Lloyd George had been supreme in British politics and his popularity has rarely been equalled. He was seen as the man who ‘won the war’. Although the leading conservatives favoured Lloyd George, this was being challenged by the back bench conservatives who were rising in ranks. Even his Lib supporters became to fall apart to the conservatives, labour and even to the Asquithian Liberals. Simply enough, the collapse of support was due to the conservatives simply opting to terminate their alliance. This happened also because of the looming 1923 election and the conservatives issue whether to split the coalition and all the parties fight it out as normal, which left no place for Lloyd George
He originally wanted to continue as Prime Minister, as did Bonar Law (who resigned due to terminal cancer) and succeeded by Austen Chamberlain. He and Balfour agreed to support Lloyd George, and organised a meeting in which the conservative leadership offered to support Lloyd George. It was known that the backbenchers were unwilling to support, and so if Chamberlain failed to convince, not only would the coalition disband, but his leadership position would falter, chamberlain believed he could do it.
The Carlton club meeting was what was arranged, Chamberlain and Balfour advocated the continuation of the coalition asking for the support. They were, countered by one Stanley Baldwin, an increasingly influential member who argued that they must give up Lloyd George or face being destroyed the same way that he had destroyed the Liberal Party (according to him) and that Lloyd George was a ‘Dynamic Force’ in politics, ‘The same thing will happen to our party’
Baldwin was actually supported by Bonar Law who had been temporarily restored to better health, as he had time to reflect and reassess the position and w how Lloyd George had being to cause concerns. His support was crucial because he could be PM and Baldwin could not, the backbenchers ended the coalition, and so the leading ministers resigned as did eventually Lloyd George. Bonar Law became PM, Baldwin Chancellor of Exchequer and Curzon Foreign secretary. Apart from that, the government was weak.
The Circumstances for the fall of Lloyd george maybe straightforward, but a number of factors lead to growing concerns to the Conservative Coalition.
- Many unhappy with LG’s handling of Ireland (conservatives were known as Unionists in the period before the war)
- Imperial affairs under coalition alienated conservative party members. As Egyptian independence which was key to route to India (suez canal) and the criticisms of the 379 indian demostrators who were shot at governmental level did not go down well
- Lloyd George although hostile to Communism, was also against intervention in the Russian civil war, and even did a trade with the Communist Russia.
- Lloyd George’s style too unconventional, rarely attending parliament and becoming very impatient
- He was known publicly as ‘The Goat’ and cheated on his wife with his lover.
- His attitude to the honours system created a scandal, he refused any for himself except for companion of honour which couldn’t be refused, he saw no reason not to cash into the snobbery of those who valued class, he sold Honours, 15,000 a knighthood, 25000 was baronetcy, and 50000 was a peerage. The proceeds were split between LG and the conservatives. Funs
- Lloyd george was heavily involved in foreign policy and almost caused another war between turkey. This was known as the Chanak crisis, as Turkish troops approached an allied position at Dardanelles. LG threatened force. This was seen as the final straw and provoked the Back bench revolt of Stanley Baldwin
SUMMARY
LG previously supreme in british politics. Leading cons supported but backbenchers started to doubt. His libs went to Cons, Lab and Asq-Libs often. His fall was due to cons opting out of coalition leaving no place for LG.
Wanted to Continue as PM, BL + Balfour then CHAM/BALF arranged carlton club meeting to argue point. Chamberlain believed he could reassert backbenchers. Countered by Baldwin ‘Dynamic force, split our party’
A temporary BL agreed. They all resigned, and formed a new if not weak gov.
Reason for collapse was he would split the party like he split libs, but series of events influenced their decisions
- Cons unhappy with Home Rule (unionists)
- Imperial affairs were criticised, made cons mad.
- Seen as lessening stand against Bolsh
- Unfamiliar style of gov, publicly known as a Womaniser
- Honours Scandal – Splitting of profits made
- Chanak crisis.
Monday, 4 May 2009
Coalition's return to normality.
The main aims due to the considerable talent found in the coalition government followed along the lines of:
• Making Britain a better place to forget about the first world war stresses
• The massive governmental debt (from 650 – 8000 mil) needed to be funded.
• Lloyd George also wanted unity within the Coalition as there was such a broad base of ideas.
• Lloyd George was also concerned with Foreign affairs of which he saw as essential after the war.
Lloyd George was determined to continue the liberal reformation of old, even before the War was over, he basically said that there was no turning back the clock on governmental intervention, and that these reforms would continue. He first, influenced by the Liberal Whitby, set up the Whitby Councils which contained employers and employees to talk about wages and working conditions. He next set up the Council of Reconstruction under Christopher Addison, the famous slogan ‘Homes fit for Heroes’ in reforms over housing, NH, banking and industry. He also proposed to extend pensions, and a new education act had been passes so that LEA’s had to set up schemes of work, and a min leaving age of 14.
After the war, it first aimed to improve pre-war reformation
- Maternity and child welfare act of 1918 Updated benefits of the ‘Children Act of 1908’
- Pensions had seen some of the restrictions removed
- Health insurance was for all earning under 250
Next were efforts to win the working class over
- Ex-servicemen allowed special unemployment benefits
- Act to prevent wage reductions after the drop in demand after the war
- New miner reforms
Then followed structural reforms, to deal with the social issues of the time
- The Unemployment Act of 1920, extended provisions to all employees (except a select few with their own schemes), but doing this at the time of high unemployment (due to the war) led to problems. This had to be changed as the Surplus made for the Act of 22 million had been wiped out. 1921 act changed this to after 26 weeks they would be put on a new uninsured scheme.
- Housing scheme under Addison followed next, where 70,000 homes would be built, offered at low rents until the market picked up.
The Economic problems dominated the governments concerns, as the war had led to high levels of taxation and government interference with the economy. Britain’s structure did remain intact however. The next aim happened to be lower taxation, which would be difficult as Britain’s military would be used in the LofN. At the Start, Death duties and profits tax was raised, but this was eventually changed back to normal.
The recovery was directed by the Geddes’ Committee who aimed to cut spending by 86 Million in education, health and military issues;
- Army and navy facing a 41 million cut.
- Education lost 18 million by docking wages
- Reductions in army personal
- Children under six removed from school
- Police pay was cut.
The government accepted a total of 64 Million in cuts.
The war exposed the agriculture and industry side of Britain as being to be weak, and needed modernisation. The government during the war often nationalised some of the weakening areas of the industry, such as the mines. The Sankey committee of 1919 reported that mining had be nationalised in order to survive. The mines were eventually returned to private ownership, but falling coal prices pushed down wages, which lead to the ‘Black Friday’ event, the breakdown of the national miners strike on Friday 15 april, 1921. The Railways act reduced 120 rail companies to four, with a Railway tribunal, as it had shown to be rather inefficient during the war.
Agriculture had shown its value during the war, as it reduced Britain’s dangerous dependence on foreign importing of food. The 1920’s act, set up a wage board, to guarantee prices for farmers, to protect the downturn period after the war. But what followed was a boom, so wages grew massively and THEN was hit by a slump in which prices plummeted.
The government however, did not create enough homes on the scale needed, nor did it develop social reform on what it introduced after the second world war, as the majority conservatives and even liberals did not embrace such deep reformation.
SUMMARY
LG wanted to focus on
- Make Britain a better place
- Tackling debt
- Industry/agriculture
- Continuation of reform
- International Co-op
LG – Intervention would increase but should be more private enterprise again
Whitby Councils – Working conditions and Wages
Council of Reconstruction – Addison ‘Homes of heroes’
Proposed extension of reforms, LEA'S SCHEME OF WORK + MIN leaving age
Improve pre-war reformation
- Pensions extended
- Updated 1908 children’s act (benefit)
- Health insurance
Efforts to win working class
- ex-service men extended benefits
- Act for miners
Structural
- Unemployment act, caused problems and had to be changed
- Housing scheme. 70’000 houses
¬Britain lower taxes, the Geddes Cut, military cuts, education cuts, totalling 64 Million. Industry was weak, and gov wanted mines to be privately owned, eventually happened but wage cuts followed.
General miners strike – Black Friday
Agriculture useful, Act introduced to support wages. However, there was post war boom, then slump so wages fell anyway.
NOT A FAILURE but not a success, Reforms not as extensive as they should be. HOUSING ACT WAS TOO SMALL, and poorly made houses. Coalition too CAUTIOUS, and un-nationalisation, not big enough
• Making Britain a better place to forget about the first world war stresses
• The massive governmental debt (from 650 – 8000 mil) needed to be funded.
• Lloyd George also wanted unity within the Coalition as there was such a broad base of ideas.
• Lloyd George was also concerned with Foreign affairs of which he saw as essential after the war.
Lloyd George was determined to continue the liberal reformation of old, even before the War was over, he basically said that there was no turning back the clock on governmental intervention, and that these reforms would continue. He first, influenced by the Liberal Whitby, set up the Whitby Councils which contained employers and employees to talk about wages and working conditions. He next set up the Council of Reconstruction under Christopher Addison, the famous slogan ‘Homes fit for Heroes’ in reforms over housing, NH, banking and industry. He also proposed to extend pensions, and a new education act had been passes so that LEA’s had to set up schemes of work, and a min leaving age of 14.
After the war, it first aimed to improve pre-war reformation
- Maternity and child welfare act of 1918 Updated benefits of the ‘Children Act of 1908’
- Pensions had seen some of the restrictions removed
- Health insurance was for all earning under 250
Next were efforts to win the working class over
- Ex-servicemen allowed special unemployment benefits
- Act to prevent wage reductions after the drop in demand after the war
- New miner reforms
Then followed structural reforms, to deal with the social issues of the time
- The Unemployment Act of 1920, extended provisions to all employees (except a select few with their own schemes), but doing this at the time of high unemployment (due to the war) led to problems. This had to be changed as the Surplus made for the Act of 22 million had been wiped out. 1921 act changed this to after 26 weeks they would be put on a new uninsured scheme.
- Housing scheme under Addison followed next, where 70,000 homes would be built, offered at low rents until the market picked up.
The Economic problems dominated the governments concerns, as the war had led to high levels of taxation and government interference with the economy. Britain’s structure did remain intact however. The next aim happened to be lower taxation, which would be difficult as Britain’s military would be used in the LofN. At the Start, Death duties and profits tax was raised, but this was eventually changed back to normal.
The recovery was directed by the Geddes’ Committee who aimed to cut spending by 86 Million in education, health and military issues;
- Army and navy facing a 41 million cut.
- Education lost 18 million by docking wages
- Reductions in army personal
- Children under six removed from school
- Police pay was cut.
The government accepted a total of 64 Million in cuts.
The war exposed the agriculture and industry side of Britain as being to be weak, and needed modernisation. The government during the war often nationalised some of the weakening areas of the industry, such as the mines. The Sankey committee of 1919 reported that mining had be nationalised in order to survive. The mines were eventually returned to private ownership, but falling coal prices pushed down wages, which lead to the ‘Black Friday’ event, the breakdown of the national miners strike on Friday 15 april, 1921. The Railways act reduced 120 rail companies to four, with a Railway tribunal, as it had shown to be rather inefficient during the war.
Agriculture had shown its value during the war, as it reduced Britain’s dangerous dependence on foreign importing of food. The 1920’s act, set up a wage board, to guarantee prices for farmers, to protect the downturn period after the war. But what followed was a boom, so wages grew massively and THEN was hit by a slump in which prices plummeted.
The government however, did not create enough homes on the scale needed, nor did it develop social reform on what it introduced after the second world war, as the majority conservatives and even liberals did not embrace such deep reformation.
SUMMARY
LG wanted to focus on
- Make Britain a better place
- Tackling debt
- Industry/agriculture
- Continuation of reform
- International Co-op
LG – Intervention would increase but should be more private enterprise again
Whitby Councils – Working conditions and Wages
Council of Reconstruction – Addison ‘Homes of heroes’
Proposed extension of reforms, LEA'S SCHEME OF WORK + MIN leaving age
Improve pre-war reformation
- Pensions extended
- Updated 1908 children’s act (benefit)
- Health insurance
Efforts to win working class
- ex-service men extended benefits
- Act for miners
Structural
- Unemployment act, caused problems and had to be changed
- Housing scheme. 70’000 houses
¬Britain lower taxes, the Geddes Cut, military cuts, education cuts, totalling 64 Million. Industry was weak, and gov wanted mines to be privately owned, eventually happened but wage cuts followed.
General miners strike – Black Friday
Agriculture useful, Act introduced to support wages. However, there was post war boom, then slump so wages fell anyway.
NOT A FAILURE but not a success, Reforms not as extensive as they should be. HOUSING ACT WAS TOO SMALL, and poorly made houses. Coalition too CAUTIOUS, and un-nationalisation, not big enough
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