WW1 And The Liberals Flashcards
Which liberal leader took the liberals into WW1
Herbert Asquith
What happened to Asquith in 1916
He was forced from office
Which men planned the war with Asquith
Lord Kitchener - secretary of war
John Fisher - first sea lord
Churchill - first lord of the admiralty
What was the shell crisis
An acute shortage of artillery shells
What happened in spring of 1915
Reports leaked of shortages
What did Asquith declare on 20 April
After assurances from Lord Kitchener, Asquith declared that there were supplies of shells
What did the french leak
Reports to the times
What did the daily mail do
Criticised Kitchener and the scandal resulted in him losing significant power within the cabinet
What happened to control of munitions
Lloyd George became minister of munitions in 1915
What did Asquith do in 1915
Invited Bonar Law and the unionists as well Arthur Henderson and Labour.
What happened to Asquith in 1916
He came under pressure to increase conscription
He was originally opposed to this as it was seen as illiberal
What did Asquith relent on
He allowed conscription to become law after pressure from Lloyd George and public opinion , making him look weak
Who died in June 1916
lord Kitchener
What did Lloyd George become in 1916
Secretary of State for war
What made people think Asquith couldn’t win the war
Naval battle of Jutland
Somme
Nationalist uprising in Dublin
What happened on 5 December 1916
Lloyd George resigned
Why did Asquith resign
He believed no other government would be formed and he could come back on his own terms
How did Lloyd George become PM
With support from the unionists, labour and his own minority
What did Asquith do well
He managed to satisfy both camps that were split over the war
Why was Asquith held back by the war
It was seen as illiberal
What was Asquith criticised about with his handling of the war
He seemed to care more for liberalism than the war
What did the issue of conscription do
Created rifts in the party
What was wrong with Asquith’s middle of the road approach
He was unable to appease Lloyd George whilst also seeming to look incompetent and a traitor to liberalism
What did Wilson say about the coalition
‘It represented a rebuff to liberalism and a triumph for right wing press’
