The decline of the Liberal Party

1
The decline of the Liberal Party

• A historigraphical approach

2
The decline was before the First World War
3
George Dangerfield 1936
The problems faced by the Liberal Party after
1909/1910 were so serious that Liberalism was
mortally wounded before 1914.
4
Henry Pelling 1968

• Labour and the Downfall of Liberalism.
• Growing urbanisation.
• Rising cost of living.
• Economic problems unemployment, strikes,
  competition.
• All led to a growing class consciousness and a
  move towards Labour.

5
Roy Gregory 1968

• By August 1914 the Lib-Lab pact was crumbling on
  the coalfields Liberal coal owners and
  socialist union officials.
• Others have argued Liberals were unable to
  adapt to the growing demands of a self-aware
  working class.

6
Ross McKibbin 1974

• Labour (not the party) was becoming increasingly
  organised at the end of the nineteenth century
  and into the twentieth century. The Labour Party
  was the political side of this organisation.
• Labour gained with the growth in the power of
  general unions.

7
Paul Adelman 1981

• Disputes the fact that the Liberal Party was in
  decline.
• Yes it was facing difficulties and would probably
  have the lost the last election but there is
  little hard evidence that it was dying or even
  declining in this period.

8
The decline was due to the First World War
9
Trevor Wilson 1966

• Symptoms of illness
• Ireland, Labour unrest, suffragettes.
• But not dying and then hit by a rampant omnibus.

10
An illiberal home front?

• Realities of total war had to abandon free
  speech, individual freedom and agree to
  conscription, censorship of the press,
  internment, doubling of income tax, DORA.

11
Lloyd George/Asquith split
12
Changes in voting
13
1918 representation of the people act

• Men over 21
• Women over 30
• Electorate tripled 7 million to 21 million.
• Traditional viewMatthew et al 1976 main reason
  for the rise of the Labour Party. working class
  vote rose from 60 to 80 of the electorate.

14

• Revisionist view
• Duncan Tanner and Michael Hart 1980s new
  electorate was mainly a matter of age and marital
  status not class.
• Most householders could vote and so the working
  class vote rose from about 76 to 80 and
  therefore not as significant.

15
The strength of the Labour Party
16
How strong was the appeal of the Labour Party

• 1910 0.3 million votes.
• 1918 2.3 million votes.
• 1929 8.3 million votes.
• Growth in trade union membership 4 million
  1914, 8 million 1918. 75 of members were in
  unions affiliated to the TUC. About the half the
  workforce was unionised.
• 1918- 200 Labour Party candidates were sponsored
  by trade unions.

17

• 1918 constitution detailed policy statements
  with a socialist vision of the future.
  Attractive to working class.
• Had a secure electoral base.
• Growth in membership.
• Clause IV encouraged the trade unions.
• Had gained prestige having worked in the
  coalition government during the war.
• Stressed housing, education and disarmament
  attracted Liberal supporters.

18

• James Ramsay MacDonald a charismatic leader.
• Skilful political manipulator.
• Wanted to annihilate the Liberals.

19
Problems in the Liberal Party
20

• The Liberal Leaders.
• Asquith and Lloyd George split.
• Asquith over 70 and out of touch.
• Lloyd George had lost popularity with the
  workers.
• Lack of an alternative.

21

• Liberal policies.
• All their old policies were no longer relevant
  free trade, Welsh disestablishment, Irish Home
  Rule.
• Asquiths social and economic policies were
  mediocre.
• Lloyd George's programme was better (Keynes) but
  by then the Party was in third place.

22

• 1924
• Chris Cook 1975 Fatal mistake to allow
  MacDonald to form a government without
  understandings or conditions.
• MacDonald didnt co-operate. Instead he wanted
  to destroy the Liberals as a rival party.
• Baldwin knew that Liberal support for Labour
  would alienate middle class Liberal voters.
• Allowed Labour to show that they were capable.

23
ME

• Also polarisation of parties in 20s and 30s.
• Economic depression in the 30s.

24
January 2003

• The decline of the Liberal Party from 1918 to
  1929 was due as much to its internal divisions as
  to the rise of the Labour Party. How valid is
  this judgement? (20)