Theme 1a: i) Changes in the fortunes of the parties - 1918-1931 Flashcards
Liberal Party in 1918
- 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.
How did the war divide the Liberals?
- 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.
Labour Party in 1918
- 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.
The Representation of the People Act (1918)
- 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.
Conservative Party in 1918
- 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.
Demonstrate the Decline of the Liberal Party
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.
How did David Lloyd George contribute to the Liberal’s decline?
- 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.
The immediate _____ of the Liberal’s _______ were the actions of _____ Lloyd ______.
The immediate cause of the Liberal’s decline were the actions of David Lloyd George.
1922 General Election
- 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.
Rise of the Labour Party:
1924 Government
- 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.
The collapse of the 1924 Labour Government
Campbell case
- 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.
Labour rose _______. In 1918 they won __ seats but this became ___ in 1922.
Labour rose quickly. In 1918 they won 57 seats but this became 142 in 1922.
General Election of October 1924
- 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.
The October ____ election was a _______ moment for the _______ party as a ________ force in British politics. They lost 12% of their vote share and ___ seats.
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.
What electoral reforms aided the Tories?
- 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.