The Great War and its impact, 1914- 1939: The Impact of War on British parties & Politics; (complete) Flashcards
(38 cards)
Who was in government during the outbreak of war in August 1914 and how strong were they?
-Liberal party, w/ Asquith as PM
-Had won 3 successive elections & many saw it as holding an unassailable position
-In the event, it was to be the last Liberal gov ever in office in GB
-Initial widespread enthusiasm for war & Asquith + Libs could capitalise on surge of patriotism
What occurred in politics during the outbreak of war?
-Political truce; political differences laid aside & other parties (Conservatives, Labour, Irish nationalists) gave support for war effort
-Asquith received confidence of Commons to continue in gov & manage war
-Lord Kitchener, a career soldier w/ impeccable military record, was appointed as Secretary of State for War; Asquith believing it best to leave war conduct to military experts
Why did Asquith have a record as a poor war leader?
-It appeared to some he was virtually relinquishing political control by appointing Lord Kitchener as Secretary of State for War
-Found whole idea of war ‘distasteful’, as it continued he was increasingly regarded as lacklustre & indecisive leader
Why was the First World War not initially taken as a serious threat?
-At the time, gov & most of GB population thought war would be done by Christmas
-Wave of patriotism encouraged young men eager for adventure & new experiences to respond to Kitchener’s appeal for volunteers to swell army’s ranks; were given basic weapons training before being shipped to N France to face enemy lines across ‘no man’s land’
-Relying on enthusiastic volunteer force seemed to Asquith to offer solution to maintaining sufficient manpower at front, to fight war effectively & keep at bay any suggestion that gov should follow more interventionist route & introduce conscription
What were the terms of the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) and why was it a remarkable piece of legislation?
-Gave gov wide powers to introduce restrictions on civilian population at any time while Britain was at war
-Press censorship; newspapers restricted in info they were allowed to print, particularly regarding military disasters, mutiny in ranks, execution of deserters
-Heavy casualty figures manipulated, destruction due to German Zeppelin attacks in 1915 downplayed. Strikes in essential occupations illegal
-Gov thought this was best to raise morale
-As war progressed, DORA was strengthened & further measures introduced
-Was a remarkable piece of legislation for Lib gov, in that it endorsed total state intervention, a very ‘un-Liberal’ idea
Why was the coalition government formed?
-By May 1915, a lack of clear strategy, heavy casualties & severe shell shortage on western front brought tensions within gov & war office + criticism of Lord Kitchener
-Political manoeuvrings & meetings between Bonar Law, DLG & Asquith resulted in sudden announcement of formation of a coalition on 26 May
What did the historian A.J.P Taylor say came with the coalition government?
“The last Liberal government in British history was killed, within a quarter of an hour”
Which new government ministry was created and who became its minister?
-Ministry of Munitions
-David Lloyd George, who had been particularly vociferous on the need for more shells
What were the aims of Asquith’s coalition government?
-To be a gov of national unity although Asquith insisted the Cabinet be Liberal-dominated
-Attempted to cover up dissension betw its members, particularly on the issue of conscription; many Libs & Labour found the idea of compulsory service horrific
What did the historian Robert Blake say on Conservatives and the war?
“On almost every issue that come up Conservative tradition & ideology was better suited than Liberal to meet the needs of the hour”
What was the Military Service Act of January 1916?
-Introducing conscription for unmarried men betw ages of 18 - 41
-Extended to include married men in April after DLG & Commons demanded it, while Asquith wavered
Which events unsettled the coalition and weakened the Liberals?
-The Easter Rising of Irish Republicans in Dublin unsettled coalition
-Failure of Home Rule lost Liberal party support of 80 Irish Nationalist MPs & further undermined Asquith’s leadership
Which events sapped national confidence?
Inability of British navy to win outright victory in the Battle of Jutland in May & continuing upward scale of casualties suffered by the British army on the Western Front
Who took over as Secretary for War, with whose support and why?
-David Lloyd George w/ Bonar Law’s support rather than Asquith’s, according to A.J.P Taylor
-After Kitchener was drowned when ship on which he was travelling was struck by a mine
Why was David Lloyd George thought to be the man who could win the war?
-He had a reputation as a strong, energetic & decisive politician which gained ground in the country
-Was convinced of necessity to ↑ efficiency of armed forces
How was Lloyd George’s new coalition, 1916-18 formed and what did it consist of?
-DLG demanded the formation of a war council of 3, led by himself but excluding Asquith; who refused to agree
-DLG resigned, followed by Asquith, who thought to call his bluff. The bluff failed & DLG became PM of a new coalition
-Backed by Labour, most of the Cabinet positions were held by Conservatives
-Asquith refused to join & split Liberal Party
-Hub of Gov became DLG’s 5 member War Cabinet; Bonar Law, on whose support DLG depended on, Lord Milner, Conservative & accomplished bureaucrat, Lord Curzon, Conservative & strong w/ foreign matters, Arthur Henderson, Labour & provided good route to TUs and DLG
What actions did the new DLG Coalition undertake?
-New ministries formed to push forward key areas of policy as they arose, eg management of essential food supplies, National Service (conscription) & government propaganda
-Convoy system set up to counter German U-boat (submarine) campaign & met w/ success
What happened during the dark months of 1917?
-Army suffered heavy casualties in France & Belgium
-Britain’s ally Russia dropped out of the war, consumed by its internal Bolshevik Revolution
-Anxious wait for America, who’d joined the conflict, the get troops across to France; arrived in April 1918
-DLG held his and his gov’s nerve
What charge put to the Commons did Lloyd George respond to and how?
-Put forward by Asquith
-That he had deprived army of essential reinforcements at a crucial time, contributing to its defeat during German Spring Offensive in March 1918, and had then attempted to obscure the truth
-Rode the storm, known as the Maurice debate, because his energetic management of war was almost universally acknowledged as a success
Why did Lloyd George choose to fight the post-war election in collaboration with the Conservatives?
-Personal rivalry betw Asquith & DLG continued to dominate GB politics, all attempts to heal riff failed
-Defeat of Germany + its allies came almost unexpected in Nov 1918 & in the previous months the gov was preparing for a general election for Dec; it would now be a peacetime election
-DLG was planning for success, but he wasn’t the Liberal leader; this was still Asquith, who refused an invitation to join a coalition
-DLG had to make an important decision for the future of the Liberal Party
What did the Representation of the People Act of Feb 1918 do?
-Enfranchised all men 21+, many of whom had seen horrors of war
-Vote given to women 30+ for the first time
What were the results of the 1918 ‘coupon’ election?
-New electorate returned Conservative-dominated coalition under premiership of DLG
-Official Liberal Party decimated; left w/ only 28 MPs & Asquith lost his seat
-Irish Nationalists lost most seats to Sinn Fein, who refused to sit at Westminster
-Labour Party became official opposition for the first time, w/ 22%+ of total vote
-Fragmented opposition
Why was the post-war coalition government as much of a disaster for Lloyd George as for the Liberal Party?
-Clear winners of election were Bonar Law & Conservatives
-Continuing w/ coalition was good; wartime coalition had been effective & combining talents of all parties would help in post-war reconstruction
-But, w/ Lib split & Labour’s refusal to join coalition, DLG was forced to work w/ Conservatives if he was to stay in power
-Had no strong political base of his own; was leader of one wing of a divided party that was in decline
-Still clung onto radical instincts for social reforms & his election promise of providing ‘homes fit for heroes’
Which immediate serious post-war problems did the government have to deal with?
-Most pressing was agreeing peace terms, which were laid down in the Treaty of Versailles in 1919
-Significant problems in Europe, much of which was in turmoil after war, as old empires had crumbled & new boundaries set
-War cabinet dismantled & return to normal parliamentary procedure
-Anxieties on how to pay for war & finance reconstruction
-Taxation T in wartime left in place, causing resentment
-Industrial unrest
