1.1 - Politics

Question 1

How did Britain emerge from WW1?

Answer 1

• Victorious but economically damaged

Question 2

Britain’s WW1 debts - amount and who to?

Answer 2

• Amassed 2.3billion gbp of war debts
• mostly to US

Question 3

How were Britain’s economic problems created?

Answer 3

• War debts
• Loss of world markets (Britain’s trade disruption)
• USA’s economic power

Question 4

LIP (beliefs + policies) - 1918

Answer 4

• Beliefs: free trade, limited gov role, social reform
• 1906 onwards: state pensions, unemployment relief, beginnings of state-provided healthcare

Question 5

LIP history (pre WW1)

Answer 5

• Pre WW1: dominated British politics
• Faced 3 major issues that WW1 interrupted (preventing Liberal overwhelm):
  1. Home Rule - growing unrest in Ireland
  2. Women’s suffrage movement
  3. TU movement - increasingly militant

Question 6

LIP history (after WW1)

Answer 6

• Home Rule + TU unrest return
• Appeal to traditional voters (MC + artisan WC) began declining
• Because despite major social reforms (housing & national insurance) - perceived social reform party = labour

Question 7

Why was there a deep divide in Liberals after WW1?

Answer 7

• Many opposed growth in state power (conscription especially)
• War = coalition with Conservatives from 1915
• 1916: DLG = PM but many Liberal MPs felt he abandoned party principals, becoming too close to Conservatives
• 1918 election: DLG campaigned against many LIP members who stood in independent opposition to him
• Therefore party vote split and unable to recover

Question 8

LAP (growth) - 1918

Answer 8

• Evolved from Labour Representation Committee of TUC (established 1900 for main organising body for TU movement)
• Party close ties to unions (viewed as useful tool to advance working men’s pay and conditions via union-backed MPs into parliament)

Question 9

LAP - 1906 stats (members + MPs) + 1910 general election stats

Answer 9

• 1906: Nearly 1 million affiliated members
• Returned 29 MPs to parliament
• 1910: 40 MPs

Question 10

LAP - after 1911 + impacts

Answer 10

• Easier for WC politicians elected to Parliament as liberal gov allowed MP wages
• Politics no longer solely activity for the independently wealthy

Question 11

LAP - impacts of 1918 RPA

Answer 11

• British electorate tripled: 7.7 million to 21.4 million
• Dramatic expansion of party voter base (many WC men who voted for LAP added to electorate)

Question 12

CP - 1918 (change + end of WW1)

Answer 12

• Associated w/ landed gentry (aka UC) on 19C
• Electoral reform forced party change to attract new supporters
• End of WW1: party of MC and for members of WC who aspired to ‘better themselves’ via owning property

Question 13

CP w/ DLG (1915-22)

Answer 13

• Part of DLG wartime coalition (1915-8)
• Until 1922: Supported him as PM

Question 14

Why did CP’s voter base increase after 1918 RPA?

Answer 14

• Votes from newly enfranchised property-owning women
• Party actively encouraged their engagement w/ Conservative ideas

Question 15

Why were the 1918 and 1922 elections important?

Answer 15

• They cemented the decline of LIP

Question 16

What happened to LIP by 1918?

Answer 16

• DLG (PM and lib leader) split the party

Question 17

Who fought in the 1918 election?

Answer 17

• Ruling Lib-Con coalition
• Labour & liberal opposition parties

Question 18

Stats: increase in seats for 1918

Answer 18

• Coalition lib: 0 (still experienced huge losses)
• Conservative: +60
• Labour: +15
• Liberal: -235

Question 19

What were the results of the 1918 election?

Answer 19

• Landslide victory for Lib-Con coalition
• CP far more popular w/in coalition ( > x3 as many votes than coalition libs)
• Opposition libs saw catastrophic collapse in votes due to:
  1. DLG coalition (immediate cause) + promise for social reform
  2. Rise of LAP

Question 20

DLG - info in 1918

Answer 20

• National hero
• ‘Man who won the war’
• Tough negotiator to rep Britain at Paris Peace Conference
• Humble N Wales origins - enemy of privilege and not friends w/ HoL

Question 21

What deeply shocking news was uncovered by DLG and why was this so?

Answer 21

• Involved in scandal selling knighthoods and peerages

Question 22

How did DLG’s operation and previous operations differ?

Answer 22

• Previously titles sold by gov ministers to industry supporters so they received large donations
• BUT discreet and largely unnoticed manner
• DLG: titles trade run from priv office w/ widespread knowledge of this operation
• Sold 1,500 knighthoods and almost 100 peerages in 6 years as PM

Question 23

Who did DLG sell some titles to and why?

Answer 23

• Fleet Street newspaper magnates (eg: Lord Beaverhook)
• in order to turn a blind eye and prevent practice being reported

Question 24

What was discovered from the 1922 honours list and was the result?

Answer 24

• When announced, several people had criminal convictions for fraud
• Press finally released story

Question 25

What impact did this have on DLG?

Answer 25

- Despite calling honours system corrupt, scandal still did irreparable damage to his credibility - Decision to go to war w/ Turkey (if sought to revise peace treaty terms forced to signed in 1918) further damaged credibility

Question 26

What were his CP coalition members view and what did they do?

Answer 26

- Disagreed w/ policy therefore decided looming crisis was perfect time to act - Secret CP meeting at Carlton Club (private members club used by London political elites) - Decided to abandon coalition w/ Libs meaning 1922 election disastrous for LIP

Question 27

Stats: increase in seats for 1922

Answer 27

- CP: +12 - Lib: +26 - LAP: +85 -Nat Lib: -74

Question 28

What happened to the Nat Libs (led by DLG)?

Answer 28

- Nat Libs Reduced to 53 MPs - Opp libs led by Herbert Asquith: Share of vote grow to 62 MPs - Yet increase too small to save party from further decline

Question 29

First labour gov - facts

Answer 29

- 1924: led by Ramsay MacDonald - Minority gov - CP-supporting newspapers (eg: The Times) viewed its election as deeply alarming

Question 30

What did labour do to calm concerns and what effect did it have?

Answer 30

- Party committed to parliamentary democracy - Tried significantly to demonstrate party's moderation - Still, LAP opponents in CP + media liked to compare to repressive regime in Soviet Russia - Even suggested cabinet may have Soviet Sympathisers

Question 31

What was one of MacDonald's main problem?

Answer 31

- Strained relations w/ Nat Exec Committee of LAP itself - MacDonald forced to make harsh Econ. decisions that effected poorest voters whilst managing threat of industrial action

Question 32

What impact did being a minority gov have on MacDonald's decisions?

Answer 32

- Had to compromise as PM meant he relied on LIP support - Any attempt to introduce more radical programme would have result in this support being withdrawn and gov collapse - but party criticised him for not being radical enough

Question 33

Why wasn't much legislation passed under the 1924 Labour gov?

Answer 33

- Gov lasted 9 months - too short to introduce much legislation

Question 34

What legislation was passed under the first Labour gov?

Answer 34

- 1924: Housing (Financial provisions) Act: increased amount of money available to local authorities to build homes for low income workers