The Conservative Government 1922-23

Bonar Law as Prime Minister

• Very difficult for ABL as most leading Tories from the coalition refused to participate: Wiston Churchill-"Government of the second eleven"
• Called an immediate election, effectively the dynamic DLG vs. the tired (and ill) ABL
• Most commentators confused by the affair: Manchester Evening News-'Never perhaps has a general election been held where the issues were less clear and the electors recieved less guidance'
• 78 different party labels
• ABL expected that no party would gain a majority an it did prove to be one of the closest elections on record, with the three main parties each gaining a third of the vote
• Over 100 MPs had a majority of less than 1000
• FPTP distorted results, Cons. gained a 77 seat majority
• Favourable beginnings. Minister of Health, Neville Chamberlain, introduced legislation to encourage house building. A £6 a year for 20 years subsidy given for each new house
• Curzon negotiated the Treaty of Lausanne 
• Tension in France and Germany ruined this apperent prosperity when the French occupied the Ruhr in Jan. '23 due to lack of reparations payments
• Relations with the US also poor due to war debts. Baldwin, the Chancellor, managed to negotiate a deal of full payment over 62 years at more than 3% interest per year
• Main problem for the gov't. was ABL's throat cancer, diagnosed in April '23. When this was announced he was expected to announce a successor but declined to do so
• The…