circulation
In 1930 how many papers were there and what was their circulation?
5 papers with a million circulation each
In 1925 what percentage of films shown were British?
5%
When was the Cinematograph Act passed?
1927 - Ensured 7.5% of films shown were British
When was the British Broadcasting Company founded?
1922
When did the BBC change from company to corporation?
1926
How many licenses for radios were there in 1922?
36,000
How many licenses for radios were there in 1926?
2 million
How many licenses for radios were there in the late 1930’s?
Over 8 million
When was the Remembrance Poppy adopted as the official emblem of remembrance?
1922
What was the Conservative Party message in the 1929 election?
Safety First
What was the Labour Party message in the 1929 election?
Socialist Commonwealth
What was the Liberal Party message in the 1929 election?
We Can Conquer Unemployment
How many seats did the Conservatives win in the 1929 election?
260
How many seats did Labour win in the 1929 election?
288
How many seats did the Liberals win in the 1929 election?
59
Who was the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 1929 Labour government?
Snowden
