Britain 1918-1997

David Lloyd George= 1916 - 1922.

·     ‘man who won the war’. 

·     Experience of ordinary soldiers + officers in trenches resulted in empathy between classes. Members of upper class began feel sympathy for lower class, decline in deference for members of lower class towards the upper class. 

·     Death toll amongst upper class high after the war. 1914, 6 peers 16 baronets 261 sons of aristocrats died. Death duties + inheritance tax reduced wealth aristocrats many estates were sold off or donated to National Trust. 

·     Fear of communism after 1917 Russian revolution.

·     1918 Liberals, divided over conscription, coalition with Conservatives. Labour, set up 1900, close tie to trade unions. Conservatives, been associated with gentry, forced attract new voters, 25% working class vote. 

·     1918 Coupon election, letters issued to candidates for liberal party who had supported the coalition government. David Lloyd George coalition + Herbert Asquith. 

·     1918 Representation of the People Act, all men over age 21 right to vote + women over age 30 who owned property. Increased electorate from 7.7 million to 21.4 million. 

·     1918 Education Act raised school leaving age to 14.

·     Oxford + Cambridge largely for privileged, other universities accepted more middle class / bright working class students. 

·     1918 few working class people were able to take holidays mainly for wealthy, stayed seaside resorts + spas, or went sailing on coast or inland Norfolk Broads. 

·     1919 Sex Disqualification Act, removed gender bar in civil service + law. 

·     1919 race riots, white unemployed Britons attacked black and Asian people. 

·     1919 - 1920, brief post war economic boom, due to demand for goods that had been rationed. 

·     Growth radio 1920s onwards due to low cost, provided news + entertainment 

·     1920 £8 billion in debt.

·     1920s football popular sport, FA banned women’s football. 

·     1920s music, jazz from America. 

·     Alien Orders Act 1920, required migrant workers to register with the police before seeking work. 

·     1920 - 1921 recession. 

·     1921, Unemployment reached 2 million. Areas such as Wales + Tyneside deeply depressed due to underinvestment in traditional industries. 

·     1921 Geddes Axe, recommended £87 millions of cuts. 

·     1921 miners’ strike, black Friday dock workers + railwaymen refused join strike, miners forced accept pay cuts. 

·     1921 Marie Stopes founded first birth control clinic in London. 

·     1922 Cash for honours scandal selling knighthoods + peerages. Sold 1,500 knighthoods + nearly 100 peerages. Damaged DLG reputation + seen as corrupt. 

Andrew Bonar Law= 1922 - 1923. 

Stanley Baldwin = 1923-1924. 

Ramsey McDonald= 1924.

·     First Labour PM. 

·     Campbell affair, magazine editor accused incitement to munity, Labour Attorney General withdraw charges accused being pro revolution. 

Stanley Baldwin= 1924-1929.

·     1925 return to gold standard, huge interest rates overvalued the pound making exports too expensive.

·     1925…