1B - Impact of the war on politics + parties

Liberals 

sacrificed ideology for total war, with central control, conscription, rationing, DORA

-increase in state bureaucracy

-split party in 1916, with conservative coalition gaining more popularity, with pre 1906 liberalism abandoned 

-gov criticised over easter rising treatment, losing Irish support to Labour + Sinn Fein

Asquith refused to join coalition, when it was elected in 1918

Conservatives

BL and Carson’s Blenheim pledge pre war + potential violence, was redeemed due to war

-3 election defeats 1906-10, with coalition occurring from 1916, with BL being key for conservative domination 

-principles less compromised by war, unlike libs and labour - patriotic party 

conservative sided coalition 

-gained working class vote due to REP of the ppl act

Labour

initial MacDonald resignation, over divisions of the war - criticised by press + TUs

Henderson felt they couldn’t ignore pro war opinion or could cause damage, joining coalition war cabinet 1915 + inner war cabinet 1916, raising profile 

agreement within party of workers rights protection in war 

liked the increase in state intervention - equal treatment of ppl

-1917 Henderson resigned from cabinet, as wasn’t allowed to discuss peace terms at a socialist conference in Stockholm 

• split from LG cooperation, ending the 1903 lib-lab pact formed

• committed to Clause IV - socialism and state ownership of industry and service

-rise in TU membership -8m- in war,

• REP of ppl act helped to gain voters

• 7% proportion to 21% + 42 MPs seats to 57

• 2.4m votes

• were the official oppositon 

Irish Nationalists 

had helped to keep liberals in power from 1910

-Sinn Fein MPs now sat in Dail, not Westminster, creating an illegal gov

• loss of liberal support 

Unionists

remained loyal to conservatives, had secured a position in Westminster