The impact of war, 1914-1922, Politics in wartime

Question 1

When did Britain declare war against Germany?

Answer 1

4th August 1914

Question 2

How did Ireland respond to war?

Answer 2

The Irish Nationalist and Unionist leaders, Redmond and Carson, urged their men to join the British army and the Home Rule act was suspended.

Question 3

How did women suffragettes respond to war?

Answer 3

Mrs Pankhurst called women to give up campaigning and help war effort

Question 4

How did Trade Unions respond to war?

Answer 4

members were generally patriotic with many enlisting in the army

Question 5

In 1914 what government was it

Answer 5

Liberal government led by Asquith

Question 6

Initially, what was believed about the war?

Answer 6

It would be over by Christmas.

Government continued it’s motto, ‘business as usual’

Question 7

What were the first political changes caused by war?

Answer 7

To bring Lord Kitchener in as Secretary of War.
Four days after the outbreak of war, 8th August, the government passed ‘The Defence of the Realm Act 1914’, giving the state an unprecedented level of control over people’s lives.

Question 8

DORA

Answer 8

Defence of the Realm Act 1914.
Legal basis for the huge extension of state powers
Meant the government could react quickly to crises without having to get an Act of Parliament.
It covered:
- Control of information; censorship and measures against spying
- Protection of important centres of communication; docks, railways etc
- Regulation of all aspects of peoples lives such as food rationing, opening times of pubs
- Increased powers to detain people without trial.

Passed by Parliament in 1914, subsequently extended at various intervals during the war.

Question 9

By May 1915 why was Asquith and his government losing confidence in their supporters?

Answer 9

• Now clear that the war would last a long time and the ‘home front’ would be as important as the front line.
• Military distorter at Galipoli
• scandal over shell shortage on the Western Front (politicians blamed for shortage)

Question 10

What did Asquith have to do due to the lowered government prestige?

Answer 10

Accept an all-party coalition

Question 11

What were the key positions of the new 1915 coalition

Answer 11

Bonar Law, Conservative leader was given the Colonial Office.
Balfour replaced Churchill at the Treasury
Lloyd George became Minister of Munitions

Question 12

Why were many Liberals unhappy with the 1915 coalition

Answer 12

• Unhappy with interventionist position of the government in the war
• Uncomfortable with the introduction of conscription in January 1916
• Believed State threatened civil liberties through the introduction of DORA.

Question 13

Where did many liberals go in 1915

Answer 13

Joined the Union of Democratic Control, set up at the start of war to Bring about peace by negotiation.

Question 14

The impact of the Maurice Debate 1918

Answer 14

Divided Liberal Party in government

Question 15

Position of Lloyd George by 1916

Answer 15

• Had a clear understanding of the demands for a new ‘total war’
• successful Minister of Munitions
• ## When Kitchener died in 1916, Lloyd George took over as Secretary of War

Question 16

The 1915 coalition

Answer 16

Tension in the coalition.
All key positions were held by Liberals
Conservatives distrusted Asquith
Direction of war was hesitant and piecemeal and held back by disagreements among members of the government.

Question 17

Challenges to traditional liberal thinking

Answer 17

Much more state intervention was needed for the war to manage the economy; this went against traditional liberal policies of ‘laissez faire’
Asquith found it hard to give up the principles.
He did not see the need for total mobilisation and he disliked the idea of conscription which was needed to maintain Britain’s army at full fighting strength and also ensured that men with the relevant skills were kept on the home front.
He was thus viewed as being too complacent in the face of the crisis facing Britain.

Question 18

What series of crises happened 1916?

Answer 18

• Easter Rising of Irish Republicans in Dublin
• Failure of the British navy to defeat the German battle fleet in the inconclusive Battle of Jutland
• 60,000 British casualties on the first day of the Battle of the Somme
  = these events further destroyed confidence in Asquith

Question 19

What was the state of Asquith’s coalition by 1916?

Answer 19

Conservatives had completely withdrawn support from Asquith and wanted him replaced by Lloyd George.

After discussions with Bonar Law, Lloyd George proposed the creation of a small war cabinet which would consist of himself, Bona Law and Edward Carson (Ulster Unionist).
Asquith would remain as Prime Minister but would not take place in the war cabinet.

Question 20

How did Lloyd George’s new coalition government change the way Britain was governed

Answer 20

• a small war cabinet of five replaced the normal sized cabinet of about 20
• Most of the top jobs were now held by conservatives
• A cabinet secretary made the cabinet more efficient
• The Prime Miniser himself developed his own Prime Minister’s Secretariat which could provide him with advice and ideas
• more government ministries were now set up for wartime needs such as labour, shipping, food and National Service.

Question 21

Position of Lloyd George by 1918

Answer 21

After Lloyd George replaced Asquith as PM, Liberal MPs still recognised Asquith as their party leader, but pledged to support the government in the conduct of war.
Many liberals viewed Lloyd George as a traitor and the feud between DLG and Asquith divided the Liberal Party
Lloyd George’s support now depended on the Conservatives who only tolerated him, not fully trusting him.

Question 22

The Labour Party at the start of the war

Answer 22

Nearly split in 1914 over the war.
The party essentially believed in the international cooperation of the working class and was opposed to was and militarism.
Some leaders, like Ramsay MacDonald, refused to compromise and support the war and were mercilessly criticised in the press.

Question 23

Who was the first Labour politician to be given a place in cabinet

Answer 23

Arthur Henderson in 1916

Question 24

In what way was Labour recognised as being vital to the war effort

Answer 24

The cooperation of the trade unions , the backbone of the Labour Party

Question 25

How did Labour have influences on wartime social policy

Answer 25

• Rising wartime prices pushing rent up, it forced government to pass legislation which fixed wartime rents at prewar levels
• Pushed for ‘fair play’; controls on profiteering and unrestricted market forces and for high taxation of war profits.
• 1917, Price controls were introduced which helped to stabilise food prices and an excess profits duty was also introduced in 1915

Question 26

What happened once the Labour Party was apart from the government?

Answer 26

Allowed Henderson to reorganise the Labour Party.

This helped unite the Labour Party and put them in a stronger position competing with the two other main parties.

Question 27

What happened to trade union membership during and immediately after the war

Answer 27

It doubled reaching 8 million

Question 28

What significant post war factor would help the Labour Party in parliament

Answer 28

Widening of franchise, ensuring all men would have a parliamentary vote, giving Labour the prospect of a much bigger electoral support from the working class.

Question 29

When was the new Labour constitution

Answer 29

February 1918 to clearly set its aims and principles

Question 30

What did Labour’s new constitution state

Answer 30

• The Party was to be composed of various affiliated groups: trade unions, socialist societies, co-operative societies, trade councils, Local Labour Parties
• An executive of 23 members would manage the party. This executive would be elected at the annual party conference
• The ‘means of production, distribution and exchange’ (i.r. land, factories, transport, shops and banks) was to be taken over by the government or community (nationalised). This statement became known as Clause IV.
• Surplus wealth would be redistributed, e.g. by taxation
• Trade unions would have more power; the Labour Party would co-operate with them in formulation of policy.

Question 31

What was the War Emergency Committee

Answer 31

Brought together delegates from every section of the Labour movement, trade unionists, socialists, supporters and opponents of war.
Its aim was to protect the interests of the working class in war.
It came with plans on how to run the war more effectively and campaigned for the 'conscription of riches'. It worked closely with the government.

It was important in maintaining the unit of the Labour Party.

Question 32

How did Baldwin describe the partnership between Lloyd George and Bonar Law

Answer 32

‘the most perfect partnership in political history’.

Question 33

Briefly describe the relationship between Boar Law and Lloyd George

Answer 33

Lloyd George was Prime Minister
Bonar Law was head of the Conservative party
Lloyd George discussed his ideas and policies with Bonar Law as he knew that with BL’s approval, he could get them passed through the cabinet and Commons.
Bonar Law kept DLG informed of the opinions of backbenchers and vice versa, acting as a mediator between the two groups.

Question 34

What was Lloyd George known as however, what crucial factor helped him?

Answer 34

‘The man who won the war’
Bonar Law’s support, both for his appointment as Prime Minister, and in the ensuing years, made him a crucial ally to DLG’s success.

Question 35

What role did Bonar Law play in the war effort

Answer 35

He was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1916-1918.
Played a key role in raising funds for the war.
In 1917 he raised £600million via a War Loan campaign; and by setting interest rates at 5 rather than 6%, in the face of opposition from the governor of the Bank of England, he made significant savings.

Question 36

At the end of the war what happened in terms of government.

Answer 36

DLG persuaded Bonar Law and other Conservative leaders that the coalition should call an election before the end of 1918 in order to continue with the coalition.

Bonar Law was happy to cooperate, realising DLG’s popularity amongst the public, and believing that the coalition government would help preserve unity in the country. The coalition government was regarded as patriotic and effective.

It was felt that a government combining the talents of all parties would help to restore ‘normality’.

Question 37

The coupon election

Answer 37

December 1918.
Those who fought the election in support of the coalition were thus given a certificate signed by DLG and BL- this certificate was nicknamed a ‘coupon’

This meant voters had to chose between two rival Liberal Parties.

Conservatives won 344 seats
Liberals won 62 seats
National Liberals won 53 seats

Question 38

Why was the Conservative party so successful in 1918

Answer 38

• Nationalistic mood father country
• They had who heartedly supported the war
• Benefitted from 1918 electoral reform. Representation of the People Act
• Constituencies had been reshaped to accommodate a growing population, much of growth had taken place in the South of England in Conservative voting areas which became sub-divided to form new constituencies.

Question 39

Summarise the post war coalition government

Answer 39

New government based on Conservative support, with with a radical liberal at its head, DLG, who had been the biggest enemy of the Conservatives during the constitutional crises.

During the war, there was a common purpose creating unity, but it was now becoming harder for the coalition to work together

Question 40

What had Lloyd George promised in his 1918 election campaign

Answer 40

‘Homes fit for heroes’

Question 41

What problems did the post war coalition have to deal with that were already evident before 1914

Answer 41

• competition from the rising economic power of Germany and the US
• Worries about the growth of the trade union movement
• divisions over Home Rule for Ireland

Question 42

What problems stemmed directly from the war

Answer 42

• Government debt
• Dislocation of trade and industry
• Problem of demobilising more than 5 million men
• post-war peace settlement

Question 43

What positive attempts of post-war reconstruction were attempted by Lloyd George’s government

Answer 43

• 1918 Education Act. Raised the school leaving age to 14 and gave larger grants to local authorities to improve teachers’ salaries. Although secondary schools remained fee paying, the government increased the number of scholarships available to those attending these schools.
• Addison Housing Act 1919. Obliged all local authorities to ensure that people had decent housing; during the life of the government 170,000 subsidised houses were built.
• In 1920 the Unemployment Act was extended to cover an additional 12 million workers with unemployment insurance.
• The Agricultural Act of 1920 supported agriculture by maintaining the war time guarantee of prices for wheat and oats, It also guaranteed a minimum wage for farm labourers.

Question 44

What problems did DLG’s post-war coalition face by 1922

Answer 44

• After a short lived post-war economic boom, a period of economic depression set in. This meant cuts in government spending which severely limited any reconstruction plans.
• In March 1921, Addison, at the Wartime Ministry of Munitions left the Ministry of Health when subsidies for housing were ended
• There was increased trade union activity and industrial disruption; in 1921, 86 million working days were lost.
• There was trouble in Ireland
• In May 1921, Bonar Law resigned due to ill health. This weakened DLG’s position as the coalition depended on his good working relationship with BL. Austen Chamberlian, a critic of Lloyd George replaced BL.

Question 45

The Honours Scandal

Answer 45

1922.
Lloyd George was accused of selling peerages to finance his own political party through the ‘Lloyd George fund’

This was very shocking.

During his time as PM (1916-22) he sold 1500 knighthoods and nearly one hundred peerages.

Question 46

The Chanak Affair

Answer 46

1922.
When British troops intervened with the Turkish takeover of Greece. However there was no actual fighting as the crisis passed.
However,
The PM was accused of acting high-handedly, ordering British troops into action without consulting his coalition partners.

Question 47

What convinced the Conservatives in 1922 that they had enough electoral support to leave DLG

Answer 47

A victory in a by-election at Newport

Question 48

What famous Conservative meeting was held in 1922.

Answer 48

The Carlton club meeting with speeches being made by Bonar Law and Baldwin.

Conservatives voted overwhelmingly to fight the next election alone and within hours of this vote DLG resigned and the post-war coalition ended.

It was Bonar Laws withdrawal of support that had the most effect.

Question 49

November Election 1922

Answer 49

Bonar Law now stood against DLG.

The Conservatives with 330 seats.

The Lloyd George and Asquithian liberals won 116 seats which was still fewer than Labour.

Labour won 142 seats

This revealed the extent of the Liberal Party decline