Section one chapter 1 Flashcards
General election Jan 1906
Landslide victory - liberals
How many seats did the liberals win in the 1906 election?
Around 401 seats
Conservatives won 157
Who led the new liberal government
Able ministers including Lloyd George and Churchill
What we’re the new liberal government aims
- ‘new liberalism’
- Introduce reforms to tackle poverty and social problems
The boer war
- war took place in 1900
- Helped conservatives win electoral victory
- partly because of patriotic support for government/ also war split liberals
What negative impact did the boer war have on the Conservative party
- sowed seeds of conservatives great defeat in 1906
- Lasted longer/more costly in lives/money than expected
-exposed malnutrition in cities - liberals claimed conservatives neglected poverty
What impact did the 1902 education act have on the election result in 1906
- major impact
- roused fury of nonconformists - many reverted to liberal party
What was the 1902 education act?
Provided for all schools to be funded from local rates
- great achievement for education - standardised chaotic system
- nonconformists outraged, their taxes spent on CofE Schools
The 1904 licensing act
Aimed at reducing no. of public houses
- Proposed to compensate Brewers/ publicans for cancellation of licenses
Impact of the 1904 licensing act on 1906 election results
- Annoyed, nonconformist voters
- The few nonconformists, who had moved away from the Liberal party now returned
The Chinese labour issue
- Chinese labourers worked for low wages (imported into South Africa) + kept in overcrowded camps
-  Raised moral outcry by nonconformists
- British trade unions feared they would be brought to Britain pushing down wages
Impact of the Chinese labour issue on the 1906 election results
- caused scandal that damaged conservative gov
- Took votes away from Conservatives
Impact of the Chinese labour issue on the 1906 election results
- caused scandal that damaged conservative gov
- Took votes away from Conservatives
The taff vale case
- 1901 - dispute between taff vale railway company and railway workers trade union
- Led to strike action
- 1902 - House of Lords, ruled company was within its right to sue a trade union
Impact of the taff vale case on the 1906 election results
- conservatives lost support for failure to take side of trade Unions in taff vale
- Conservatives refused to contradict decision made in House of Lords
- Reinforced conviction amongst workers - conservatives were opposed to their interests
Neglect of social reform
- Awareness of poverty exposed by was
- liberals working out new form of liberalism + campaigning for reforms
- Conservatives produced nothing other than 1902 education act
what is the Tariff reform campaign known as
- ‘biggest conservative policy misjudgement’
who launched the tariff reform campaign and when
1903 - Joseph chamberlain
what were the aims of the Tariff reform campaign
- reintroduce tariffs with lower level of tariff for goods coming into Britain from British empire than for good imported from non empire countries
- policy known as ‘imperial preference’
what did chamberlain believe tariffs would achieve for Britain
- protect british industry = more jobs
- provide revenue to fund social reform
- strengthen british empire
what groups in society were attracted to chamberlains tariff reform
- industrialists and farmers who faced foreign competition
what influence did Tariff reform campaign have on conservative and liberal parties
- divided conservative party + gov
Winston Churchill actually voted with Liberals in 1904 - issue helped reunite liberal party in idea of ‘free trade’ policy
Balfour in conservative leadership
- conservative PM from 1902
- highly intelligent but lacked political skill
when was the Lib-lab pact
1903
what was the Lib-Lab pact
- Lib’s agreed to not oppose Lab candidates in next Gen election in 30 constituencies where lab more likely to defeat conservative candidate
what was the impact of the Lib-Lab pact on the 1906 general election
- made govs defeat in terms of no. of lost parliamentary seats even more complete
- labour wont 29 seats
- libs secured total defeat of conservatives
classical liberalism
- stressed freedom to DO things - worship/publish etc
- Laissez-Faire
new liberalism
- stressed freedom FROM things - poverty, low wages etc
- ‘safety nets’ - to provide help when needed
growing awareness of poverty and its causes
-late 19th cent = investigations proved poverty = major problem
- poverty largely caused by economic forces
influence of intellectuals on the liberal party
- argued 19th cent liberalism put too much stress on freedom of individual + not enough on role of society through the state
T.H. Green
- argued liberalism should give opportunity for people to be moral
J.A. Hobson
- believed Britain faced problem of ‘under consumption’
- state should intervene to help reduce poverty/unemployment
J.T. Hobhouse
- argued for ‘collectivism’ that gov should take action to distribute wealth more fairly throughout society
political factors leading to the development of new liberalism
- rescue liberal party from recent divisions
- give uniting theme
- social reform would help liberals hold onto working class vote
concern over ;national efficiency’ and its influence on the development of new liberalism
- growing concern econ/ workforce not as productive anymore
- Boer war highlighted poor health among working class
support for new liberalism within Liberal party
- 1/2 liberal MP’s elected supported new liberalism
- including DLG, Churchill
Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman
- PM after 1906 election
- set liberals on path to carrying out reform
H.H. Asquith
- liberal PM in 1908
- good debating skills - dominant in HOC
David Lloyd George
- dynamic/effective minister
- concern to improve living standard
- introduced old age pensions bill (1908)
Winston Churchill
- one of Lib partys most articulate supporters of new liberalism
- concerned w problems of low wages
position of labour party after 1906
- LRC renamed labour party once in parliament
- some liberals concerned over this new force in parliament
problems faced by Labour party after 1906
- new MP’s working class- limited education
- Keir Hardy was inspirational leader - lacked qualities needed to keep MP’s united
who was W. V . Osborne and what problems did he cause for the labour party in 1909
- liberal - challenged right of union to demand political levy
- these levies went to paying MP’s salaries
-HOL-in favour Osborne - faced financial crisis
the conservative party
- after 1906 election - conserv’s powerless
- Balfour used permanent conservative majority in HOL to block policies of new liberal gov
- HOL=’Balfours poodle’
- many liberal measures blocked
