Decline of the Liberals
- Created by: bea_damon
- Created on: 26-04-17 16:15
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- The Decline of the Liberals
- Weaknesses of the Liberals
- doomed before ww1 = failure liberalism to cope TU strikes, suffragette militancy + problems Northern Ireland
- failure to adapt to more class-based voting
- Division
- War forced Liberals to adopt illiberal measures e.g. rationing - traditionally against excessive gov. interference
- David Lloyd George - in favour of these measures - ousted Asquith as PM of coalition gov.
- Many saw LG as traitor - party failed to reunite
- 'Maurice debate' cemented personal bitterness
- Asquith led attack on LG who had been accused by General Maurice for lying to parliament about number of British troops on Western Front
- 'Coupon Election' - Liberals reliant on Cons due to support for Asquith within Liberal Party
- 1918 Representation of the People Act
- All men over 21 allowed to vote no property restrictions + some women
- Electorate trebled in size: 7.7 million 1910 to 21.4 million 1918
- Industrial working classes 80% of electorate
- Benefit Labour - growing tribal working-class identification with Party issues
- However evidence suggests only small increase in working-class majority - 76% to 80% - removal property restrictions affected all classes
- working-class vote split between 3 parties throughout 1920s
- Mistakes of Liberals
- Asquith Liberals voted to eject LG supporters from Leamington party conference
- LG had failed to convert Liberal-Cons coalition into permanent anti-Labour Centre Party
- Rumours of corruption and warmongering against Turkey = most Cons reject coalition
- LG refused to share political fund made through sale of honours - party couldn't maintain effective local party machine
- Asquith Liberals voted to eject LG supporters from Leamington party conference
- First past the post system
- favoured two party contest
- Liberals failed to revise system - proportional representation
- Rise of Labour
- Emerged united at end of war - dispute over whether to support war resolved 1917 Labour ministers in wartime coalition resigned
- growth in TU membership 4m - 6m - funded party through membership fees and provided party membership = successful local political machine
- ability to represent growing sense working-class identity
- Conservative success
- Despite 80% electorate working class, Conservative dominated
- Until 1948: 'plural vote': Oxbridge cities and City of London could return 14 MPs - graduates could vote in more than one city - likely to vote cons
- FPTP - uneven distribution of votes benefited Cons
- successful rebranding of party - Stanley Baldwin built on work of Disraeli who promoted 'one-nation' party of empire, national defence and patriotism
- ran his factories fairly and promoted good worker relations
- many working-class people respected apparent financial competence
- ran his factories fairly and promoted good worker relations
- SB pioneered use of radio to talk directly + had reputation of calling spade a spade and presented himself as man of the people
- demonstrated flexibility when dropped policy of protectionism before 1924 election after rejected - removed one issue that had briefly united Liberals: free trade
- Despite 80% electorate working class, Conservative dominated
- Weaknesses of the Liberals
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