How true is it to say that WW1 was key to decline of Liberals

P1 - Conflicted with Liberal idealogy → YET affected by pre war division

• Contrasted orinciles such as individual liberty etc eg. Military services act 1916 which Asquith was forced to pass led to 50 Liberal MPs resigning

• DORA 1914 expanded state power substantially & infringed to rights eg. censorship, pub opening and closing times limited, strikes restricted, wages frozen

• Forced to appease nationalist tendencies despite usally being anti-imperialism

• Led to May 1915 coalitrion with Cons & Labour - Cons idealogy suited more towards the demands of WW1

• However -

• Party DEEPLY rooted idealogically divided already, despite being united under Campbell-Bannerman IN 1906 with landslide victory, DIVISONS ENSued rooting from 1888 over Gladstone and Home Rule leading them weakened & lackinjg financial support

• After 1910 they were reliant on INP for majority suggesting they were alrrady in decline before WW1

• Pre war issues ineffectively dealt by Asquith eg, Suffrage, ulster ciris & trade unions

P2 - Actions of Asquith in WW2 YET also DLG actions during & after war

• Asquith handling of WW2 seen as weak & indecisive who put too much power & reliance on General & Admirals

• DLG exploited Asquith Handling of 1915 Shell Crisis & with support of Cons, he effectively forced him to resign

• Formed 2 parties - Lloyd George Liberals & Asquithian Liberals

• Dec 1918n Coupon Election led to support for Coupon coalition led by DLG with 478 MPs (332 Cons, 127 Libs & 63 Lab)

• Dominant position of Cons & significant roles within cabinet → DLG became “a prisoner of the conservatives”

• However -

• DLG seen as abandoning Liberal principles & ideology despite being “the man who won the war”, lost popularity after WW2 & dented reputation of Liberals

• Chanak crisis & peerages scandal 1922 led to Carlton Club meeting and cons forced him to resign in 1922

• Failed to “build homes ft for heroes” due to post war economic problems

• Too reliant on conservatives for power & hence lost touch with Liberal base

P3 - Long term impact of 1918 ROTP YET Labour was already a growing party set to replace Liberals

• Urbanisation & industrialisation led to increasicng calls for democratisation & extenson of franchise since 19TH ce

• WSPU & NUWSS advocated for women’s rights to vote before WW2

• FPTP system

• 1918 - 13M MC women & WC men enfranchsied (MC women lilely to support Cons), WC men to support Labour, replacing Liberals as official opposition

• However -

• Labour were already strengthening as party since turn of the century through trace unions funds etc & by ptorecting workers & TUs

• Gain of cabinet experience in wartime coalition through Henderson illustrated capability to serve as a future govt

• 1918 GE - Went from 42 MPs in 1910 to 63 MPs in 1918 & support set to increase as WC gained vote

Conclusion

• WW2 stimulated decline yet decline was brewing earlier on, catalysed by divisions and incompetency when dealing with political issues → Disillusioned population

• 1918 ROTP opened doors for WC meaning to vote Labour and also enhancing voter base by allowing more MC women to vote them → Liberals inevitablty would become stranded through this systematic dent on their support base

• Appeal of other parties were significant in terms of class support exacerbated by FPTP system