The Era Of The Great War #21: Political Parties Flashcards
Liberal party pre-wa
Dominant force in UK
Why was it hypocritical that liberals claimed to stand for freedom and choice?
They had introduced restrictions on many aspects of daily life eg. Conscription
Why did some liberals oppose conscription?
Forced men into the army
Why did the liberal government form a coalition?
Many were split on their wartime policies like conscription
Who led the liberals in 1914?
Asquith
When was the coalition formed? Who was involved?
- 1915
- libs, tories, labour
When did Asquith resign?
1916
Who were the liberal party divided by?
Asquith supporters and David Lloyd George supporters
What did Asquith supporters do?
Left the govt in protest
By 1920, the liberals had…
Ceased to be an effective political force
Conservatives represented
Traditional morals and values
What was one reason the conservatives were successful?
The were well funded
Who did the conservatives appeal to?
- young scots who wished to be successful
- built up support in rural areas
- those frightened for the rise of the Labour Party
- middle class who feared communism and revolution
How did conservatives attract female voters who had freshly gotten the vote?
They promised that the would help support the family
What new methods did the conservatives use?
Cinema, to put their ideas across
Post-war strength of the conservatives?
- many conservative candidates for post-war elections were veterans, which made the seem good candidates for a post-war government
- this also made them seem patriotic
Labour pre-war
- No experience of government
How did labour begin to come into power?
Through joining the coalition government in 1915
How were Labour influential in 1915?
The government now listened to trade unions and worked with them to run the economy effectively
Increase in Labour candidates?
1914: never put up more than 78 people at an election
1918: 361
What is a constituency?
An area in which an MP represents in parliament
Growth in Labour organisation
1914: no national organisation
1918: well organised with separate constituency branches
What were the Labour Party divided on?
Whether on not to to to war: but most supported
What did the war lead Labour to do post-war?
Develop policies to help them deal with a post-war situation
Two of Labour’s post-war policies?
- minimum wage
- control of industry to help promote people’s welfare
How did the Labour Party benefit post-war?
Trade union membership
Increase in trade union membership
1913: 4,135,000
End of war: 6,533,333
