Reasons for the 1906 Liberal landslide - created from Mind Map

Liberals secured a landslide victory over the Conservatives 400 seats to 157.

Boer War (1889-1902) 40% of British recruits were declared unfit for military surface suggesting that poor health was weakening the nation's ability to defend itself. The deaths of 28,000 Boer women and children in British concentration camps caused moral outrage. DLG stated that "we have now taken to killing babies" Conservatives exploited national patriotic support for the war to win the 1902 Khaki election which angered voters.

Nonconformists voters The 1902 Education Act changed funding for schools. Nonconformists were furious that their rates would now be contributing to the costs of Anglican and Catholic schools. The 1904 Licensing Act aimed to regulate the sale and consumption of liqour but angered anti-drink Nonconformists as it proposed paying generous compensation to brewers for the loss of their licenses. 'Chinese slavery' was another moral issue. Chinese workers were imported to south Africa as cheap labour which Nonconformists regarded as unethical exploitation. Trade unions also voiced fears that employers might import Chinese labourers into Britain to keep wages low. As a result, over 200 Liberal Nonconformists MPs were elected to Parliament in 1906.

Tariff Reform In 1903 Joseph Chamberlain resigned to campaign for the reintroduction of tariffs, arguing that it would strengthen the empire. The Liberals united against protectionism (imposing duties on imports) and united under a banner of Free Trade Public feared that tariff reform would lead to higher food prices.

Working class voters Conservatives alienated working class voters. There was growing awareness that the state needed to do more to improve living standards for the most vulnerable. However, the Conservatives seemed unprepared to introduce any substantial social reform. The 1902 Taff Vale Judgement allowed companies to sue trade unions for losses caused by strikes, thereby removing the unions' most powerful weapon in industrial disputes.

Conservative weaknesses and misjudgements contributed immensely to their defeat. The Liberals were able to unite under a new leader: Henry Campbell-Bannerman, and key issues such as free trade. The Liberal landslide was as much an overwhelming rejection of Conservative policies as it was a positive endorsement of new Liberal ideas.

By the mid 1890's the Liberals had begun a process of redefining its principles and priorities. Liberals believed they were losing their electoral appeal as a result of the long political dominance of William Gladstone, leader from 1967 until 1894.Gladstone represented 'Old Liberalism', which rested on 'classic' Liberal principles: self-help, individual freedom of speech and worship and minimal government intervention

New liberalism put greater emphasis on the role of the state to provide a 'safety net' for the most vulnerable.The Rainbow Circle: A group of progressive Liberal politicians and thinkers who met regularly in the late 180's. The group provided much of the intellectual foundation of New Liberalism. Members included L.T. Hobhouse and J.A. Hobson.Factors leading to the growth of New Liberalism:1. Gladstone's retirement allowed new ideas and fresh opportunities to emerge.2. Electoral defeats in 1895 and 1900 demonstrated the urgent need the reassess the Party's political appeal.3. The foundation of the Independent Labour Party in 1893 and the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) in 1900 created new left-wing rivals for working-class voters.4. Innovative social welfare schemes pioneered in Germany and New Zealand demonstrated that government intervention could help limit the most damaging effects of poverty.5. Publication of social research findings by Booth and Rowntree drew attention to the increase in poverty.6. The campaign for 'national efficiency' aimed to address two underlying issues recognised as contribution to Britain's difficulty in defeating the Boers: Britain's declining industrial lead over its strongest competitors, particularly Germany and USA, and the damaging

Booth and Rowntree1. almost 30% of the British population lived at, or below, subsistence level.2. 10% lived at absolute poverty.3. 20% had just enough money to survive per week.4. discovered that an ordinary family needed around 24s 7d a week to maintain efficiency.This research showed that poverty was largely caused by economic forces beyond the control of the individual and exploded the nineteenth century belief that it was largely individual idleness that led to unemployment and want (extreme poverty).

There was a lot of continuity between 'Old' and 'New' Liberalism. New Liberals still promoted self-help and still believed in only minimal state intervention to help those who could not help themselves. However, New Liberalism did place significantly greater emphasis on the role of the state and recognised the need for higher government spending and taxation to help the vulnerable. Indeed, it can be argued that New Liberalism laid the foundations of Labour's post-1945 welfare state.

From 1908 under Asquith the pace of social reform accelerated.In many respects, these reforms fundamentally altered the relationship between the state and the individual, moving away from the nineteenth century principle of Laissez-Faire towards increasing state intervention and beginning a modernising process which continued to the 1970s.

Strengths: CHILDREN: Local authorities were given the power to provide free school meals (1906 Education Act) and had to set up a school medical service (1907 Education Act). The 1908 Children Act was the first step towards enforcing minimum standards of care for children. THE ELDERLY: The 1908 Old Age Pensions Act was Britain's first state-funded, non-contributory support for the elderly. Granted 5s a week to those over 70 and 7s 6d for a married couple. WORKERS: 1909 Trade Boards Act regulated the sweated industries. Labour Exchanges (1909) provided 'one-stop' location for finding work. The 1911 National Insurance Act was a landmark Act providing Britain's first state unemployment and sickness benefit. The 1906 Workmen's Compensation Act, which provided compensation for work related accidents, and two Coal Mines Acts in 1908 and 1911, which limited underground working shifts to a maximum of 8 hours and improved safety regulations.

Limitations: The Liberals were not intending to create a full welfare state, just basic support - Churchill called it a 'lifebelt' against the extremes of poverty. Some Liberals had reservations about how much interference the govt. could allow. Some legislation, such as 1906 Education Act remained permissive and not all authorities took action to introduce school meals or clear slums, which was their main purpose. Some reforms, such as the 1911 National Insurance Act remained contributory. The old Poor Law was largely left untouched. Outbreak of war had shelved DLG's plans to build new 'council' houses. The needs of those in casual employment (irregular work patterns) were ignored. The new school meals service for children was inadequately funded and much of the 1908 Children Act was simply an attempt to pull together existing law. The old age pension provided the minimum needed for survival and was only available to those of 'good character'. There were numerous weaknesses in the Acts passed to support workers. For example, Trade Boards covered a limited range of low-paid workers; Labour Exchanges did nothing to address the causes of unemployment; and sickness insurance covered fewer than 1 in 3 workers.

It can be argued that Liberal reforms were cautious and very conservative in nature, designed largely to prevent more socialist alternatives. Nevertheless, these changes marked a radical shift in thinking about social problems, accepting that vulnerable individuals needed protection by the state against exploitations and abject, inescapable poverty.

Parliament was composed of 2 houses: The House of Lords, comprising non-elected hereditary peers. The House of Commons composed of elected members of Parliament (MPs).

1909 People's Budget:DLG needed £15 million to go ahead with social reforms. He proposed: Raising tax on incomes over £3000 p/a. Introducing a new super tax on incomes over £5000 p/a. Increasing death duties of landed estates. Imposing a 20% levy on unearned increase in land values. DLG claimed the House of Lords was 'Mr Balfour's poodle', not the nation's 'watchdog'The Lords vetoed the Budget, an action which necessitated a general election.The Conservatives argued that: the budget was a vindictive and unprecedented attack on the upper classes. by blocking the budget they were defending the legal and constitutional freedom of the nation because DLG was using the budget to wage a 'class war'. DLG was guilty of hypocrisy, raising money for warships not just social reform, and the budget was the price of free trade rather than paying for reform from tariffs.

January 1910 Election:Fought under the slogan. 'Peers versus the People', whereas the Conservatives presented themselves as fighting social revolution. Liberals won by narrow margin forcing the Lords to pass the budget.

The 1911 Parliament Act:Introduced by Liberals to prevent the Lords from permanently blocking any legislation passed by the House of Commons. Asquith obtained a promise from King George V to create 500 new Liberal peers in order to give the Liberals a majority in the House of Lords. The King agreed provided the Liberals won an election on the issue.December 1910 election:Liberals and Conservatives both won 272 seats. However, the Liberals had the backing of the Irish Nationalists and Labour and therefore were able to introduce the Parliament Bill, which was passed in August 1911. The Conservatives in the House of Lords allowed the Bill though without the King having to create new peers, preferring to keep their majority in the Lords unaltered.

Results of the Constitutional crisis 1909-11:The Parliament Act made the British Constitution more democratic and moved the centre of power to the House of Commons. Traditional Conservatives blamed Balfour and he was forced to resign in November 1911, being replaced by Andrew Bonar Law. As a result of the Parliament Act the House of Lords lost its right to reject Budgets. Could delay other legislation for no longer than 2 years. The maximum period between general elections was decreased from 7 years to 5. First reform of the Lords power ever. The 1910 elections left the Liberals and Conservatives with the same number of seat in the House of Commons, making the Liberal government increasingly reliant on Labour and Irish Nationalists. This meant that the Liberals were under pressure to accommodate the political goals of these parties. The Osborne Judgement: In 1909, Walter Osborne won a landmark ruling making it illegal for trade unions to collect a political levy (some subscription fee for trade unions going to the Labour Party). As a Liberal supporter Osborne objected to some of his annual fee going to a rival "socialist party". This was particularly disastrous for Labour as they relied on this political levy to fight elections and to pay its MPs. The loss of this income would jeopardise the party's existence.  Under pressure from the Labour Party to counteract the Osborne Judgement, the Liberal Government passed two political reforms of long-standing significance. Payment of MPs Act, 1911: Provided a state salary of £400 per year for MPs. Previously, MPs had not been paid, which had been a disadvantage for Labour MPs who did not have the inherited private wealth or professional sources of income enjoyed by Liberal and Conservative MPs. Trade Union Act, 1913: This Act restored the legality of the political levy but required unions to allow individual members to opt out. These two Acts strengthened the Labour Party, ensuring that it continued to receive a regular income form the unions and that men of poor origins could afford to stand for election as MPs. However, the Liberals still did not consider extending the vote to all men and continued to resist demands for votes for women.

The Irish Home Rule Bill proposed setting up an Irish Parliament with power to pass laws on purely Irish matters, while the British Parliament would maintain control of foreign policy, defence and most taxation. This issue led Britain to the brink of civil war by 1914. Under pressure from the Catholic Irish Nationalists, led by John Redmond, the Third Irish Home Rule Bill was introduce in 1912. The Conservatives united against this measure and backed the Protestant Ulster Unionists led by Edward Carson, who opposed Home Rule and demanded that Ireland remain part of the Union with Britain. The Unionists began to form their own army - the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). The Irish Nationalists responded by forming the own militia - the Irish Volunteers. The crisis deepened when Bonar Law, the Conservative leader, refused to condemn the UVF's build-up of arms, and when 60 British officers at the British army base threatened to resign rather than force Home Rule on the Unionists (1914 Curragh Mutiny). Home Rule was supposed to become law in autumn 1914 but was postponed because of the outbreak of war with Germany. The 'Irish Problem' remained a key concern  for the Liberals both during the war and in its immediate aftermath.

Reasons for the 1906 Liberal landslide

New Liberalism

Social Reform

Constitutional Reform

Home Rule for Ireland