The Rise of the Liberal Party

Churchill's Defeat in Dundee, 1922, and the Decline of Liberal Political Economy

“…While the electoral problems of the Liberal party in these years stemmed from a variety of causes, not least a divided leadership and the decline of its traditional Nonconformist base, this article contends that there were profound problems of political economy that the party failed to effectively respond to. 9 The first section of this essay provides a summary of the city, its economy and politics from Churchill's first election in 1908 to the coming of war, and the second looks at the impact of the war on the city. The third analyses the external aspect, focussing on the battle between protectionism and free trade, especially in the immediate post-war years.…”

“…In the Edwardian years he had 'developed a very personal antipathy to women's suffrage ever since the militants began interrupting his perorations'. 109 The strength of support for the newly-formed Communist party is notable, and reflected the strongest form of rejection of the old liberal political economy. The party was closely linked to the 'street politics' noted above, but while this may have gained it some support from those most hostile to 'respectable' parliamentary politics, it may also have meant that the working class vote was less divided than in 1931, when the Communist vote reached its peak at over 10,000.…”

‘Progressive’ Turns in Post-1945 Conservative Social Policy

“…Indeed, the defeat of the incumbent Conservative government in 1905 led to significant welfare reforms in areas such as unemployment, health insurance and old age pensions (see Hay, ). This progressive alliance could not be sustained following the turbulent events of the First World War (see Lawson and Sherlock, ; Marquand, ; Searle, ) with the result that the Conservative Party was able to remain the dominant party of government for much of the twentieth century. This could be deemed to be indicative of deep‐rooted popular support for conservative as opposed to progressive values.…”