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
Conservative Dominance in British Politics Between 1885 and 1902 During this period in history, it is clear to say that the conservatives dominated British politics. However, is it due to conservative strengths or liberal weaknesses? Although the weakness and the divisions within the liberal party helped the conservative cause, the latter party were dominant due to their unrivalled strength in politics. There were many reasons for these strengths, but it is safe to say that this was the main factor for supremacy in politics in the later 1800's.
Tom Gatenby To what extent did the Conservatives lose the election rather than the Liberals win the election? “The election of 1906 was a significant watershed in the political history of Britain” Kenneth Owen Fox The election of 1906 was a landside victory for the Liberal Party. This is due to many factors, it could been influenced by the manifesto of the Liberal Party, or perhaps even more strongly the failure of the Conservative Party to unify on such reforms as the Tariff Reform. The lack of a strong unified Conservative government clearly had a large effect upon the outcome of the 1906 election, to what extent this is true will be explained in the essay.
During the 1920’s Republicans had dominated the white house with the two presidents of the decade being Warren G. Harding, and Calvin Coolidge.The expansion of government activities during World War I was reversed during the 1920s. The Government had eliminated its efforts to break-up trust, and to regulate businesses. Instead, the government began to emphasize on partnerships between government and business. Politics during the 1920s played a major role in the culture of the decade and the leaders of the 1920s represented the beliefs and ideas of the people during the time.
Pinchot, A. R. E. (1912-1916).History of the Progressive Party. Retrieved January, 5th, 2013, from http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/progressive-party-election-1912.html#ixzz2H1qbc0hf
Believe it or not, major events occurred in the 1870s. They did not go wild in their cowboy boots and hats riding along on their horses. The American people were expanding west and man was the controversy endless. Come on now, it’s drama, it can be dated back to the B.C. years. Of course the drama was all tied into politics. Politics in the 1870s consisted of changes, first time events, and two elections.
By 1900, the Populist Party was in decline. (n.d.). The Populist Movement - Boundless Open Textbook Retrieved from
Ball, Stuart and Ian Holliday. Mass Conservatism: The Conservatives and the Public since the 1880s. London: Frank Cass Publishers. Print.
Though the Representation of the People Act 1918 was significant reason for the decline of the Liberals and the rise of the Labour Party in the years 1918-1929 it was however not the main reason, the concept of Unity within the three most prevalent parties in Britain( Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal )was. This essay will explore and evaluate the reasons for the descent of Liberal Party and the ascension of the Labour Party by exploring the significance of each reason being: the concept of Unity, the 1918 Representation of the People Act, Economic Problems and lastly Opposition towards the Liberals.
Comparing Tories and the Whigs in 18th Century Politics It is possible to speak of political parties in the period 1789 to 1830. Indeed political parties existed before 1789 but were further established at the beginning of this period when they became divided over certain issues; the monarchy, the war, taxation. The differences between the two parties became clearer as this period goes on. Political parties i.e. Tories and Whigs existed from the 1670s when they were used to describe the views of those for and against the exclusion of Charles II's catholic brother James II, from legitimate succession to the throne[1]. The Whigs stressed the institution of parliament as a necessary brake on royal power; the Tories implied a defence of the established institutions and in particular, those of the monarchy.
At the end of World War One in November 1918 the Labour Party emerged as a strong political Party. Prior to this it was the Liberal Party that was expected to be the main opposition to the Conservatives, with Labour as a party who used the popularity of the Liberals to become noticed. However, it soon became apparent that the Liberals were a weak and flagging party who were unable to unite as one to make decisions. It is evident that the First World War may have been an important factor in the growth of Labour and the decline of the Liberals.
The Populist Party, also known as the People’s Party was a former political party of the United States in the late 1800s with roots in the Grange and Farmer’s Alliance and the Knights of Labor. The agrarian farmers viewed that urban life, capitalism, and technology to be destructive to the independence and dignity of the weak and improvised. The aggrieved workers wanting reform banded together with the indebted farmers wanting reform to battle against the capitalist order of the mistrusted elitists and Big Business in partnership with the national banks. Together they advocated for a Populist democracy which included more political participation through reforms such as the use of popular referendums where citizens would be allowed to propose and review legislation. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. In addition, they advocated for government ownership of public services and currency expansion and the abolishment of the national bank.
Ramsden, John (1998), An appetite for power: a history of the Conservative Party since 1830. London: Harper Collins
I have not had a single accomplishment that is worth writing about but I feel that my college completion will be one accomplishment that I will be most proud. I feel that I am taking one step forward in life that will make me become a more successful person.
My greatest accomplishment is my family. It may not seem like an accomplishment to most people, but in my eyes it is huge. I had the impression growing up that if my parents did not seem happy, how could I ever possibly make marriage work for me. By the late 1980’s when I was in high school, I swore I would never marry and never have kids. Eventually I did change my mind, reluctantly I might add. We as humans learn to live by example and my parents were not always the best examples. I come from a military family, my father was in the Navy for 23 years. Leaving my Mom to raise my younger brother and me. So every three years we felt like a single parent family when sea duty rolled around. I always felt like my Father choose to leave us when he went on a cruise for six month. Now I understand that it was a necessity in order for my parents to stay together. In a since, what I’m saying is the separation eventually made us a better family. The heart sometimes needs to miss someone in order to know how it feels about them. Sometime my Mother and I both wish my Father would go away for a little while. I would not object to him take my husband with him as long as they come back. The one person who was able to get me to consider settling down was a former Marine. That I’m still married to after ten years and three children.
I have made many achievements in my life. I am happy to be such an achiever at things. I remember my first achievement which was in kindergarten. In kindergarten I got on the honor roll for the first time. I was so happy, but I was just happy because my mom was happy. I didn’t even know what honor roll meant, but I finally founded out that is meant that I got all A’s. My mom was so happy for me, and I got lot of money for my A’s. After that my next achievement was that I learn how to ride a bike. When I first started to ride a bike with no training wheels I kept on falling. After I kept falling I didn’t want to learn anymore, but I saw that my little cousin was riding a bike, so I just had to learn how to ride a bike. Finally, after all the sores and burses, I learned how to ride a bike. I still fall every now and then.