The Conservatives' Record in Government and Their Likeliness to Lose the General Election in 1906

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The Conservatives' Record in Government and Their Likeliness to Lose the General Election in 1906

Between 1900 and 1905, the Conservatives' under Lord Salisbury

(1900-1902) and then Balfour (1902-1905), steadily lost support and

respect from the British public. From a period of political dominance

from 1885 to a crushing defeat in 1906, which saw a landslide victory

for the Liberals', there were a series of decisions, indecisions and

acts passed during the 5 years in question that many historians view

as the reason for the Conservative defeat in 1906. In the 1900

election, lord Salisbury with his reforms in the years previous to it,

won a convincing victory and 334 seat along with the 68 seats from the

Liberal Unionists, who supported the Conservatives' during this time.

However another Conservative government would not be in power again

until 1922. However there are five events during this time which see

the Conservatives loose support, The Taff Vale Judgement (1901), The

Education Act (1902), 'Chinese Slavery', Tariff Reform and The 1904

Licensing Act.

During 1900,workers from the Taff Vale Railway Company went on strike

over pay, following this, the company took the union, the Amalgamated

Society of Railway Servants, to court and won; the union had to pay

£23,000 damages. This judgement made it clear to unions that they

could not go on strike without the fear of being sued after it, being

rendered bankrupt. Therefore the working class, who Lord Salisbury had

worked so hard to summon support for the 'Tories' from, now wanted

Balfour to reverse the decision, rather than do this, he set up a

Royal Commission which to the working class was not acceptable. This

decision undid all of the hard work done by Salisbury and his

governments, the working class now went to the Liberals, but mainly

the up and coming party, The Labour Representation Committee (to

become the Labour Party) for support. This was the first incident that

started the long decline of support for the Conservatives; however it

was not clear at the time that this unpopular decision (with the

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