Rise of Labour 1918/24 - A Changing Political and Economic Environment 1918 - 79

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How did the Labour Party develop in interwar British politics?
—  In the 1918 General Election, the Labour Party had 57 seats. This increased to 142 seats in the 1922 General Election.
—  In December 1923, the Labour Party won 191 seats and formed a minority government with the support of 158 Liberals.
—  Conservatives won the 1924 general election with a large majority after the Labour Party are tainted with accusations of Soviet sympathies.
—  Labour won 287 in the 1929 general election and forms a minority government which lasted until 1931.
—  The 1931 General Election saw a meltdown of the Labour vote – winning 46 seats – losing many of its leading politicians.

What was the position of the Labour Party in 1918?

—  The Labour Party was formed in 1900 and was the youngest major political party in Britain.
—  It had emerged from Labour Representation Committee of the Trades Union Congress [TUC] and, therefore, was closely tied to the unions who sought political representation to advance the cause of the working man.
—  Although the Labour Party won seats in the 1906 and 1910 elections, working class representation was made easier in 1911 when a law was passed allowing MPs to receive a wage.
—  Labour was further aided by the 1918 Representation of the People Act which tripled the size of the British electorate which included nearly all working men.
—  Also, wartime saw a massive increase in trade union membership - between 1915 and 1918 membership almost doubled, going from 4.3 million members to 8.3 million - and this was the heart of Labour support

Why was the Labour Party able to develop in interwar British politics?

  1. Preserved party unity.
  2. Developed grassroots organisation.
  3. Developments in the voting system.
  4. Independence from the Liberal Party.

How were the Labour able to preserve party unity?

—  Because of how the Labour Party were formed through the TUC, this gave them a strong sense of class consciousness among the industrial workforce. This meant that the Labour Party could make a serious claim of representing the working classes giving it a political identity and receiving loyalty from the working man.
—  There were strong divisions within the Labour Party about supporting the war effort. This division was healed in 1917 when Labour ministers resigned from the wartime coalition. However, despite this division, they remained unified on issues that affected the working people, such as prices and pensions.
—  The effective leadership of Arthur Henderson between 1914 and 1917 was down to his ability to reflect a consensus view of the Labour movement. He was also, the first Labour leader to gain representation at cabinet level.

How did the organisation of the Labour Party develop in the inter war period?

—  Thanks to union backing, who provided funds and membership, the Labour Party was able to develop a national political machine.
—  In 1917, the Labour Party began to develop local party branches and by 1924 only 19 constituencies did not have a Labour Party local branch. This gave Labour a national identity and allowed them field a similar number of candidates to the Conservatives in the elections of the 1920s.
—  However, because of the trade unions control of party finances, there was a distortion of funding for campaigns in winnable areas, such as constituencies with mining communities.

How did changes to the voting system impact upon the Labour Party?

—  The impact of the Representation of the People Act of 1918 on the Labour Party remains controversial. Without doubt, this act transformed the electorate by tripling it and including more working class voters as well as women. To what extent, these new voters swayed towards the Labour Party remains unclear.
—  The 1918 General Election was strongly influenced by patriotism. Those Labour politicians who took a popular, anti-German line won handsomely, while those who took a more pacifist line were heavily defeated.
—  Internal organisation allowed for more Labour candidates to stand for election. This not only boosted Labour’s chances of winning seats but also gave a stronger impression that Labour was a national political party.

How did the Labour Party break away from the Liberal influence in the interwar years?

—  Before 1914, there were close links between the Liberal and the Labour Parties. Both were left-wing parties but the Liberals were the senior members in this unofficial partnership.
—  After 1914, the Labour Party began to develop a separate identity from the Liberals by promoting free-trade, internationalism and social reform. Then it drew up its new constitution in 1918 which tied itself to nationalisation of key industries.
—  This led to a more ruthless approach in elections in aiming to establish an independent identity. This was demonstrated in the 1923 General Election where it capitalised on the splits within the Liberals and was able to sweep up much former Liberal support.
—  The 1924 Labour minority government was then able to establish a reputation of economic caution and competence in foreign affairs rebutting Liberal plotting of discrediting Labour politicians.

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