Essay Plans

Contents1. What impact did WW1 have on the rise of the Labour Party

? 2. How effective were the two Labour governments of 1924 an

d 1929-31?3. Did MacDonald betray the Labour Party in August 1931?4. How strong was the Liberal Party in 1914?5. How did the outbreak of WW1 affect the Liberal Party?6. How important was the split between Asquith and Lloyd Ge

orge in the decline of the Liberals?7. Why did Lloyd George fall from power in October 1922?8. Did Asquith miss an opportunity for revival in January 1924

?9. How far had the Liberals declined by 1931?10. Why did the Conservatives dominate politics between the w

ars?

Contents (continued)11. Why did the General Strike take place and why did it fail?12. How great was the problem of unemployment in Britain in th

e 1930’s?13. What did the National Government do to try to end the Depr

ession?14. What impact did the war have on the British economy and s

ociety?15. Why did the Labour Party win the 1945 general election?16. How successful were Labour’s social, economic and welfar

e reforms, 1945-51?17. Why did the Labour Part lose the election in 1951?18. Why did Labour win in 1945 but lose in 1951?19. OCR Questions20. AQA Questions

What impact did WW1 have on the rise of the Labour Party?

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How effective were the two Labour governments of 1924 and 1929-31? Back to Contents

Did MacDonald betray the Labour Party in August 1931?

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How strong was the Liberal Party in 1914?

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How did the outbreak of WW1 affect the Liberal Party?

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How important was the split between Asquith and Lloyd George in the decline of the Liberals?

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Why did Lloyd George fall from power in October 1922? Post-war Success

Lloyd George was the ‘man who won the war’ and he was one of the main negotiators at the Paris Peace Conference along with President Wilson (USA) and Clemenceau (France). In December 1918, there was the ‘Coupon Election’ in which Lloyd George’s coalition won 478seats, with his Liberals winning 133 of them. In opposition, Asquith won only 28seats, but the voting discrepancy was far narrower with Lloyd George faction claiming only 13.5% of the vote compared to 12.1% for the Asquithians. The largest political group was the coalition Conservative with 335seats and 32.6% of the votes.

Lloyd George Loses Office○ Lloyd George was forced from power in 1922 and never held political office again.

There are several reasons for this reversal of fortune: The revival of Peacetime Politics

○ The post-war coalition collapsed when the Conservatives quit in 1922, after a backbench revolt centred at the Carlton Club.

The Chanak Incident The Creation of the Irish Free State

The Fall from Grace Lloyd George’s Style of Government The Honour’s Scandal

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Did Asquith miss an opportunity for revival in January 1924?

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How far had the Liberals declined by 1931?

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Why did the Conservatives dominate politics between the wars? Conservative Success The Conservatives held office during 1922024 and 1924029 and formed the largest party in the Lloyd George coalition of

1918-22 and the national government of 1931-45 Opposition Weakness

The Liberal Party was in electoral decline from 1918 onwards and by 1931 had divided into three factions. Although Labour rose in popularity between 1918 and 1929, the progressive vote was divided between Labour and Liberal parties. Labour formed two minority governments (with Liberal support) in 1924 and 1929-31. in August 1931, MacDonald formed a national government which split the Labour Party. This split led it to perform badly in the 1931 elections and took nearly the whole of the 1930’s to recover

The Electoral System after 1918 From 1918 constituency boundaries were redrawn. The suburbs received more seats and this also benefited the

Conservatives. By 1928, men and women over 21 had the right to vote. However, plural voting and university seats still existed and these also benefited the Conservatives. The creation of the Irish Free State in 1922 removed a large number of Irish MPs who were traditionally anti-Conservative

Effective Leadership The party had strong leaders in Stanley Baldwin (1923-37) and Neville Chamberlain (1937-40)

Conservative Policies Much of the electorate feared socialism and Communism. Baldwin, the most successful interwar Conservative leader,

worked under the maxim of ‘safety first’ and personified respect of private property and business, and careful financial management. However, the Conservatives also supported moderate social reform, and Neville Chamberlain’s health reforms of the late 1920’s laid the foundations of the NHS after WW2. In foreign affairs the Conservatives had the reputation of defending British interests and spending on a strong defence force to protect the British Empire

Party Organisation The Conservatives had an organisation in all types of constituency and a network of working men’s clubs ensured support

throughout Britain. The party developed a feel for publicity and used newsreels, radio broadcasts and – in the elections of the 1930’s – cinema vans. Conservatives could also rely on favourable coverage from the national press and daily newspapers – The Telegraph, Express Mail and The Times. Following the 1929 election defeat, the Conservative Research Department was set up to gather information, draft speeches and generally boost the party’s presence

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Why did the General Strike take place and why did it fail?

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How Great was the Problem of Unemployment in Britain in the 1930’s?

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What did the National Government try to do to End the Depression?

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What impact did the War have on the British Economy and Society?

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Why did the Labour Party win the 1945 General Election?

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How Successful were Labour’s Social, Economic and Welfare Reforms, 1945-51?

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Why did the Labour Party lose the election in 1951?

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Why did Labour win in 1945 but lose in 1951?

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OCR QuestionsBack to Contents

1. How much did the social reforms of the Labour governments of 1945-51 owe to wartime changes and reports?

2. Assess the claim that the Labour governments of 1924 and 1929-31 were unable to achieve anything?

3. How important were conditions in the coal industry in causing the 1926 General Strike?4. Were economic difficulties or internal divisions the more important cause of the

problems of the Labour governments of 1945-51? Explain your answer5. Which was the most successful of the Labour government reforms in the period 1945-

51? Explain your answer.6. “The impact of the General Strike was more political than economic in the period to

1929” How far do you agree?7. How effective was Ramsey MacDonald as Prime Minister in the Labour governments of

1924 and 1929-31?8. How far did the social reform from 1945-51 show that the Labour government were

moderate rather than extreme in their policies?9. To what extent did a failure to solve domestic problems destroy Lloyd George’s

coalition government from 1918-22?10. Which were the most successful measures adopted by the National Government’s of

1931-39 to tackle the economic problems of the 1930s. Explain your answer11. How far was Labour’s electoral defeat in 1951 the result of economic difficulties?

Explain your answer.

OCR QuestionsBack to Contents

12. How far do you agree that Lloyd George’s fall from power was the result of his failure to please the Conservatives?

13. How far was the success of the economic and employment polices of the National Government hindered by the failure to consider alternative solutions?

14. The impact of the General Strike was greater on politics than on the economy. How far do you agree with this view of the period 1926-29?

15. How far did the economic problems limit the domestic achievements of the Labour governments 1945-51?

16. Assess the claim that economic problems were more important than political ones in undermining the Labour governments of 1941 and 1929-31?

17. How fare would you agree that government policy towards the mining industry was mainly responsible for the outbreak of the General Strike?

18. To govern moderately was the main aim of the Labour government of 1924 and 1929-31?

19. “The social reforms of the Labour governments of 1945-51 were more successful than economic policies” How far do you agree?

20. To what extent was trade union unrest the main cause of the General Strike of 1926?21. How far would you agree that the main reason why Labour lost the 1951 General

Election was Conservative re-organisation?22. How far did the National governments adopt new policies of unemployment during the

period 1931-39?23. How far did the social reforms of the Labour governments of 1945-51 fulfil the

expectations of the electorate in 1945? Explain you answer

AQA Questions1. Explain why the Conservatives chose to break with Lloyd George in 19222. Explain why a General Strike broke out in 19263. How important was the decline of British staple industries in explaining the industrial unrest of the

period 1918-29?4. With reference to the economic crisis of 1929-31, how far does Ramsey MacDonald deserve the title

“the Great Betrayer?”5. Explain why there was an economic and financial crisis in Britain in 19316. How far had Labour recovered by 1940 from the trauma of 1931?7. Explain why unemployment was so high in Britain between 1929 and 19358. How successful were the governments of the 1930s in bringing about economic recovery in Britain

between by 1939?9. How successful was the wartime coalition government in leading Britain through the strains of war

between 1940 and 1945?10. How far was Churchill personally responsible for maintaining national morale?11. How far was British society changed by the experience of the Second World War?12. How far did the various section of British society make the sacrifices required for the national war

effort?13. Explain why Hugh Dalton called 1947 an ‘Annus Horribilis’ (a Year of Horrors)14. Why did the Conservative party suffer a heavy defeat in the 1945 general election?15. How successful was the Labour government in bringing about economic recovery between 1945 and

1951?16. Explain why the Conservative Party campaigned more effectively in 1950 and 1951 than had been

the case in 194517. Hoe far was the Labour Party responsible for its own downfall in 1951?

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