Transcript Slide 1

The Impact of the Great
War
Political
Change
Aims:
• Examine how the war led to the decline of the
Liberal Party.
• Identify the main reasons for the growth of
the Labour Party
Overall Picture
• Before the Great War, the Liberal party dominated
Scottish politics.
• The Conservatives lacked support and represented
mainly rural area and the land-owning classes
(aristocracy).
• The Labour Party had not yet made a significant
breakthrough in national or indeed Scottish politics.
• During the war and after 1918 the Liberal party went
into decline.
• The Conservatives began to attract new voters and
the Labour Party would soon become one of the two
main parties in British politics.
The Decline of the Liberals
• The Liberal party was divided by the
war. Some politicians resigned and
went on to form the Union of
Democratic Control – an anti-war
organisation.
• Arguments within the party
weakened its organisation and party
members stopped paying
subscriptions.
• The Liberals believed in minimal
government intervention however as
the war went on it was essential for
the government to exert more
control of the economy and people’s
lives.
• The introduction of DORA allowed
the government to exert control
over railways, coal mines and
introduce conscription.
• Asquith was also undermined by the
1915 Shell scandal and newspaper
reports that there was a lack of
ammunition on the Western Front.
• In May 1915 a coalition government was
formed and by December 1916, Lloyd
George replaced Asquith as Prime
Minister.
• At the end of the war, Lloyd George
quickly called an election on 14th
December 1918.
• In the 1918 election the main parties
campaigned for the continuation of a
coalition government.
• This become known as the ‘Coupon
Election’. Liberal or Conservative
candidates who supported the
coalition agreed not to stand against
each other.
• As a result, all 159 Liberal candidates
supporting Lloyd George were elected.
• By 1924 the Liberals were reduced to
only eight MPs in Scotland.
The Rise of the Labour Party
• In the 1914 election Labour gained 800,000 votes – by 1918
this had increased to over 2 million the party gained one
third of all votes cast in Scotland.
• The 1918 Representation of the People Act had given all
men over 21 the right to vote.
• The Labour party also benefited from the extension of the
franchise to women and they gained support from Irish
Catholic voters who were angry at government policy
towards Ireland.
• After the LRC was formed in 1900, the ILP remained a
separate political party.
• During the war the ILP took an anti-war stance,
campaigned against dilution and argued for improvements in
housing after the war.
• The ILP remained popular because they worked to improve
the problems faced by working class people.
Red Clydeside
Aims:
• Identify the main concerns of
Clydeside workers during the war.
• Examine the role of the CWGC and
the government’s response to their
actions.
Red Clydeside
• Between 1915-1919 a number of protests took place in parts of
Glasgow and the surrounding area such as Greenock, Clydebank
and Paisley, by working class men and women.
• This became known as ‘Red Clydeside’. The government was
worried about the spread of radical political ideas and that a
Communist revolution would happen.
• Others argued that protests were simply due to concerns about
jobs and unfair rent rise.
• There were two phases to ‘Red Clydeside’.
1)
2)
1915 confrontation between workers and the
Ministry of Munitions over rent strikes, dilution and the
1915 Munitions Act.
At the end of the war strikes and conflict took place
between workers and the police in George Square in
Glasgow.
The 1915 Munitions Act
The aim of this act was to ensure the
efficient production and supply of
munitions. Many trade unions were
concerned that workers’ rights were being
restricted and it was nicknamed the
‘slavery act’.
• Workers couldn’t leave their job
without the consent of their employers.
• It was an offence for a worker to
refuse to undertake a new job,
regardless of pay.
• It was also an offence to refuse to
work overtime.
• Munitions tribunals would prosecute
workers who broke this law.
Phase One – Conflict in 1915
• Before the war new technology was changing production in
engineering factories.
• Skilled workers were concerned that these changes would
lead to job losses or that they would be replaced by unskilled
workers or even women – this was known as dilution.
• High demand for munitions during the war led to even more
technology and changes in conditions.
• In 1915 workers at Fairfields and other factories went on
strike for higher wages. The strike by 10,000 workers lasted
for 3 weeks but was unsuccessful.
• The also disliked William Weir, the controller of munitions in
Scotland because he employed US workers on higher wages.
Weir was also the owner of an engineering factory ‘Weir’s of
Cathcart’
• Weir also introduced a leaving certificate – workers had to
get permission to leave one job before they could get another.
The Clyde Workers’ Committee
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As the war continued demand for
munitions soared and the government
was worried about attempt by
workers to form political groups that
might disrupt munitions production.
The Clyde Workers’ Committee (CWC)
was set up by trade union leaders
Willie Gallacher and David Kirkwood
and the socialist John MacLean.
These men felt that the existing
trade unions were not doing enough to
protect workers on Clydeside.
The organised political rallies and
small scale strikes to protest at the
1915 Munitions Act.
• Lloyd George, the Minister
of Munitions even came to
meet the group in 1915 to
try and calm the situation
down and explain the
government’s proposals for
dilution.
• The government was
concerned that these men
would try to undermine the
war effort and cause a
communist revolution.
The Clyde Workers’ Committee
• In 1916 the government tried to enforce dilution and strikes
broke out.
• Kirkwood and other shop stewards were arrested and deported
to Edinburgh. They were allowed to return to Glasgow in 1917.
• In 1916 the Clyde Workers' Committee journal, The Worker,
was prosecuted under the Defence of the Realm Act for an
article criticising the war. Gallacher was sent to prison for six
months because of this.
• When conscription was introduced in 1916 many were concerned
that workers would be conscripted and be sent back to
factories under the rules of ‘work of national importance’.
• Strikes broke out and the government took strong action.
• However public opinion supported the government and many felt
that those on strike should be helping and supporting the war
effort.
• Dilution continued and a huge number of women were brought
into munitions factories on Clydeside.
John MacLean
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The government used DORA to try and silence antiwar opinion and what they regarded as radical and
dangerous political ideas.
John MacLean was active in the trade union movement
and a committed socialist.
Maclean produced a journal called The Vanguard
where he campaigned against the First World War.
In 1915 MacLean was arrested and found guilty of
making statements to discourage recruiting. He
served over a year in prison.
He was then imprisoned in 1916 for making anticonscription speeches but was released in 1917.
He then devoted himself to spreading Marxism
(Communism) on a full-time basis.
In 1918 he was charged with sedition (encouraging
people to rebel against the government) and was
sentenced to five years in prison. He was released in
December 1918.
He died in 1923, aged 44. His spells in prison had
affected his health – such was his reputation,
thousands of people in Glasgow lined the streets to
see his funeral procession.
Phase Two – The Battle of
George Square 1919
Aims:
• Examine why there was industrial
unrest after the war.
• Assess whether there was a risk of
Communist Revolution in 1919.
Phase Two – The Battle of
George Square 1919
• At the end of the war there was support for a
campaign to reduce the working week of 54 hours
to 40 hours.
• The CWC believed that this would help create
jobs for soldiers returning from war and prevent
unemployment.
• Lloyd George had promised to create ‘a land fit
for heroes’.
• However employers were not happy about paying
the same wages for less hours.
• On Monday 27th January 1919 all the main
factories went on strike – around 40,000 workers.
• 1500 miners in Lanarkshire also went out on strike
as well to support the Clydeside workers.
• The CWC met with the Lord
Provost of Glasgow. They
wanted him to ask the council
to put pressure on employers
to grant their demands.
• The Lord Provost said he would
consult the council and he
asked the workers to return on
Friday 31st January.
• 90,000 workers assembled in
George.
• The police charged at the
crowd and a battle broke out
with fists, bottles and iron
railing.
• The fighting spread through
the streets to Glasgow Green
and continued for many hours.
• This became known as ‘Bloody
Friday’.
• Some argue the police were
unprovoked. Other reports
suggest workers were stopping
trams and that there was even
a Communist Red Flag flying in
the square.
• The Government was very
concerned by this industrial
militancy and that there was
the threat of a political
revolution breaking out.
• 12,000 English troops were
sent in to restore order, 6
tanks were available for use
and machine gun posts were
set up around the city.
• Scottish soldiers were not
used in case they sided with
the workers.
• The strike was over within a
week and CWC leaders were
arrested.
• The workers were guaranteed
a 47 hour working week which
was still an improvement.
• Was there a real threat of
revolution? CWC leaders like
Willie Gallacher would have
liked that to happen.
• Many ordinary workers caught
up in these events were simply
concerned about their working
conditions and the possibility
of losing their jobs.
The 1922 Election and Beyond
• The events on Clydeside increased support for the ILP and
Labour party.
• 40 out of 43 Labour candidates in Scotland were members
of the ILP.
• Overall the Labour party made their breakthrough as the
second political party – 29 of their 142 seats were in
Scotland.
• ILP/Labour candidates won 10 out of 15 parliamentary
seats in Glasgow.
• Davie Kirkwood, once beaten by police, would serve as a Labour
MP from 1922 to 1951 while Willie Gallagher became a Communist
MP between 1935 and 1950.
• For working class Scots, the ILP and Labour Party seemed
to care about the real issues facing ordinary people
• However, by 1932 ILP had broken its links with the Labour
party claiming they had abandoned their socialist principles
for the sake of political power.
The 1922 Election and Beyond
• The Conservatives strengthened their position in Scotland
– they won 30% of the vote in 1918 and became increasingly
associated with the growing middle class.
• In the aftermath of the George Square Riots they were
regarded as the party of law and order.
• In the second election of 1924 they won 38 seats in
Scotland compared to Labour’s 26 seats.
• The inter-war years were times of high unemployment and
poverty. Many were disillusioned about the sacrifices that
had been made during the Great War.
• There was a stirring of nationalist feeling and concerns
that Scottish culture and identity were being eroded.
• In May 1928 the National Party of Scotland was founded
by Roland Muirhead and John MacCormick however there
was no great desire for Scottish independence. In 1934 it
merged with the Scottish Party to form the SNP.