Theme 1 a 1 - A changing political landscape 1918-79 Flashcards
Why did the Liberal Parties popularity decrease?
- The Liberal Party began to “split” during WW1. Representation of the People Act after WW1 gave the new Labour Party more voters than ever before.
- David Lloyd George split the Liberal Party further by teaming up with Conservatives in 1918.
- DLG acted like a sleazy politician between 1918-1922 & Liberals never found a way to recover after 1922.
Why did the support of the Labour Party increase?
- Labour Party formed in 1900 & was the youngest political party in Britain.
- The Labour Party grew out of a strong “grass-roots” organisation. (E.g. The Trade Union movement)
- The Representation of the People Act gave more working class people the vote than ever before & this helped boost the number of people who actually voted for the Labour Party.
What was the reason for the conservative dominance?
- Between 1918 - 1922 the Conservatives worked with David Lloyd George (Liberal) and then decided to break that support in 1922. The Liberals were very, very, weak by then.
- Conservatives had effective leadership & effective organisation at a time when the Liberal Party was getting weaker and weaker.
When and why was the national government started?
- National Government formed in 1931, in the context of an “economic blizzard” (loads of problems) the country was facing.
- Ramsey Macdonald led the National Government made up of members of the Conservative and Liberal Party too.
What did the national government do?
The National Government…
- Dealt with the rise of extremist ideas (like fascism)
- Helped the economy was but not able to do enough for “traditional industries”
- Removed the pound from the Gold Standard which meant Britain recovered from the Depression quicker than other countries around the world.
Why Britain faced economic problems in the interwar years?
- Effect World War One had on British trade, the value of money, debt and on Britain falling behind in technological development.
- Bad management of the British economy during the 1920s by the government.
- The rise of the Trade Unions. Workers beginning to put pressure on their conditions as created by their managers.
- The impact of the Depression after 1929.
Explain how the weaknesses of the liberal and Labour Party lead to the conservative dominance in interwar politics
DLG’s mistakes as liberal leader
- Causing division due to quarrel with Asquith Lack of healthy opposition to conservatives limited support for the Labour Party in all areas of the country
- Hard outside the industrial working class
- many feared socialism in the country around the 1926 general strike
- 1931 labour was deeply divided in their view of how to end the economic crisis 1931
- many right-wing liberals split from the official and started the national liberals
Explain how having effective leadership and image with the people helped the conservatives dominant interwar politics.
- Stanley Baldwin’s skill - 1923-1937
- Continued to rebrand and present as straight talker of the people.
- Promoted a good working relationship between workers & employers
- His ‘safety first campaign’.
- Réputation for building economic happiness and competence
- Baldwin gained a reputation got economic competence and gained wealthy middle class liberal voters Political skill in weakening the liberal party
- 1922 - Baldwin was a key figure of defrosting the DLG coalition
- Baldwin supported free trade and took away policies that had united liberals
- Returned to protectionism in 1924
- 1870s - rebranding away form wealth, privilege to one nation tories to attract uncommitted working class voters
- promoted empire, patriotism and national defence.
How did the election system explain why the conservatives dominated interwar politics?
- People could vote in more than one place (Businessmen could vote in-home and company constancy; home and university constancy)
- Boundaries of constituencies changed (more middle class suburbs, greater representation)
- First past the post electoral system
- Votes in each constancy determine the MP
- Loss of loads of MPs from parliament (1921 - Irish free state made Ireland gain independence and 80 nationalist MPs were lost.
When was the coupon election?
1918
Date of - The armistice signed with Germany, end of WW1
November 1918
Date of - The post-war boom followed by slump
1919-1920
Date - David Lloyd George resigns; Bonar law becomes prime minister
October 1922
Date - Conservative government formed, led by Stanley Baldwin
May 1923
Date - First labour government formed, led by Ramsey MacDonald
January - October 1924
Date - The Conservative government formed, led by Stanley Baldwin
November 1924
Date - Second labour government formed, led by Ramsey MacDonald
June 1929
Date - Fall of second labour government; establishment of national government; height of Great depression
August 1931
Date - Introduction of the means test
1934
Date - Ramsey MacDonald resigns; Stanley Baldwin becomes prime minister
June 1935
Date - Abdication crisis
1936
Date - Neville chamberlain becomes prime minister
1937
Date - establishment of wartime coalition government, led by Winston Churchill
May 1940
Date - Labour landslide victory; clement Attlee becomes prime minister
July 1945
Date - defeat of labour government; conservative government led to Winston Churchill
October 1951
Date - Anthony Eden becomes prime minister
1955
Date - Suez crisis
October - November 1956
Date - Harold Macmillan becomes prime minister
January 1957
Date - Macmillan makes his ‘never had it so good’ speech
July 1957
Date - The Profumo scandal - Alec Douglas-Home becomes prime minister
1963
Date - Defeat of conservative government’ labour government led by Edward heath
June 1970
Date - Edward Heath is forced to introduce a three-day working week
January - March 1974
Date - Labour win two elections under Harold Wilson
1974
Date - James Callaghan becomes prime minister
1976
Date - Winter of dicontent
1978-79
Date - Defeat of labour government; conservative government led by Margaret Thatcher
May 1979
How much war debt where Britain in after WW1?
£3.2 billion mainly to the USA
What were the main three political parties in Britain ?
Liberal
Conservative
Labour
What are the ideals of the Labour Party?
- Emerged from the trade union movement
- Based on working-class votes.
What was the National Government ?
Partly the Conservative Party which had been part of the wartime coalition, which was electorally the most popular party of the period 1920-30.
What are the ideals of the Liberal party in 1918?
- Believing in free trade and a limited role for government.
- They were a party of social reform.
- From 1906 - they implemented state pensions, unemployment relief and the beginnings of state-provided healthcare.
Which political party dominated prior to WW1?
Liberal Party
What problems did the liberal party face prior to WW1?
- Home rule in Ireland
- Women suffrage movement
- Increasing militant trade union movement
How did the experience of the war have deeply dividing the Liberal party?
- Many opposed growth in power of the state, particularly on issue of conscription
- War had resulted in coalition with the Conservative party from 1915 onwards. In 1916, when DLG became PM, many liberal MPs believed abandoned the principles of party & had become too close to the Conservatives.
- In 1918 election, DLG campaigned against the many members of the Liberal Party who stood in independent opposition to him. This split party’s vote & they were never to recover.
What did the labour party evolve from?
The trade union congress (TUC) set up in 1900 as the main organising body of the trade union movement.
- By 1906 they had almost 1 million affiliated members
Why was it easier for Labour politicians to be elected to parliament after 1911?
- Liberal government allowed wages for MPs.
- Meant that politics was no longer solely an activity for people who were already independently wealthy.
After 1918 what statistics were there about electoral expansion?
It tripled - 7.7 to 21.4 million
- Lead to a drastic expansion in the party’s voter base.
- ROPA 1918 - women
- Multiple constituencies
What were the Conservatives ideals after WW1?
Presented themselves as a party of the middle classes & those members of the working class who aspired to ‘better’ themselves through property ownership.
When were the conservatives part of the war time coalition?
1915 - 1918 and continued to support DLG until 1922
What was the outcome of the 1918 general election?
Coalition liberals won with a landslide victory!
HOWEVER
Conservatives had got over three times as many votes!
State four reasons for the outcome of the 1918 general election.
- The liberal experienced a collapse in votes.
- The popularity of DLG’s coalition
- Promise of social reforms
- The rise of the labour party
Explain DLG’s character
- A national hero
- Credited ‘the man who won the war’
- Tough negotiator in the Paris Peace Conference
- With a humble origin in north Wales
- Made clear he was no friend to privilege and the house of lords
Explain the knighthood & peerage scandal
June 1922
- In the past, had been sold discreetly
- DLG traded in titles and knowledge of this activity was widespread.
- During 6 years as PM - 1,500 knighthoods and nearly 100 peerages were sold
How many knighthoods did DLG sell?
1,500 knighthoods in the 6 years
How many peerages did DLG sell?
Nearly 100 in the 6 years
Give two examples of a title that DLG gave away
- To fleet street newspaper magnates, such as Lord Beaverbrook, was so that they would turn a blind eye and not report the practice of the scandal
- 1922 honours list - several people who had criminal convictions for fraud and the press finally published the story.
What did DLG decide when it came to Turkey?
- Decided to go to war with Turkey if Turkey decided to go against anything they had been forced to sign for in the Peace Treaty of 1918.
- His Conservative Coalition partners disagreed with the policy
- They decided that the looming crisis with turkey was their opportunity to act
What happened at the Carlton Club meeting?
- This was a secret meeting of leading conservatives was held at the Carlton Club, a private members club used by London political elites.
- They decided to abandon the coalition with the liberals.
- As a result, the election of November 1922 was a disaster for the liberals.
What were the results for the November 1922 general election?
Conservatives won!
What was a large difference during the 1922 general election?
- There were no longer Southern Ireland MPs who normally voted Liberal
- The Conservatives split the coalition
Who led the Liberals in the 1922 general election?
Herbert Asquith
