'The Liberal Crisis' 1906-1914, The Liberal governments Flashcards
Reasons for liberal landslide,
THE BOER WAR
In the 1900 election the Boer war helped the Conservative win support. This was partly due to patriotism for the government but also the Liberal Party was split over the war.
HOWEVER,
The war lasted longer than expected and cost more (both financially and in terms of lives) than expected.
The methods used to defeat the Boers, including civilian concentration camps, caused moral outrage in Britain.
The Boer war also exposed the malnutrition present within Britain. This led to concerns over the physical decline of the British race.
The Liberals gained support by claiming that the Conservatives had neglected the poverty in cities.
Reasons for liberal landslide,
THE 1902 EDUCATION ACT
This was an important issue. It roused the fury of the nonconformists and led many of them to revert to the Liberal Party.
Before 1902, Anglican and Catholic Churches had been funded by their local churches. The 1902 Act provided for all schools to be funded from local rates (local taxes). This act was a great achievement for British education as it standardised a rather chaotic system and extended the principle of state education into the secondary area.
However nonconformists were outraged that their taxes might be spent on schools to which they strongly objected i.e., church of England and Roman Catholic schools. They saw this as yet another privilege for the Church of England which they already regarded as having unfair advantages.
Reasons for liberal landslide
THE 1904 LICENSING ACT
This was another issue which annoyed the nonconformist voters.
This act aimed at reducing the number of public houses by proposing to compensate brewers and publicans for the cancellation of licences. (this annoyed them).
As the brewers were supporters of the conservatives, nonconformists denounced the Act as the ‘brewers Bill’.
Reasons for liberal landslide
THE CHINESE LABOUR ISSUE
The ‘Chinese slavery’ between 1902 and 1904caused a scandal that damaged the Conservatives in the eyes of the nonconformists and the Trade Unions members.
Chinese labourers would work long hours for low wages were being imported into South Africa and kept in overcrowded camps. (moral outcry from nonconformists) ALSO British Trade Unionists feared that employers might bring them into Britain, so pushing down wages at home.
With unemployment already high in 1905, opposition to Chinese labour lost Conservative votes.
Reasons for the liberal landslide
THE TAFF VALE CASE
Cons lost support over failure to take part in of the trade unions over the Taff Vale case.
In 1901, a dispute had broken out in Wales between the Taff Vale railway company and the railway workers trade union which led to strike action.
The company took the trade union to court, demanding compensation for loss of profits during the strike.
In 1902 the House of Lords declared that it was within its rights to sue a trade union. The trade unions were horrified, as it made them impossible to call successful strikes.
Only an act of parliament could overrule the Lords’ judgement and the Conservatives refused to introduce such legislation as Balfour believed this was a matter for the courts.
Reinforced conviction amongst workers that Conservatives were primarily against their interests.
Reasons for the liberal landslide,
NEGLECT OF SOCIAL REFORM
Growing awareness of poverty had been exposed by the Boer war.
Some liberals were already working out a new form of Liberalism in which the state would play a greater role in ensuring minimum standards of living for the most vulnerable.
The new LRC had also been campaigning for sweeping reforms.
Despite this, the Conservatives produced nothing other than Balfour’s 1902 Education Act.
- Did provide reform
- Controversial (nonconformists, benefitted Liberals)
Reasons for the liberal landslide,
TARIFF REFORM CAMPAIGN
CONSERVATIVES BIGGEST POLICY MISJUDGEMENT
1903, Tariff reform campaign was launched in Birmingham by Jospeh Chamberlain. He wanted to reintroduce tariffs (taxes on imported goods) with a lower level tariff for goods coming into Britain from the British empire, ‘imperial preference’.
Many working and middle class voters feared tariffs would mean dearer food and falling in living standards.
The reform ended u diving the Conservative party with leading conservative, Churchill, voting with the Liberal party.
Issue helped to reunite and strengthen the Liberal Party because belief in free trade was something all liberals strongly supported.
Free trade was literally a ‘bread and butter issue’ of great concern for voters in all classes and the Liberal Party was able to present itself as the party that protects cheap food.
Reasons for the liberal landslide,
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP
After Salisbury’s death in 1902, Balfour was Conservative Prime Minister.
He was highly intelligent but lacked political skill. Not sensitive to public opinion, appeared not to understand deep social issues of the time.
He was indirectly responsible for the timing of the 1906 election through his unusual decision that the government should step down in December 1905.
Reasons for the liberal landslide,
THE LIB-LAB PACT 1903
This made the government’s defeat, in terms of the number of lost parliamentary seats, even more complete.
This pact meant that the Liberals would not oppose Labour candidates in the next general election in 30 selected constituencies in England and Wales where a Labour candidate was more likely to be able to defeat the conservatives. In return, the LRC promised to restrict their candidates in other constituencies and so prevent a split in the ant-Conservative vote.
The LRC put up 50 candidates, wining 29 seats. With only 5 of those being won against Liberal opposition.
This pact gave the LRC new political power which would ultimately work against the Liberal party.
LIBERALS VIEW=
They saw this as a success.
Benefitted financially
Benefitted from the idea of a progressive alliance on the left
Secured the total defeat of the Conservatives.
Attractions of the Liberal Party itself
Move from classic liberalism to ‘New Liberalism’ which was supported by Lloyd George and Churchill who wanted to tackle social problems.
Classic liberalism supported the idea of Laissez-faire, little government intervention. It also promoted the idea of ‘freedom to do things’ such as worship, publish or criticise.
New Liberalism stressed freedom from, e.g. freedom from evils such as low wages, poverty and insecurity. New liberalism supported poorer sections of society needing help from the State as well. New liberalism put emphasis on State’s role for providing a ‘safety net’ to prevent hard working but vulnerable citizens from falling into destitution.
Issues with New Liberalism?
Implied higher government spending which contradicted the traditional Liberal emphasis on thrift and low taxation.
Some supporters believed that a scheme of contributory payments would be good, in return for benefits for certain groups, which had already been pioneered in Germany.
More radical liberals believe there should be some element redistribution of income by taxing the rich more heavily and diverting some of the money to the poor.
List three intellectuals and their influence over liberalism
T.H.Green:
A philosopher who argued that liberalism should give people the opportunity to be moral; social reforms would thus allow people to fulfil this broader interpretation of liberalism. Social legislation was also justified because it would ‘maintain the conditions without which a free exercise of the human faculties is impossible’.
J.A.Hobson:
An economist who believed that the British economy faced a problem of ‘under consumption’. many people were too poor to buy enough goods to keep British industry thriving. Thus, the state should intervene to help reduce unemployment and poverty.
J.T.Hobhouse:
A sociologist who believed in ‘collectivism’; that governments should take action to distribute wealth more fairly throughout society. Thus taxes should be used to help implement social reforms that would benefit the poorer sections of society.
List the political factors for reformist ideology
- It could rescue the Liberal Party from its recent divisions and Gove the Party a theme that might unite it.
- Many Liberals were worried about the stirring of the Labour movement as a potential political rival and social reform would help the Liberals hold onto the working class vote.
- Social reform was an area in which the Conservatives were vulnerable to attack, thus giving the Liberals an advantage during elections
Why was Britain’s international primacy at risk in the early century
- The Boer war had highlighted deficiencies in Britain’s military and administrative efficiency
- The Boer war also highlighted the poor sate of health amongst the working class.
- Germany, Japan and the USA were rapidly catching up and even overtaking Britain in industry
- Germany was also growing militarily, highlighting Britain’s vulnerability in this area.
What was the position of Lloyd George from 1906-1908?
Then 1908-1915?
- President of the Board of Trades
2. Chancellor of the Exchequer
