Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition 1906-1957
Contents
● 1906-1914
○ Politics
○ Economics
○ Society
○ Challenges & Threats
● 1914-1922
○ Politics
○ Economics
○ Society
○ Ireland
● 1922-1929
○ Politics
○ Economics
○ Society
○ The 1929 Election
● 1929-1939
○ Politics
○ Economics
○ Society
○ Challenges & Threats
● 1939-1951
○ Politics
○ Economics
, ○ Society
○ Britain in 1951
● 1951-1957
○ Politics
○ Economics
○ Society
○ Challenges & Threats
1906-1914
Politics
Key Issues:
● The 1906 General Election
● New Liberalism
● Liberal Leadership
● Rise of Labour
● Position of Conservatives
The 1906 General Election
In 1906, the Liberals won a landslide general election, replacing Arthur Balfour’s
Conservative Party in government. This victory was a result of a culmination of factors,
including;
1. New Liberalism
The Liberal Party reformed their ideology to include more modern liberal
elements, instead of adhering to the classical liberal ideology of their party
during the nineteenth century. This attracted voters, as new liberalism
believed in a much more enabling, expanded state, which would provide welfare
assistance.
2. Chinese Slavery
The Conservatives had disillusioned the working class away from voting for
them, by importing Chinese slaves to work in South Africa for incredibly low
pay. This alarmed trade unions, as they were concerned that this new
availability of cheap labour would drive down wages for British workers at
home. This also alienated non-conformists, who objected to the use of
slaves on moral grounds.
3. Alienation of non-Conformists
Two acts, introduced by the Conservatives, alienated religious
non-conformists leading up to 1906; the 1902 Education Act, and the 1904
Licensing Act.
The 1902 Education Act reformed the funding of education, so that instead of
churches directly funding schools of their denomination, all funding was
pooled through taxes. This enraged non-conformists, as it meant they could
be funding a school of a rival denomination.
The 1904 Licensing Act favourably intended to reduce the number of public
houses (pubs), but angered the non-conformists by proposing to compensate
brewers for the loss of their licenses.
, 4. The Boer War
The Boer War, which was taking place at the turn of the century, was highly
controversial in that ⅔ of men who volunteered to fight against the Boers in
South Africa were declared medically unfit. This highlighted the dismal state
of British health, driving more towards the Liberals, who were promising a
reform to the welfare system (beyond just the Poor Law).
5. Protectionism
The Conservatives introduced an unpopular policy of protectionism to Britain
in the early decade, which involved placing tariffs on imports from other
countries. While economically responsible, as it aimed to reduce Britain’s
trade deficit and over-reliance on foreign trade, it was socially catastrophic, as
food prices increased.
6. The Taff Vale Case
The Conservatives alienated the working class with the Taff Vale case, where
a company sued a trade union which had facilitated a strike in their works,
and was ruled lawful and acceptable by the House of Lords. This worried
workers, as it reduced their ability to strike for better pay and conditions, as
they - and their trade union - could be liable to be sued.
7. Neglect of Social Reform
The Conservatives had neglected to introduce any social reform in their time
in leadership, which was highlighted by the poor health in the Boer War. By
contrast, the Liberals were promising an extension of welfare assistance -
though not a welfare state - to the people.
8. Conservative Leadership
Balfour was by no means the most competent politician. He was intelligent,
but struggled to debate well, and was not as sensitive as his predecessor to
public issues (hence the protectionism policy).
9. The Lib-Lab Pact 1903
This pact was integral in securing the volume of seats the Liberals
successfully won in 1906. The agreement between the Liberals and Labour
was that the two parties would not stand against each other in a marginal
seat, meaning that the centre-left wing vote could not be split between the two
parties. This allowed Labour to win some seats, and the Liberals to win
hundreds.
10.Liberal Leadership
The leadership of the Liberal Party was popular and competent;
Campbell-Bannerman brought the old liberal supporters, and Asquith and
Lloyd George were incredibly popular for their welfare support.
To summarise the reasons for Liberal success:
Alienation of Non-Conformists
Conservative Alienation of Voters Chinese Slavery
Taff Vale Case
Conservative Leadership
Neglect of Social Reform
Conservative Unpopularity
Protectionism
The Boer War
, Lib-Lab Pact
Liberal Policies New Liberalism
Liberal Leadership
New Liberalism
The New Liberalism ideology was inspired by a number of motivations;
● The Public Health Failures
Exposed by the Boer War
● The Booth & Rowntree Reports
Booth & Rowntree conducted reports on poverty in York and London,
horrifying the people by revealing that 30% of Londoners lived in poverty.
They also were integral in changing social perceptions of poverty; before their
reports, which revealed that most poverty was a result of work with low wages
or the death or injury of the primary wage-earner, poverty had been
considered a shameful result of laziness.
● Fear of the Labour Party
The Liberals were also desperate to remain popular with the working class, to
prevent them from switching sides and voting Labour. Thus, they created New
Liberalism to appeal to the workers.
New Liberalism differed from classical liberalism as an ideology by advocating for more state
assistance in individual lives. This involves financial assistance for the unemployed,
improved quality of life for children and the elderly, and insurance in the case of injuries.
Classical liberalism believed in self-realisation and self-help, and argued that anyone could
rise the ranks in society if they tried hard enough. New Liberalism recognised that
sometimes, people are born into situations so difficult that without help, they have no chance
of achieving their goals or rising in society.
Liberal Leadership
The Liberals had three key individuals in their party at this point; Campbell-Bannerman,
Asquith, and Lloyd George.
Campbell-Bannerman: the ‘old liberal’ leader of the Party, who was integral in maintaining
the support of classical liberals. He cautiously began implementing the welfare reforms.
Asquith: Introduced most of the welfare reforms of the 1906-1914 Liberals. He had begun
this policy as Chancellor under Campbell-Bannerman, displaying how ideologically
committed he was to new liberalism.
Lloyd George: A dynamic and effective minister, who was incredibly popular.
Another key figure in the Party at this point, who would switch sides throughout the course,
was Winston Churchill. He, too, supported welfare, and was highly concerned about the low
wage economy of Britain, and its consequences on economic productivity.
The Rise of Labour
The Labour Party had formed in 1900 under Keir Hardie. By 1906, it was already enough of
a threat to warrant the Lib-Lab Pact of 1903, and had won 29 seats in the House of
Commons by 1906. The Labour Party MPs were not necessarily highly educated, nor were
they united behind one common cause; this would be a job for the subsequent Labour
leaders. They were united behind a desire to improve the conditions of the working classes
in their areas, but otherwise, the Party faced challenges;
Contents
● 1906-1914
○ Politics
○ Economics
○ Society
○ Challenges & Threats
● 1914-1922
○ Politics
○ Economics
○ Society
○ Ireland
● 1922-1929
○ Politics
○ Economics
○ Society
○ The 1929 Election
● 1929-1939
○ Politics
○ Economics
○ Society
○ Challenges & Threats
● 1939-1951
○ Politics
○ Economics
, ○ Society
○ Britain in 1951
● 1951-1957
○ Politics
○ Economics
○ Society
○ Challenges & Threats
1906-1914
Politics
Key Issues:
● The 1906 General Election
● New Liberalism
● Liberal Leadership
● Rise of Labour
● Position of Conservatives
The 1906 General Election
In 1906, the Liberals won a landslide general election, replacing Arthur Balfour’s
Conservative Party in government. This victory was a result of a culmination of factors,
including;
1. New Liberalism
The Liberal Party reformed their ideology to include more modern liberal
elements, instead of adhering to the classical liberal ideology of their party
during the nineteenth century. This attracted voters, as new liberalism
believed in a much more enabling, expanded state, which would provide welfare
assistance.
2. Chinese Slavery
The Conservatives had disillusioned the working class away from voting for
them, by importing Chinese slaves to work in South Africa for incredibly low
pay. This alarmed trade unions, as they were concerned that this new
availability of cheap labour would drive down wages for British workers at
home. This also alienated non-conformists, who objected to the use of
slaves on moral grounds.
3. Alienation of non-Conformists
Two acts, introduced by the Conservatives, alienated religious
non-conformists leading up to 1906; the 1902 Education Act, and the 1904
Licensing Act.
The 1902 Education Act reformed the funding of education, so that instead of
churches directly funding schools of their denomination, all funding was
pooled through taxes. This enraged non-conformists, as it meant they could
be funding a school of a rival denomination.
The 1904 Licensing Act favourably intended to reduce the number of public
houses (pubs), but angered the non-conformists by proposing to compensate
brewers for the loss of their licenses.
, 4. The Boer War
The Boer War, which was taking place at the turn of the century, was highly
controversial in that ⅔ of men who volunteered to fight against the Boers in
South Africa were declared medically unfit. This highlighted the dismal state
of British health, driving more towards the Liberals, who were promising a
reform to the welfare system (beyond just the Poor Law).
5. Protectionism
The Conservatives introduced an unpopular policy of protectionism to Britain
in the early decade, which involved placing tariffs on imports from other
countries. While economically responsible, as it aimed to reduce Britain’s
trade deficit and over-reliance on foreign trade, it was socially catastrophic, as
food prices increased.
6. The Taff Vale Case
The Conservatives alienated the working class with the Taff Vale case, where
a company sued a trade union which had facilitated a strike in their works,
and was ruled lawful and acceptable by the House of Lords. This worried
workers, as it reduced their ability to strike for better pay and conditions, as
they - and their trade union - could be liable to be sued.
7. Neglect of Social Reform
The Conservatives had neglected to introduce any social reform in their time
in leadership, which was highlighted by the poor health in the Boer War. By
contrast, the Liberals were promising an extension of welfare assistance -
though not a welfare state - to the people.
8. Conservative Leadership
Balfour was by no means the most competent politician. He was intelligent,
but struggled to debate well, and was not as sensitive as his predecessor to
public issues (hence the protectionism policy).
9. The Lib-Lab Pact 1903
This pact was integral in securing the volume of seats the Liberals
successfully won in 1906. The agreement between the Liberals and Labour
was that the two parties would not stand against each other in a marginal
seat, meaning that the centre-left wing vote could not be split between the two
parties. This allowed Labour to win some seats, and the Liberals to win
hundreds.
10.Liberal Leadership
The leadership of the Liberal Party was popular and competent;
Campbell-Bannerman brought the old liberal supporters, and Asquith and
Lloyd George were incredibly popular for their welfare support.
To summarise the reasons for Liberal success:
Alienation of Non-Conformists
Conservative Alienation of Voters Chinese Slavery
Taff Vale Case
Conservative Leadership
Neglect of Social Reform
Conservative Unpopularity
Protectionism
The Boer War
, Lib-Lab Pact
Liberal Policies New Liberalism
Liberal Leadership
New Liberalism
The New Liberalism ideology was inspired by a number of motivations;
● The Public Health Failures
Exposed by the Boer War
● The Booth & Rowntree Reports
Booth & Rowntree conducted reports on poverty in York and London,
horrifying the people by revealing that 30% of Londoners lived in poverty.
They also were integral in changing social perceptions of poverty; before their
reports, which revealed that most poverty was a result of work with low wages
or the death or injury of the primary wage-earner, poverty had been
considered a shameful result of laziness.
● Fear of the Labour Party
The Liberals were also desperate to remain popular with the working class, to
prevent them from switching sides and voting Labour. Thus, they created New
Liberalism to appeal to the workers.
New Liberalism differed from classical liberalism as an ideology by advocating for more state
assistance in individual lives. This involves financial assistance for the unemployed,
improved quality of life for children and the elderly, and insurance in the case of injuries.
Classical liberalism believed in self-realisation and self-help, and argued that anyone could
rise the ranks in society if they tried hard enough. New Liberalism recognised that
sometimes, people are born into situations so difficult that without help, they have no chance
of achieving their goals or rising in society.
Liberal Leadership
The Liberals had three key individuals in their party at this point; Campbell-Bannerman,
Asquith, and Lloyd George.
Campbell-Bannerman: the ‘old liberal’ leader of the Party, who was integral in maintaining
the support of classical liberals. He cautiously began implementing the welfare reforms.
Asquith: Introduced most of the welfare reforms of the 1906-1914 Liberals. He had begun
this policy as Chancellor under Campbell-Bannerman, displaying how ideologically
committed he was to new liberalism.
Lloyd George: A dynamic and effective minister, who was incredibly popular.
Another key figure in the Party at this point, who would switch sides throughout the course,
was Winston Churchill. He, too, supported welfare, and was highly concerned about the low
wage economy of Britain, and its consequences on economic productivity.
The Rise of Labour
The Labour Party had formed in 1900 under Keir Hardie. By 1906, it was already enough of
a threat to warrant the Lib-Lab Pact of 1903, and had won 29 seats in the House of
Commons by 1906. The Labour Party MPs were not necessarily highly educated, nor were
they united behind one common cause; this would be a job for the subsequent Labour
leaders. They were united behind a desire to improve the conditions of the working classes
in their areas, but otherwise, the Party faced challenges;
