Section 6 - History
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- Created by: Ella Green
- Created on: 26-05-14 20:48
Liberal Decline
- By 1886 = Gladstone's powers were diminishing
- Leader of the Liberals for 20 years
- Became party leader at a time when the main ideas were Liberalism, Individualism, Laissez-faire and free trade appealed the many sectors of society
- Insistence to Home Rule caused a cataclysmic split in the Liberal Party
- Out of office for the 20 years
- Many believed it was time for a change at the top
- Many had a deep and unwavering sense of loyalty to the 'Grand Old Man'
- Continued to support Gladstone for that reason
- He was convinced that Home Rule would once and for all solve the Irish problem
- Appared to ignore all dangers signs
- Neglected any meaningful programme of social reform
- New political party emerged = Labour party
- Most damaging challenge to the revived 20th century Liberal Party
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Liberal Party Split
- Gladstone's conversion was a staggering blow to the Liberals
- Unable to recover for 20 years
- Chamberlain left the Liberal Party over the Home Rule Bill
- Lord Hartington and a group of Whigs decided to vote against HR and split from the Liberals
- Defecting Liberals = Liberal Unionists
- Objective was to keep Ireland in union with Britain
- By 1895 = Chamberlain, the old Whigs and Hartington were absorbed into the Conservatives
- Became the Conservative and Unionist Party
- Liberal split 'grabbed the headlines'
- Already other funamental differences brewing within the party
- Liberal policies ove colonial expansion caused dissent within the party and created a rift between the older laissez-faire Liberals and Radical Liberals
- Before 1885 election = Chamberlain put together a programme of radical social reform
- Known as the 'unofficial programme'
- Won the votes of the new rural labouring electorate and secured Liberal victory
- Programme based on = greater State intervention, free education, graduated income tax, reform of the local government and land refoorm
- Gladstone was out of touch the electorate
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Liberal Party Split
- Time was ripe for a welfare policy to tackle the immense problem of poverty among the unskilled working class
- Antipathy between Gladstone and Chamberlain was deep seated and destructive
- If Gladstone had overcome his personal prejudices and rewarded Chamberlain with a good Cabinet position, the outcome may have been very different
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Gladstone's Fourth Ministry
- Liberals narrowly won the 1892 election
- They were weak and entirely dependent on which was the Irish Nationalists voted
- Gladstone introduced Home Rule and it was defeated
- Resigned for the final time in 1894
- Successor = Lord Rosebery
- Keen and clever, but inexperienced in the Commons
- Artistocratic background counted against him at the Radical, Nonconformist end
- Attempts to introduce legislation were thrown out
- 1895 election = crushing defeat
- Little of interest to attract the mass of working class voters to whom they haad given a political voice only 10 years earlier
- 1898 = Liberals appointed Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
- He was no match for Lord Salisbury
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Conservative Election Success
- 1886 election = Conservatives won a clear majority
- Retained support in Parliament of most of the 79 Liberal Unionists
- No formal alliance between the two parties at this stage
- Lord Salisbury became PM for the second time
- Gathered around him an intellectually indifferent Cabinet
- Remained in office except for a brief interlude during Gladstone's last term of office between 1892 and 1894
- 1895 election = Salisbury and the Conservatives won with 314 seats ove the Liberals' 177
- Additional support from the 70 Liberal Unionists
- 82 Irish Nationalists were ineffective
- Alliance between the Conservatives and the Liberal Unionists became formalised, with the inclusion of Chamberlain in the Cabinet
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Salisbury's Domestic Policies
- 1886 electorate = increased size and altered composition
- Nearly 3 million new voters, mostly rural workers, agricultural labourers and miners
- Out of a total of 6 million
- Yet to develop voting habits and party allegiance, but welfare issues were high on their agenda and so it would seem logical to capture their vote
- Neither Liberals nor Conservatives had much to offer for social reform
- Salisbury's moest domestic programme of his Second Ministry appears to have been sufficient to increase
- Surprising = Salisbury disliked democracy and disapproved of too much education
- Light of widening democracy in Britain
- Shrewd enough to keep the Liberal Unionists on side and it is their influence that can be detected
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Reasons for Conservative Domination
- Difficult to draw clear conclusions as to why it occured
- Some historians now 'minimise the importance of Home Rule'
- Appears to be a starting point for 'Conservative Ascendancy'
- Defection of the Liberal Unionists strengthened the Conservative position in Parliament
- Middle-class vote had been moving gradually towards the Conservatives
- Seen as the party that 'resisted' too much change
- 1865 = No Conservative was returned for London borough
- 1900 = 67 out of 75 London seats were Conservative
- Known as 'Villa Tories' because their substantial dwelling created the smart suburbs
- Position on Imperialism worked in the Conservatives favor
- Liberals had no consensus, the Conservative trumpeted the 'Age of Imperalism'
- Popular sentiment and enthusiasm helped to sustain the Conservative vote
- Party organisation came under the control of Richard Middleton from 1885 to 1903
- These dates concide with Conservative success at the polls
- Middleton was sensitive to the slightest changes in political mood and his advice helped
- Revamped the National Union and promoted the activities of the Primrose League
- Legislative record for Salisbury's Second Government was more sympathetic to the people
- Still ignored the growing gap between the population
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Reasons for Conservative Domination
- Government action on mass meetings and demonstrations was always swift
- Any incitement to violence was prosecuted
- Firm approach did not damage their electoral appeal
- Salisbury's Third Ministry had the advantage of a talented front bench
- Churchill had advocated 'Tory Democracy' as a means of capturing the vote
- The package offered was better than Liberals
- Liberals had become a one-issue party with little appeal
- Helped to keep the Conservatives in office for almost two decades
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The Development of the Labour Movement
- Latter half of the 19th century = Labour gained strength
- Movement grew quickly out of the political, social and economic changes
- Also from the development of Trade Unionism
- Signified the struggle of working people to achieve a common objective of creating fairer, more just and a more equal society
- Process of industrialisatin brought many working men and women together
- Opinions were exchanged on the factory floor
- Discussions took place on unacceptable working conditions, hours and pay
- Working classes realised they could start to change and improve their conditions if they were well organised enough to negotiate with their employers
- Factory floor = working class organisations started to emerge, many in the form of trade unions
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Political Reform and the Labour Movement
- Extension fo the franchise to include working classes became one of the main focuses of the trade union movement during the 1860s and 1870s
- Trade unions political activists helped to set up the Reform League in 1865
- Put pressure on the government for franchise reform
- Junta = formed the London Council who had influence over the unionist movement as a whole
- Granting of the vote to working class men was a crucial step towards the Labour movement attaining some political influence
- Election that followed = no working-class candidates, despite the fact thatt there was no longer a property qualification for MPS - this should have made it easier
- 1884 Reform Act = strengthened the status of the working classes
- It became more important for the Conservative and Liberal parties to go and seek supporters
- No longer afford to displease the working class electorate
- 1880s = political reform was stimulating the development of a Labour movement increasingly motivated to form a political party for the working-classes
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Contribution of the New Unions
- Old Craft Unions:
- Reputation had been raised by preference to bargain and not strike
- Established a policy of mutual cooperation beween the different unions
- Gained considerable political influence
- They continued to support laissez-faire and self-help
- Little sympathy with the mass of the working class
- Unions emerged representing the large unskilled and low-paid worker force
- Distinguished themselves from the older unions
- Membership was not dependent on trade
- Became known as New Unions
- Use their funds to help Labour candidates win a seat in parliament
- Encouraged leaders of unskilled unions to cooperate with the formation of the party
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The Spread of Socialist Thinking
- Led to the formation of several socialist societies in Britain
- Formed by middle-class intellectuals, rather than working class people
- Referred to themselves as Socialists
- Most influential = Fabian Society set up by Sidney and Beatrice Webb in 1884
- Believed Socialism would come about gradually and not through revolution
- Fabian recognised a kinship between Socialism and Liberalism
- Sense that Socialism was the next step on from Liberalism
- Karl Marx interested Socialists
- The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) and th Socialist League were more extreme - membership small
- Did not wish to bring about change by violent revolution
- Preferred to work on the theory that if they made socialist ideas respectable, then the public would accept them
- Wanted to create a separate socialist party that could come to power legitimately through the ballot box
- Gave Labour some of their basic beliefs when arguing in favor of public ownership of institutions
- Encouraged working-class education
- Rising influence was important in the development of the Labour movement
- Help open-air meetings, and stood and preached outside factory gates
- Workers were entitled to a better life
- Began to organise strikes
- Influenced the formation of the Labur Representation Committee in 1900
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The Needs of the Working Classes
- Neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives satisfied the needs of the working classes
- Gladstone believed in reforms to a limited extent but was too preoccupied with Ireland
- Still held the principles of laissez-faire, self help and philanthropy
- Refused to accept Chamberlain's plan to tackle social reform in the 1880s
- Salisbury had little direct interest in sociall reform - too interest in foreign affairs
- Growing problems of povery were largely neglected
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The Emergence of the Independent Labour Party
- First emerged in Bradford in 1893
- Keir Hardie = chief insigator
- As a result of his past experience, he formed the Scottish Labour Party which spurred on other working men to form local Labour groups across the country
- Mostly in the north of Englang, the Midlands and Central Scotland
- 1893 = Hardie helped to form a new socialist group, the ILP
- Stood for practical reforms that would benefit working people
- Demanded the end of child labour, an eight hour working day, a national scheme of unemployment and sickness insurance, and a tax on unearned income
- 1895 = none of the 28 ILP candidates won a seat
- Major set back
- Hardie continued to attempt to broaden the appeal of the ILP by cooperating with trade unions, recruiting new members and promoting women's movements
- TUC = dominated by crat unions who were against the ILP
- Future looked unpromising
- Small, under-funded and alcked essential union support
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The Labour Representation Committee
- 1899 = Changes in the trade union movement as it became increasingly dominated by the big new mass union, whose main aim was to improve the conditions of workers
- These unions had become well organised with a network of branches
- Number grew rapidly, helped by a low subscription rate of 1d a year
- Expanding membership kept the funds in a healthy state
- The Craft Unions watched the mass unions with anxiety, realised they could lose control of the TUC
- Began to fear their own job security
- Decided to adapt to meet the changed circumstances
- Allowed the recruitment of unskilled workers at a lower subscription
- Prepared to be more militant
- Also began to come around to socialist ideas and recognise the need for social reform
- Appeared to acknowledge that the self-help philosophy was not practical in times of depression
- Weakened their faith in laissez-faire
- Keir Hardie believed that the various trade unions and socialist groups should join forces to create one party
- Still opposition rom the craft union leaders to the idea of a separate working class party
- 1899 = the Annual Conference of the TUC voted a slim majority to hold a conference of labour groups, societies and union representatives to discuss how to increase parliamentary representation
- Negotiations began immediately and resulted in the formation of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC)
- Political organisation whose purpose was to represent working-class interests in parliament
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The Labour Representation Committee
- 1900, the LRC was fromed from = union representatives; the ILP; Local Labour Parties; The Cooperative Society and members of socialist societies such as the Fabians, the Socialist League and the SDF
- Several craft unions refused their support - still not convinced by socialist arguments
- Left the LRC short of much-needed funds and additional organisational skills and leadership
- The Taff Vale Judgement of 1901 and the refusal of legislation to protec tthe unions finally convinced the craft unions that they needed a working-class party in parliament to protect their interests
- Finally joined the LRC
- LRC was renamed the Labour Party in 1905
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Impact of the Home Rule Issue
- After he returned from Klmainham goal, Parnell turned his attention directly to a campaign to fight for Ireland's right for some measure of political independence
- Home Rule Movement was a power political force that had dramatic and far-reaching repercussions on a variety of aspects of British and Irish, politcal, social and cultural life
- Irish Nationalist Party gained the majority of Irish seats that have previously been held by Liberals or Conservatives and created a third party in Parliament
- Parnell was able to make or break governments
- Short period of political instability with long-term effects
- 1885 = Liberals and Conservatives were dealing with radical challenges from within party ranks
- Chamberlain's 'unofficial programme' and Churchill's 'Tory Democracy'
- Parnell's irritation over Gladstone led to the Irish Nationalist Party voting Conservative
- Realised Salisbury would not vote Home Rule, he switched back to Gladstone
- Liberals won the 1886 election but could be held ransom by the Irish Nationalists
- Gladstone had no option but to resign after the defeat
- Liberals failed to focus on the serious problems of poverty as a result of HR
- Damaged Liberal reputation among working-clas speople
- Began to look towards Labour
- Caused a deep and long-lasting split in the Liberal Party
- Allowed Conservatives to dominate for 20 years
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Impact of the Home Rule Issue
- Liberals lost Chamberlain
- Defecting Liberals were absorbed into the Conservative and Unionist Party
- 1892 = Gladstone was entirely dependent on Irish Nationalist Support
- Home Rule was eventually passed by the Commons but thrown out by the Lords
- Raised the question of the constitutional position of the Lords and its ability to veto
- Created deep animosiy between Nationalists in the South and Unionists in the North
- 'Bitter polarisation' culminated in an armed uprising in 1916
- Broguht religious tensions to the surface
- HR campaign was severely disrupted when Parnell became involved in a divorce scandal
- Rocked the party to its foundations but he clung to power until he died the following year
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The aftermath of the Home Rule Defeat
- Violence was never far away
- Parnell had suffered disappointment over the Home Rule Bill
- In Ireland, a 'plan of campaign' was seized on by two MPs
- All the tenants of one landlord would act together to refuse to pay the high rents demanded and give support to anyone who was evicted as a result
- Rerun of the Land Wars
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Salisbury and Ireland
- Salisbury entered office in June 1886
- Determined to give Ireland 'resolute government' and limit Parnell's influence
- Salisbury thought the government had become too soft on Ireland
- Adopted a hard-line policy from the stat
- Planning to use tough action to deal with the perpetrators of the violence and unrest
- Only then would it be appropriate to address Irish grievances
- Appointed Balfour as Secretary for Ireland in 1887
- Introduced a generous Land Act (1887)
- Outlawed the plan of campaign and follow this up with a new Crimes Act
- Violence escalated with a riot at Michelstown in 1887
- Police shot and killed three of the demonstrators
- 'Blood Balfour'
- Never flinched when carrying out tough measures
- Levels of violence subsided and rents were paid
- 1890 = Balfour relaxed the Crimes Act and tried a rescue plan to deal with unemployment
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Salisbury and Ireland
- Parnell's time of triumph was short lived
- A few months later he divorced and Parnell was ruined
- HR campaign was seriously jeopardised
- Case upset the Catholic Church and weakened its support for Home Rule
- Gladstone refused to work with the Irish Nationalists as long as Parnell was its leader
- Irish Nationalist Party split in the 1890s
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