P7 - Baldwin 2nd ministry and the General strike

Why did Baldwin win the 1924 election (6)

-fears of labour link to communism

-Zinoviev letter

-Honours scandal 

-Campbell case

-minority gov lost in lib support 

-party polarising, so libs losing support

Coal industry background

in decline due to lack of investment, complacency and over nationalised for war effort 

-private own mines, with wages varying 

-during war miners worked 7h days and on a national min wage, led to calls after 1918 for continued nationalisation

-when handed back to owners, mines running at £5m lost a month, with wages reduced and longer working days - as coal sales falling 

Sankey commission

Feb 1919 - looked into and recommended mines to be permanently nationalised

-inefficient to have 3000 mine and 1500 owners

however mine owners and gov reject idea as too costly

Prior Miner strike 1921

formed Triple alliance in 1913 to increase bargaining power

When miners called for the other 2 unions aid in 1921, they refused with LG solving the issue, so miners strike on own 

-led to 20% wage cuts and forced to accept 

miners look at TUC for help in future negotiations

Ruhr

French occupied the Ruhr in GER 1923, led to temporary improvement of coal

reduced GER competition, as passive resistance meant no coal made

Short term causes

-Gold standard 1925 - BR back on gold standard - increased the price of coal so harder for BR coal to compete with foreign comp

-1924 adopted Dawes plan, and led to prices dropped again

-1925 fall in profits, further wage cuts, 8h working day

led to miners invoking triple alliance again, seeming as though TUC supported also

Baldwins prep for General strike

Red Friday - gave subsidy of £23m to mines to try avoid strike, allowing subsidising of wages and profits 

also did a 9 month Royal commission into the industry after the subsidy ran out on the 30th April - Samuel Commission

suggests both done to give time to prep for strike:

• began a stockpile of coal

• set up OMS (Organisation for the maintenance and supplies) - system of volunteers 

contrastingly unions made little prep as complacent 

Samuel Commission

March 1926 - findings suggest

wages cut to save jobs

rejected nationalisation

called for owners to invest + modernise

didn’t agree on longer hours  

events that led to general strike

mine owners announced lock outs would occur if they didn’t accept wage cuts and longer hours, when subsidy ran out 

miners refused and called for TUC to put issue to gov

TUC didn’t want general strike hoping for extended subsidy, but miners still went out, so forced TUC to support them

1st May 1926 - gov passed state of emergency

2-3rd MAY talks broke down when printer workers at Daily Mail refused to print an article that labelled the strikes as a revolution

TUC tried to visit downing street to negotiate but Baldwin went to bed, so TUC called for millions of workers for support

4th MAY - General strike began

Could Baldwin done more to stop strike?

-could have forced Samuel commission findings and tried to make mine owners compromise

-could have continued talks after daily mail strike

-looks as though he wanted confrontation, by preparations and using emergency powers act

-went to bed 

Miners and mine owners blame?

miners - “not a minute on the day, not a penny off the pay”

mine owners equally inflexible

-Lord Birkenhead called miner’s leaders as stupidest men in the country 

How did the gov minimise the impact?

used OMS and army + volunteers to run country

used BBC radio and gov newspaper “The British Gazette” labelling strikers as the “enemy”

Conduct of the strikers

3m strikers , mainly peaceful and not revolutionary 

-but in

• Glasgow dockers arrested 

• Hull navy aid required

• Flying Scotsman train derailed

• London armoured cars for food escorts 

longer the strikes went on the greater extent of violence as a attitude 

After 9 days TUC went to downing street to call off strike, shocking the miners

Why did the TUC call it off?

-planned on the eve of the strike, whereas gov preped well which TUC didn’t e.g. in 9 days gov spent £433m vs TUC £4m , OMS

-never og wanted the strike 

-unions lacked cohesion and coordination and divided + fears of communism

-TUC own paper came out too late, whereas gov used propaganda well e.g. BBC Baldwin - “we are at war”

-realise unions could be charged for lost profits like Taff Vale

-didn’t call out essential workers as didn’t want public inconvenience e.g. electricity 

-failed to get lib + labour support 

Baldwin promised fair treatment of strikers returning to work 

Result of General strike 

mines back with wage cuts + longer hours, felt betrayed again towards TUC

coal industry still declined and lagged behind

Trade Disputes act 1927 - general strikes, sympathetic strikes and mass picketing illegal

• damaged labour party - many didn’t fill in contracts or subscriptions for TU membership

• Not damaged fully as MacDonald ensured Labour maintain moderate image and not openly support

belief strike weapon ineffective and lost general strike weapon

Baldwin social policy

had Neville Chamberlain as minister for health and Churchill as Chancellor

both carried out reforms

Chamberlains proposed 25 bills with 21 passing, most notably:

Contributory Pensions act 1925

work of Neville Chamberlain 

• Introduced contributory old-age pensions at 65.

• Included widows’ and orphans’ benefits.

• First major expansion of the welfare state financed by worker/employer contributions.

pay was not generous and Conservatives had cut income tax

Gold Standard 1925

Churchill

• Britain returned to the pre-war gold parity.

• Intended to restore financial credibility and encourage international trade.

• Consequences: overvalued the pound → hurt exports, damaged coal industry → contributed to the 1926 General Strike. 

1926 electricity act

Made a national grid of electricity supply all over Britain 

1926 Hadlow Report - School

suggests 2 types of secondary school e.g. grammar schools

divisions at 11 years old

1927 Unemployment Insurance act

neville

• Tightened the “genuinely seeking work” test.

• Reduced the number of people eligible for benefits.

• Cut the duration some claimants could remain on “extended benefit”.

Significance:

• Conservatives emphasised reducing “abuse” of benefits.

• Seen as harsh, especially as unemployment was still structurally high.

Trade Disputes act 1927

Restrict union funds and freedom

illegal for future general strikes

1928 Parliamentary Reform act

Equal Franchise act gave women over 21 the vote

7 million more can vote

“Flapper vote”

Local Gov Act 1929

Neville

abolished Poor Law and phasing out workhouses

replaced with Public assistance Committees that would give future payments

Rationalised local authority finance and encouraged slum clearance.

-De-rating - Removed local rates from industrial and agricultural businesses.

• aimed at reducing unemployment by helping struggling industries by stimulating production

1929 Election - Pro Baldwin

-lots of prep time

-has “safety first slogan” 

-radio broadcast during strikes made him popular

-proposed boosting economy with loans and public buildings 

Against Baldwin

didn’t manage to control rising unemployment 

not inspiring campaign unlike libs 

LG leader in 1926 and had many ideas to solve economy 

labour no longer seen as a radical party + their image during strike of against it 

people seeing parliament as a way to get reform not direct action

resentment of Trade disputes act 1927

-Macdonald 1st ministry viewed as success as moderate

led to labour gov with 287 seats vs Conservatives 260