The Transformation of British Public Politics After the First World War*

Disappointing Democracy

“…In 1926 the General Strike, according to some, even threatened the legitimacy of Parliament. 3 The international slump that followed the 1929 Wall Street Crash also threw politics further asunder and in 1931 the minority Labour government, unable to deal with the consequences of mass unemployment, resigned. It was replaced by a Conservative-dominated National coalition led by former Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, whose 'betrayal' his old party would never forgive.…”

The Conservative Party, Fascism and Anti-Fascism 1918–1939

“…59 In part this was deliberate strategy: denying attention and significance to Mosley's party, which ministers and party officials also recommended to newspapers and the BBC, 61 was politically crippling. Mosley certainly regarded poor media publicity as a considerable handicap.…”

Opposition to the New Party: An Incipient Anti-Fascism or a Defence Against ‘Mosleyitis’?

“…As Jon Lawrence has pointed out, pre-war traditions of disruption at political meetings were sustained into the interwar period, especially in major cities, such as London, Glasgow and Birmingham. 91 Taking a broader view still, the meetings of other national politicians were also subject to disruption during the 1931 election campaign.…”