The National Government (1a) Flashcards
How many liberal seats supported Labour to form a minority govt?
59
Who was PM in 1929?
Ramsey MacDonald
What did the 1930 Housing act do?
Provided better council housing through new builds
What did the 1930 coal mining act do?
It fixed quotas (import tax) and stabilised prices for mine owners
What events lead to the National Govt.’s creation?
- Govt. was struggling with finances
- Needed loans (foreign bankers demanded a more balanced budget)
What was one of the ways the govt. made a more balanced budget?
They cut unemployment benefit by 10%
What did cutting benefits do to Labour?
It meant there was a large divide in the party
What did these divides do for Ramsey MacDonald?
Labour expelled him from party leadership, making him a PM with no party
Why were the Conservatives happy for the Nat govt to go ahead?
As they thought that any economic misfortune would land on MacDonald’s shoulders
When did MacDonald call a General Election?
October 1931
Why did the Conservatives support the 1931 General Election?
- As they had ‘thrown their lot in’ with the National Government
- They thought the govt to lead the country through crisis should be voted for by the people
How many seats did the conservatives have in the National Govt.?
They had 473 of the 554 seats the Nat Govt had
How many seats did labour win in the General Election (opposition to Nat gov)?
52
What threats did the National Govt. face?
- Economic threats
- Opposition of the Labour party
- Rise of extremism
- Foreign policy threats
