Britain, 1906-1914
The reasons for the ‘Liberal landslide’ in 1906
Debate: The 1906 general election has encouraged debate about whether the result was due primarily to Conservative weaknesses or to Liberal strengths.
The Boer War: 1. It was far more costly in lives and money than had been expected and some of the methods used to defeat the Boers caused moral outcry in Britain. 2. It had revealed the effect of poverty in the cities, reflected in the findings by Booth and Rowntree that 10% of people in major cities lived below the poverty line. 3. It revealed the low national efficiency at that time and the need for social reforms. The Liberals had also gained support by claiming that the Conservatives had neglected this. 4. The war also had the effect of encouraging Joseph Chamberlain to push his campaign for tariff reform, which was argued as the Conservatives’ biggest policy misjudgement.
The 1902 Education Act: 1. It provided for all schools to be funded from local rates. It was an unpopular reform with many amongst the electorate. 2. It had also helped to reunite the Liberal Party after the Boer War and restore Nonconformist support for the Liberals. A campaign was launched against the act led by the Liberal MP David Lloyd George.

The 1904 Licensing Act:

1. Another issue annoyed nonconformist voters. Nonconformists denounced the 1904 Act as a ‘brewers’ bill’.

The Chinese labour issue between 1902 and 1904:

1. It annoyed not only the nonconformists but also the trade unionists. The British trade unions feared that employers might bring the so-called’ Chinese slavery’ into Britain, so pushing down wages at home.
The Taff Vale case: 1. Balfour’s ongoing refusal to rectify the Taff Vale Case by legislation was a major concern of trade unions and their members. This encouraged trade union support for the idea of a Labour group in parliament.

The Tariff reform campaign 1903:

It was probably the Conservatives’ biggest policy misjudgement.

(Short-term factors):

1. In 1903 the tariff reform campaign was launched by Joseph Chamberlain, known as Imperial Protectionism. Both working class and middle class feared that tariffs would mean dearer food and falling living standards. 2. Tariff reform divided the Conservative government and party, one leading Conservative, Winston Churchill, actually voted with the Liberals on this issue in 1904.

(Long-term factors):

1. This issue helped to reunite and strengthen the Liberal Party because belief in Free Trade was something all Liberals strongly supported. All Liberals were united behind the banner of economics laissez-fair policy, which was a ‘bread and butter’ issue of great concern to voters in all classes.

The Conservative prime minister: A.J. Balfour 1. He had piloted the Education Bill through parliament himself, failed to see the political implications of ‘Chinese slavery’ which was a concern of both the middle and working classes 2. Perhaps his biggest mistake, allowed the Unionists to split over tariff reform with Balfour and his supporters trying to hold the balance by ‘sitting on the fence’ between Chamberlain’s supporters and the free traders. 3. His resignation in late 1905, even before the General Election, smacked of (smack of = seems to have bad qualities) weakness and unpopularity of the Prime Minister and his Party.

The Lib-Lab Pact: 1. Campbell-Bannerman forged an agreement with Ramsay Macdonald (Leader of LRC-Labout representation comitee), whereby the Liberals would not oppose Labour candidates in the next general election in 30 Constituencies inEngland and Wales. In return, the LRC promised to restric their candidates in other constituencies and so prevent a split in the anti-Conservative vote and also reduced Liberal’s election cost.