Why were the Conservatives able to dominate interwar politics? (1a) Flashcards
How were the Conservatives able to dominate interwar politics?
- Government coalition
- Withdraw of coalition
- Won 1924 election
- Agreed to be part of National government
When was the coalition government?
1918-1922
How many seats did the Conservative party have in the 1918 coalition?
335
How many seats did the Liberals have in the 1918 coalition?
133
What year did the conservatives withdraw from the coalition?
1922, won following election
What happened in the December 1923 election?
Conservatives lost overall majority but remained largest party
How many seats did the Conservative have in the 1923 December election?
258
What happened during the 1929 general election?
Conservatives lost, no party had overall majority
What did the Conservatives do during the creation of the national government?
Agreed to participate and became dominant party in coalition until 1945
Why were the conservatives able to dominate interwar politics?
- Electoral system of 1918
- Weaknesses/divisions of opposition parties
- Effective party organisation
- Effective leadership and image
How did changes in the electoral system help the conservatives?
- Plural voting
- Constituency boundaries were redrawn
- First past the post system
- Irish free state
How long did plural voting remain until?
Until 1948
What did plural voting allow people to do?
- Enabled businessmen who lived in constituency and owned a property in another to vote in both
- University students could aslo vote in 2
When were the constituency boundaries redrawn?
1918
Why were the constituency boundaries redrawn?
Reflect population movement
How did the new constituency boundaries affect middle class suburbs?
Gave them a greater representation
What is the first past the post system?
Candidate who receives the most votes wins, even if they did not receive a majority of the votes
Who were the main opposition to the Conservatives before 1918 and what happened to them?
Liberals, there was a division mainly due to DLG
What happened to the Liberals by 1931?
Many right wing Liberals split off and became National Liberals forming a close alliance with the Conservatives, this ment there was no healthy opposition
Why did Labour find it difficult during the interwar years?
- Found it hard to grow outside industrial working class
- Fear of communism
What happened to the Labour party in the 1931 economic crisis?
Deeply divided over how to handle economic crisis, decimated in general election that year
How were the conservatives able to stay organised?
- True national party structure
- Conservative Research Department
- Funding not a problem
What did the true national party consist of?
- Organised local branches
- Network of professional agents
When was the Conservative Research Department created?
1929
What did the Conservative Research Department do?
Responsible for research, drafting speeches and preparing party documents (election manifestos)
How were the Conservatives able to successfully project their image?
- Rebranding of the party
- Stanley Baldwin
- Promoted good working relationships
- Destroying DLG coalition
How did the Conservatives rebrand?
Moved away from party of wealth and privilege to ‘one nation tories,’ designed to attract working class
What ideas did the conservatives introduce as part of rebranding?
- Empire
- Patriotism
- National defence
How did Stanley Baldwin present himself?
Straight-talking man of the people, although could be seen as dull ‘safety first’ campaign
Who did Baldwin promote a good working relationship between?
Employers and workers
What reputation did Stanley Baldwin gain?
Reputation for economic competence, helped attract wealthy, middle class Liberals
What did Baldwin do in the 1922 election?
Broke off the coalition
What did Baldwin support in 1922
Free trade, taking away the policy that united the liberals
