section two: chapter 5 Flashcards
(36 cards)
1
Q
what happened to the problem of Irish home rule once the war broke out
A
- war broke out in 4th august 1914
- nationalist and unionist members (redmond and carson) urged their men to join the British army
- home rule act was suspended
2
Q
what happened to the problem of the suffragettes once the war broke out
A
- mrs pankhurst called on suffragettes to suspend campaigning + support the war effort
3
Q
what was the initial belief about the war
A
- it would be over by Christmas
- the liberal gov’s motto was ‘business as usual’
4
Q
what was the defence of the realm act
A
- passed on 8th august 1914
- gave the state an unprecedented amount of control over peoples lives
- meant gov could react quicker to crises without having to go through parliament
5
Q
what was the situation of the war like by April 1915
A
- Asquith losing confidence of early supporters because of:
- scandal over apparent shortage of shells on the western front
- clear that war would last a long time, military disaster at gallipoli
6
Q
what decision did Asquith have to make in 1915
A
- forced to accept an all party coalition
- bonar law (conserv leader) given the colonial office
- DLG put in charge of ministry of munitions
7
Q
how did liberals respond to the all party coalition of 1915 + the state of Britain
A
- many were unhappy with the interventionist position of the gov during war
- uncomfortable with conscription from january 1916
- divisions continued to widen and party split during the Maurice debate of 1918
8
Q
what was the Maurice debate
A
- February 1918
- letter to the times newspaper claiming the british gov had lied about strength of british army in france
9
Q
outline DLG’s involvement in the coalition government
A
- his energy and determination helped cut through bureaucracy and tradition to deal with war as minister for munitions.
- 1916 - took over as secretary of war but the conduct of war was still unsatisfactory
10
Q
outline the problems of the wartime coalition government
A
- 23 cabinet ministers in the new coalition cabinet - too many to make any decisions
- also, all of the key positions were held by liberals and the conservatives distrusted Asquith
11
Q
what happened to the government by 1916
A
- conserv’s had completely withdrawn their support for Asquith
- wanted him replaced by DLG
- after discussions with Bonar law, DLG agreed to form a small war cabinet excluding Asquith (who would remain as PM)
12
Q
what happened on the 3rd December 1916
A
asquith resigned so the war cabinet could be formed
13
Q
what happened on the 5th December 1916
A
conserv members of the coalition gov also resigned and so Asquith handed in his resignation to the king
14
Q
what happened on the 7th december 1916
A
- DLG succeded in persuading enough conserv’s to form a gov
- asquith and all libs resigned
15
Q
how did DLG’s new coalition gov change the way Britain was governed
A
- most top jobs now held by conserv’s
- small war cabinet of 5 replaced the normal size cabinet of 20
- more gov ministries set up for wartime needs such as shipping, food etc
16
Q
what happened after DLG replaced Asquith as PM
A
- liberals continued to recognise Asquith as their PM but pledged to support gov in wartme
- many saw DLG as a traitor, his support depended only on the conserv’s who tolerated him
17
Q
why did the labour party almost split in 1914
A
- whether it should support the war
- some leaders (like ramsay MacDonald) refused to compromise and support war + were criticised in the press
- mot chose to support it and the reward for which came in 1916 when Henderson became first ever labour politician to be included in the cabinet
18
Q
what influence did labour have in the coalition government
A
- influence on social policy
- forced gov to pass legislation which fixed wartime rents at pre-war level
- 1917 - price controls introduced which helped stabilise food prices
- all enhanced labours credibility
19
Q
why did the labour party end its wartime cooperation with DLG
A
- Henderson was refused permission to attend a conference in Stockholm
- which would aim to look at ways of bringing about negotiated peace
- august 1917 - Henderson resigned
20
Q
what did henderson do after resigning from the party in 1917
A
- focused on reorganising labour party
- helped unite the party and put it in a strong position for competing with the other 2 parties
21
Q
outline the labour party constitution in February 1918
A
- part of labours reconstruction process
- constitution was set up to clearly state labours aims and principles
- surplus wealth would be redistributed
- TU would have more power
- executive of 23 members would manage the party
22
Q
what effects did the labour party constitution of 1918 have on the party itself
A
- gave the labour party more confidence
- after armistice was announced in November 1918m labour party ministers immediately resigned
- labour was able to reassert its independence from libs
23
Q
outline the relationship between Bonar law and DLG during the war
A
- Baldwin stated the two formed the ‘most perfect partnership in political history’
- DLG discussed his ideas and policies with bonar law
- Bonar law acted as mediator between the backbenchers and DLG
24
Q
what was the cause of the ‘coupon election’ in 1918
A
- DLG was very popular in the country but most of liberal parties funds were under Asquith’s control
- DLG had to rely on conservs to remain in power
- DLG persuaded bonar law that the coalition should call an election before the end of 1918
25
outline the 'coupon election' of 1918
- it was felt that a government combining the talents of all parties would restore some 'normality'
- those who were in support of the coalition gov received a signed certificate singed by DLG and bonar law
- however, votoers hadto choose between 2 rival liberal parties
26
what was the representation of the peoples act and what effect did it have on the coupon election
- passed in February 1918
- extended vote to a wider section of society than before
- conservs won with 332 seats, not just because of the coupon factor but also because of conserv support for war (which was a success)
27
outline the new coalition government of 1918
- depended on conserv support but had at its head a radical liberal PM (DLG)
- conservs were still prepared to support DLG but he was in a weak position, he was entirely dependant on the conserv party
28
outline some of the difficulties faced by DLG's coalition gov
- divisions over home rule for Ireland
- government debt from war
- the problem of demobilising 5 million men
29
what steps did DLG's gov attempt to take to reconstruct Britain after the war
- 1918 - education act raised school leaving age to 14
- Addison's housing act of 1919 - local authorities had to ensure all people had decent housing
- 1920 unemployment act extended
30
what problems were faced by the DLG coalition by 1922
- period of economic depression set in. cuts in gov spending were necessary but this limited reconstruction plans
- increased TU activity and industrial disruption
- trouble in Ireland
- 1921 - bonar law resigned due to ill health
31
what were the three major contributors to the 'fall of DLG'
- impact of Bonar laws resignation
- chanak affair
- the honours scandal
32
outline 'impact of Bonar laws resignation' as a contributor to the fall of DLG
- Bonar Law was replaced by chamberlain who was a critic of DLG
33
outline 'the chanak affair' as a contributor to the fall of DLG
- DLG had been a supporter of Greece
- by 1922- Turkish nationalists had recovered much land from Greece
- DLG ordered British troops to stop the Turks from capturing chanak, with force if necessary
- he made these orders without consulting his coalition partners
- this damaged his credibility
34
outline 'the honours scandal' as a contributor to the fall of DLG
- 1922
- DLG was accused of selling nearly 100 peerages to finance his political party and 1500 knighthoods
35
what happened in October 1922
- victory in a by election at newport convinced conserv's they had enough electoral support to break form coalition
- this included Bonar law who disapproved of DLGs recent actions
- meeting of conserv PM's held at carlton club, majority voted to fight next election alone. shortly after DLG resigned
36
who won the election of november 1922
- conservs won with 330 seats
