Theme 1a: i) Changes in the fortunes of the parties - 1918-1931 Flashcards

1
Q

Liberal Party in 1918

A
  • Believed in free trade and limited state intervention.
  • Party of social reform.
  • Started to lose their appeal to Labour.
  • The war had divided the liberals.
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2
Q

How did the war divide the Liberals?

A
  • Many opposed the growth in state power (conscription).
  • Believed DLG was too close to the Tories.
  • 1918 election: DLG split the liberal party - party’s vote share was split.
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3
Q

Labour Party in 1918

A
  • Strong relationship with the unions.
  • 1911 Parliament Act - Easier for working class people to become MPs due to the introduction of wages for MPs.
  • The ROPA led to an increase in electorate - widening the party’s voter base.
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4
Q

The Representation of the People Act (1918)

A
  • Electorate tripled in size - 7.7 million to 21.4 million.
  • Ensured nearly all British men over 21 could vote.
  • Women over 30 could vote if they were a property owner, or were a member of a local govt register or their husband was.
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5
Q

Conservative Party in 1918

A
  • Electoral reform meant they had to distance themself from the gentry and attract new voters.
  • Presented themselves as a party of the middle classes and the aspirational working classes.
  • Had been a part of DLG’s coalition since 1915, and continued to support him until 1922.
  • 1918-: Large proportion of their votes came from property owning women.
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6
Q

Demonstrate the Decline of the Liberal Party

A

1918 Election:
- DLG split the party.
- Conservative + Coalition Liberals vs Labour and the Liberals.
- Vote share split and Liberals couldn’t recover - Coalition Liberals popular and the growth of Labour.
- Coalition won a landslide -
Con: 332 seats Coalition Libs: 127 seats Libs: 36 seats.

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7
Q

How did David Lloyd George contribute to the Liberal’s decline?

A
  • Split the Liberals.
  • June 1922: Found to have been selling knighthoods and peerages.
    1916-1922 - 1,500 knighthoods, and nearly 100 peerages.
    1922 Honours list: Several criminals of fraud on there.
  • Deciding to go to war with Turkey dented his credibility - Tories not happy - abandon coalition in 1922.
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8
Q

The immediate _____ of the Liberal’s _______ were the actions of _____ Lloyd ______.

A

The immediate cause of the Liberal’s decline were the actions of David Lloyd George.

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9
Q

1922 General Election

A
  • Tories ABANDON coalition and win a majority (344 seats)
  • Labour make serious gains to become 2nd largest party (142 seats).
  • Liberals left in tatters:
    DLG’s National Libs = 53 seats Asquith’s Libs = 62 seats.
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10
Q

Rise of the Labour Party:

1924 Government

A
  • Labour formed a minority govt under Ramsay MacDonald.
    -Underwhelming - couldn’t pass radical legislation due to their reliance on Liberal support.
  • Relationships with the NEC of the Labour party became strained.
  • Measure passed:
    Housing (Financial Provision) Act, 1924 - Increased money to local authorities to build houses for low-income workers.
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11
Q

The collapse of the 1924 Labour Government

Campbell case

A
  • MacDonald narrowly won a Motion of No Confidence after the decision to drop charges of Incitement to Mutiny against a Socialist paper.
  • Campbell had written an article that had broken the law: “Turn your weapons on the oppressors!”
  • Prosecution against Campbell was dropped in August and MacDonald was accused of having communist sympathies.
  • A 2nd motion was passed against the Government and MacDonald had to resign and call an election.
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12
Q

Labour rose _______. In 1918 they won __ seats but this became ___ in 1922.

A

Labour rose quickly. In 1918 they won 57 seats but this became 142 in 1922.

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13
Q

General Election of October 1924

A
  • Labour’s reputation tarnished when a Tory newspaper claimed they had received a letter from the Russian communists - the Zinoviev letter.
  • It was a forgery made to take votes away from Labour and the left.
  • Stanley Baldwin’s Conservatives won a landslide - 412 seats.
  • The Tories took votes off Labour and the Liberals.
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14
Q

The October ____ election was a _______ moment for the _______ party as a ________ force in British politics. They lost 12% of their vote share and ___ seats.

A

The October 1924 election was a defining moment for the Liberal party as a declining force in British politics. They lost 12% of their vote share and 118 seats.

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15
Q

What electoral reforms aided the Tories?

A
  • Plural Voting: Enabled businessmen to vote in the constituency they lived in and the constituency where they also owned property.
  • 1918 Redrawing of constituencies: Greater representation to Middle Class suburbs.
  • First Past the Post: Less votes to return a Tory MP compared to Labour or Liberal due to boundaries.
  • 1921 Irish Free State: Liberals lost 80 Nationalist MPs but Tories kept support from 10 Northern Irish MPs.
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16
Q

Coupon Election 1918

A
  • DLG endorsed some Tories over Liberals.
  • The coalition Liberals were separate from the Liberals.
  • Coalition won a landslide with the Tories and DLG stayed PM.
17
Q

Conservative Dominance, 1924-1929

A
  • Won 412 seats in the October 1924 general election.
  • Presented itself as an alternative to the Labour Party and its ‘threat’ of socialism.
  • Baldwin presented himself as a moderate to appeal to all classes.
  • Faced a General Strike in 1926, and returned Britain to the Gold Standard in 1925.