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17 Cards in this Set
- Front
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What were the features of British politics in 1914? |
-New Liberalism -Political culture 1914 -A range of political challenges |
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Explain what new liberalism is and who its main proponents were |
-emerged after the terrible loss of 1895 -Liberals needed a new direction -problems of poverty, slums, deprivation were not solved by the free market and economic growth -proposed more state intervention in economics, labour laws, welfare reform etc. than typically classic liberal politics the state can be used as a force for good in lifting people out of poverty -DLG, Churchill and Asquith |
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How did the political culture and elections function in 1914 |
-Suffrage for male property holders
-No women could vote -Very limited state - much lower taxation but much smaller welfare state, no minimum wage etc.; role of the state has dramatically increased since then |
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What were the political challenges faced by Asquith pre-war? |
-1909 'People's budget' - introduced unprecedented levels of taxation on high earners and land owners to finance social reforms -House of Lords reform - contentious and systematically difficult -Suffragette movement - only getting worse -Labour unrest - labour unions and their members increasingly unhappy about their state, becoming more powerful as well -Irish home rule bill - the most serious and divisive issues in British politics at the time |
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Name, date and description of the first phase of wartime government |
Bussiness as usual, August 1914 - May 1915, Asquith led majority government. |
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What caused the fall of Asquith's majority led government? |
-Shell crisis of may 1915 following battles of Aubers ridge and Neuve-Chapelle -Seeming unpreparedness for war -Failure to achieve a quick victory -Failure of the Dardanelles campaign |
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Name, date and description of the second phase of wartime government |
Wartime coalition, May 1915 - January1916, Asquith led cross-party coalition |
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What caused the fall of Asquith's coalition government? |
-Nigeria debate - unimportant in itself but significant in that Asquith's own MPs openly challenged him -Crisis of confidence - even some liberal MPs demanding -Lloyd George set out a list of demands to Asquith, claiming that he would take command if these demands were not met, backed by Conservatives -Asquith eventually forced to resign |
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Name, date and description of the third phase of wartime government |
Lloyd George's government, December 1916 - November 1918, Lloyd George led coalition |
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What were the features of Asquith's majority 'Bussiness as usual' government? |
-Party truce - no more campaigning against each other and petty point scoring -Emergency legislation - DORA, railways put under govt. control etc. -Government by committee -Kitcheners New Army raised at short notice -Shell scandal of May 1915 a key factor in the end of this phase |
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Key features of Asquith's coalition govt. |
-Wartime coalition out of necessity -DLG minister of munitions -First ever experience of government for Labour -Jan. 1916 - conscription introduced -April 1916 - Easter rising in Ireland -July 1916 - Kitchener dies when the Hampshire is hit -July 1916 - battle of the Somme begins -December 1916 - Asquith resigns for a variety of reasons, crisis of confidence being key |
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How did Lloyd George fare as minister of munitions? |
-Entirely new department to meet the sudden needs of industrialised warfare -Circumvented Whitehall -Co-opted bussinessmen -Government took unprecedented control over factories, manpower and machinery -Result - yearly MG production 1.5K => 17.5K -Grenade production 68k => 27m |
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Key features of coalition government under Lloyd George |
-Seized power after giving A a list of demands he was unable to meet, resigned after a crisis of confidence in Asquith -War Economy -'Mushroom industries' - popped up suddenly -Admin reforms -Military influence -PM becomes a national figurehead and hero |
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What does a war economy mean? |
An economy fully mobilized and adapted to the needs of war; totally different from a peacetime economy |
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What were the 'mushroom ministries'? Give some examples |
Ministries that quickly sprung up to meet the needs of the time. Food Labour Information Reconstruction |
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What administrative reforms did DLG introduce? |
-5-man war cabinet to run the war day to day -Private secretariat - set of advisers loyal only to DLG |
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Describe the military influence in govt. and its effectiveness |
-Admiralty - convoy system to counter submarine warfare - successful -Army - War Policy Committe - failure - led to the disastrous flanders offensive; Passchendaele -Maurice debate April 1918 - Major General Maurice accused the government of deliberately holding back men from the Western front - serious challenge to DLG but it is overcome, turns into a vote of no confidence of sorts |
