A level British History - 1a: Changing political landscape.

How much Debt had Britain amassed due to the war? Who was this mainly due to?

£3.2 Billion, mainly due to the USA

What three factors caused serious economic problems to British Governments?

£3.2 Billion in war debts

loss of Global Markets (due to disruption of British trade)

Growth in the USA's Economic Power

Which Party was dominant before 1914?

The Liberals

Which party saw growth that coincided with the decline of the Liberals?

The Labour Party

Which party was dominant for much of the 1920s?

The Conservative Party

Which two parties formed the Wartime coalition from 1916-1918

Labour Party and Conservative Party

Who lead the Wartime coalition?

David Lloyd-George

Give two beliefs of the Liberal Party

Free Trade

Limited role for the Government

Give three reforms the Liberals had introduce from 1906 onward.

State Pensions

Unemployment relief

Beginnings of state-provided healthcare

Give three growing conflicts the Liberals faced in the Decade before the first world war.

Growing unrest over the Home Rule in Ireland

Women's suffragette Movement

Increasingly Militant trade union movement

Why were the Liberals not overwhelmed by growing conflicts faced in the decade before the first world war?

All growing conflicts were interrupted by the outbreak of the first world war.

Which two of the three growing conflicts returned after the end of WW1?

the increasingly militant trade union movement

growing unrest over the home rule in Ireland.

Who were the Liberal's traditional voters? When did they begin to loose interest in the liberals?

The Middle class and the Artisan Working class.

They were loosing interest after the first world war.

Turned to the Labour party, because they were the perceived party of social reform.

Which was the perceived party of social reform?

the labour party

Give three reasons why the experience of the war had deeply divided the Liberals

Many opposed the growth in the power of state + conscription.

In the 1918 Election, Lloyd George Campaigned against many members of the liberal party that stood in independent opposition to him.

Many Liberal Mps thought the wartime coalition with the Conservative party had gone against the principles of the party

What were the origins of the Labour Party?

Had evolved from the Trade union movement. (Evolved from the Labour representation committee of the Trades Union Congress (TUC)

Why was the Labour Party's close relations to trade unions important?

By getting union-backed MPs into parliament, working men's pay and conditions could be advanced.

How many affiliated members did the Labour party have in 1906?

1 million

What was the Effect of the Representation of the peoples act (1918) on the British Electorate?

Tripled in size from 7.7 million to 21.4 million.

What change in 1911, meant that it was easier for working-class politicians to be elected to parliment?

The Liberal Government allowed wages for MPs.

What were the Conservatives historically associated with?

The landed gentry in the 19th Century

How did the Conservatives present themselves?

party of the middle class and the working class who aspired to better themselves through property ownership

After 1918, where did a large proportion of Conservative votes come from?

Newly enfranchised property-owning women.

Give three reasons why the opposition Liberals experience a collapse in vote in the 1918 election?

Popularity of of Lloyd-George's coalition

Promise of social reform

Rise of the Labour Party

Why was Lloyd-George considered a national hero in 1918?

Credited as 'the man who won the war'

Tough negotiator who was able to represent Britain in the Paris peace conference.

What was the June 1922 Knighthood and Peerages scandal?

During his time in office Lloyd-George sold 1500 Knighthoods and nearly 100 peerages from a private office he had established.

What were the impacts of the June 1922 Knighthood and Peerages scandal?

Huge damage to David Lloyd-Georges credibility.

How did conservative support for the Liberals end in 1922?

The conservatives held a secret meaning at a private members club where they decided to abandon the coalition with the liberals.

What is a minority government?

a government formed by a political party that does not have an overall majority of Mps in the house of commons.

Why was Ramsay MacDonald's first Minority government seen as deeply alarming?

The Conservative party compared it to the repressive regime in Soviet Russia.

What was one of the main problems Ramsay's 1924 Minority Government faced?

Strained relations with the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party.

Why were strained relations with the National Executive Committee of the Labour party a Problem for Ramsay MacDonald's 1924 minority Government.

MacDonald was forced to make harsh economic choices affecting the poorest voters

What was the Problem Ramsay MacDonald faced that caused his Minority government to last less than a year?

Had to compromise to manage the threat of industrial action.

Was critisised by his own party for not being more radical.

He could not introduce a more radical program, because as a leader of a minority government he was dependent on Liberal Support.

What was the first Housing act in 1924?

Increase the amount of money available for local authorities to build homes for low income workers.

Why did MacDonald's government collapse in 1924?

due to a motion of no confidence he narrowly won.

Why did Stanley Baldwin win the 1924 election?

A conservative newspaper claimed that a letter from a Russian revolutionist was sent to the British Communist Party, instructing them to prepare to overthrow the government - the letter was forged.

How did Stanley Baldwin's Conservative government present themselves?

Alternative to the Labour party and 'threat' of socialism in Britain.

Why did Baldwin want to appear to all classes?

He believed that the term 'class war' that emerged from MacDonald's brief government was deeply damaging to Britain

After returning to power in 1929, what social reforms did MacDonald introduce?

1930 Housing act

1930 Coal Mines act

Unemployment Insurance Act

What was the 1930 Housing Act?

Cleared 750,000 slum housing and replaced them with modern ones by 1939

What was the 1930 Coal Mines Act?

Attempted to ensure better pay for workers and more efficient pits,

What was the problem associated with the 1930 Coal Mines Act?

Due to the weakness in legislation, coal mine owners could ignore it.

Was the Unemployment Insurance act amended by MacDonald?

Gave the Government powers to create public work schemes

to alleviate unemployment. Funded with £25 million of government money.

What was the Economic Blizzard?

Two years of crisis in Britain that had significant political repercussions.

Why did rumors of the forthcoming budget being unbalanced result in the labour government to resign in 1931?

Rumors of forthcoming budget becoming unbalanced - government spent more than it could afford - increase in borrowing - Banks in America panic selled the pound - pound slumped in value - government proposed spending cuts and tax hikes - 10% cut in unemployment assistance - caused hardship for Britain poorest. - Caused split in Labour Party and MacDonalds Cabinet.

How was the National Government formed?

After the Labour Government resigned in 1931, Ramsay MacDonald negotiated and under the urgency of King George V, a National Government was formed from the three main parties, and his as the PM.

Why and How were Ramsay MacDonald and his chancellor of the exchequer Lord Phillip Snowden Expelled from the labour party?

They were seen as traitors to the labour party and a motion was passed expelling them.

Why was MacDonald reluctant to call an election in October 1931?

He feared it would destroy the Labour party.

Why did the share of the vote for the labour party slump in 1931?

Voters believed that the party was putting its own interests and those of the unions before the national interest.

How did the National Government see MacDonald and Snowden?

Running away from difficult decisions.

What was an affect of the public sector pay cuts of 10%

Led to mutiny in the royal navy.

What started to stimulate an economic recovery in 1933?

The ending of the gold standard and low interest rates.

Which leader managed to help labours vote to recover following the slump caused by MacDonald.

Clement Atlee

Why was there a growth for support in extreme ideas in the 1930s?

More people were convinced that Liberal Democracy no longer had the answers to the economic crisis.

How many members did the the British union of Facists have by 1934?

50,000

How many men were represented by the Communist party of great Britain in 1934?

hundreds of thousands of unemployed men, represented by 9000 members.

What caused the argument between rearmament and disarmament in Britain?

The appointment as Hitler as chancellor in Germany in 1933.

Why were many thousands of people attracted to peaceful organisations such as the peace pledge union and the league of nations in the 1930s?

Traumatic memories of the previous war.

In the early 30s, what was blamed for the first world war?

arms races and secret treaties

What happened at the World disarmament Conference?

The government negotiated with other powers to disarm, which ran for two years in between 1932 and 1934.

What caused the World disarmament conference to break down in 1933?

When Germany withdrew, expressing its rights to rearm to the same levels as France, Britain and the USA.

How did Britain begin to rearm from 1934 onwards?

British Army reorganised

Royal Navy Expanded

RAF increased in size to 40 squadrons

Munitions industry was developed

What did Baldwin pledge in his manifesto, when he was PM for the third time?

New houses, jobs and government help for the most economically deprived areas of Britain

Pledged to Improve Britain's defenses.

What was the Labour party divided over during Baldwin and Chamberlain's premeirship from 1935-1940?

The question of peace and security

Why did Clement Attlee believe reaming was unnecessary?

He argued that collective security would make war impossible

Which 5 events made collective security seem more and more difficult?

Italian invasion of Abyssinia (1935)

Hitler reoccupying the Rhineland (1936)

Outbreak of the Spanish Civil War (1936)

Japanese invasion of China (1937)

Hitler annexing the Sudetenland and Austria (1938)

How did Hitler break the treaty of Versailles in 1936?

by reoccupying the rhineland

What was the main problem Neville Chamberlain faced in his premiership?

The breakdown of international order made war more likely.

What factor made rearmament more difficult in Britain during Neville Chamberlain's premiership?

The antiwar movement in Britain that was growing in strength.

Why were a series of concessions allowed to Nazi Germany during the period where Hitler broke the treaty of Versailles?

A desire for peace among the British electorate.

What was the 'phony war'?

a seven month stand off, during which little action ensued

How did the Phony war end?

a failed attempt form Britain to save Norway from German invasion

Why was Chamberlain's attempt to form a new coalition government in 1940 unsuccessful?

The labour party refused to serve beneath him

Why did Halifax not become PM?

he realised he could not run the war from the house of lords.

What did Churchill's wartime cabinet consist of?

a mix of Labour conservative and Liberal politicians.

Why did Halifax clash with Chirchill in 1940?

Halifax proposed a negotiated settlement with Germany. Churchill argued that Britain would become a 'slave state' if it agreed to German terms.

When was Churchill's popularity attained?

His powerful speeches and the 'slave state' debate with Halifax.

What is consensus politics?

where main parties are broadly in agreement in the running of the economy and development of the welfare state.

Give 4 agreements made during the time of post war consensus politics.

Attempting to achieve full employment

a mixed economy with heavy industry

National health service and welfare state

co-operation between government, industry and trade unions in managing wages and prices.

Why was the consensus moderate-left on the political spectrum?

policies were devised by Labour following their landslide victory in 1945

What was the foreign and defense policy that was endorsed after world war two?

Britain confronting the USSR in the cold war and investing in nuclear weapons.

Why was a general election called in 1945?

labour signaled its attention to withdraw from the wartime cabinet.

Why did Labour achieve a landslide victory in 1945?

There were bitter memories of the conservative pre war governments and economic hardship

Labour also promised action on housing, jobs social security and a national health service.

Give five reforms Labour achieved after its landslide victory in 1945.

Establishment of the NHS

National Insurance Act

National Assistance Act

1949 Housing Act (third housing act)

1944 education act

What was the 1949 Housing Act?

extended local authorities power to build public sector housing for all income groups

What was the 1944 education act?

allowed more children, than any other time in British history to be educated.

Why did Labour loose seats in the 1950 election (as opposed to their landslide victory in 1945)

House of commons act in 1949 reduced the number of Labour safe seats.

Decline in appeal to middle-class voters.

Why was their a decline in votes for Labour in the 1950 election? (3 reasons for this)

Due to public dissatisfaction.

Ongoing rationing

High Taxation

Austerity

What event in 1950 meant Britain had spent much more on the military budget?

Protecting south Korea in the Korean war as part of the united Nations.

Why did Gaitskell (new chancellor) announce an 'austerity budget' in 1951?

due to increased military spending for the Korean war.

What resulted in the resignation of Aneurin Bevin? (minister for labour and pioneer of the NHS.

introduction of prescription charges for glasses and dentistry after the austerity budget was announced.

How long were the conservatives dominant for after clement Atlee's premiership?

13 years, 1951-1964

What is Butskellism?

economic and welfare policies associated with the post war consensus.

Where did the term Butskellism come from?

Mixing of names of R.A Butler (conservative chancellor between 1951-1955) and Hugh Gaitskell (labour shadow chancellor.

What did the May 1955 election prove?

That the British public was in approval of the Conservative's management of the economy.

Which prime minister was in office during the suez crisis?

Anthony Eden

What was the 1956 Suez Crisis?

Withdrawal of the invasion of the Suez canal after the US reacted angrily and threatened to collapse the British pound by selling their reserves.

What was the Suez Canal used for?

it was used as a means of shipping oil to Britain Europe and America

Why was the outcome of the Suez crisis a significant reduction in British world power?

It showed that Britain could no longer act independently without american approval.

What 4 factors meant that the Harold Macmillan government was popular?

Mixed economy

rising living standards

low unemployment

declining social inequality