The Failure of Balfour's Government Leading to Liberal Revival

Question 1

How did the Education Act of 1902 contribute to the failure of Balfour’s government?

Answer 1

• The Nonconformists expressed great hostility towards the Act
• The act proposed a scheme which would make the financing and running of secondary schools the responsibility of the 140 newly created Local Education Authorities
• Under the new scheme, the provision of money from local rates was also to be used for the church school that were included in the reform, but the church schools were still allowed a measure of independence
• The nonconformists were angry as they believed the church schools were being advantaged by the bill

Question 2

What was the issue of ‘Chinese slavery’?

Answer 2

• After the Boer War, the government allowed the Rand Mine owners in the Transvaal to bring in thousands of workers over from China to overcome a labour shortage
• The Chinese were contracted to a single mine owner and were obliged to live in single-sex compounds, isolated from the local population
• This caused outrage among the population as it raised clear comparisons with the slave trade trade that had been abolished in Britain a century earlier

Question 3

How did Balfour upset the trade unions?

Answer 3

The trade unions were unhappy with the Taff Vale judgement in 1901 and Balfour refused to amend it, this angered the workers and brought a huge increase in support for the LRC

Question 4

How did Conservative decision over tariff reform contribute to the party losing power?

Answer 4

1) Chamberlain suggested imperial preference - this divided the
Conservatives
2) Chamberlain believed that if Britain consolidated its ties with its empire then it would be able to deal with the growing threat from other countries
3) When Balfour appeared uncertain, Chamberlain pushed on anyway and in 1903 spoke against those in Balfour’s government who stuck to a free trade position - this caused a split between the free traders and the tariff reformers