Why did the Liberal Party collapse as a
political force in the 1920s?
Learning objective – to be able to explain
the fall of the Liberal Party during the
1920s.
I can describe some of
the reasons why the
Liberal Party declined
in significance during
the 1920s.
Grade D
I can explain why the
Liberal
Party
collapsed
as
a
serious
political
force in the 1920s.
Grade B
I can explain and assess
the significance of the
reasons why the Liberal
Party no longer were
party
of
potential
leadership in the 1920s.
Grade A
Starter - Which of the following groups of people were
given the vote in the Representation of the People Act
in 1918?
All men over the age of 18 years.
All women over the age of 30 and had property or a member of a local
government register [or her husband was].
Most men over the age of 21 years.
All men who fought in the First World War.
Starter - Which of the following groups of people were
given the vote in the Representation of the People Act
in 1918?
All men over the age of 18 years.
All women over the age of 30 and had property or a member of a local
government register [or her husband was].
Most men over the age of 21 years.
All men who fought in the First World War.
How did the Liberal Party develop in
interwar British politics?
 In the 1910 General Elections, the Liberal Party retained power
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and formed a government.
In 1915, the Liberal Party had strong representation on the
coalition wartime government.
During the First World War, the Liberal Party begins to split
which leads those who support Lloyd George forming a
coalition government with the Conservatives after the 1918
General Election.
The Liberal Party loses the 1922, 1924, 1929 and 1931 General
Elections by large margins.
During this time, the Liberal Party supported the minority
Labour governments of 1924 and 1929-31.
Why did the Liberal Party fall as a
political force in the interwar period?
 Collapse of party unity.
 Impact of the Representation of the People
Act.
 Impact of the 1918 General Election.
 Failure of Lloyd George after 1922.
How did the First World War impact
upon Liberal unity?
 The First World War saw the government implement the Defence of the
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Realm Act [1914] which gave the government extended powers, such as
economic controls, conscription and rationing to avoid defeat.
These illiberal measures were opposed by many in the Liberal Party.
However, DORA was supported by leading and popular Liberal, David Lloyd
George. Lloyd George in 1916 managed to oust traditional Liberal, Herbert
Asquith as Prime Minister. This was as much to do with Asquith’s wartime
leadership as well as policies.
Asquith’s ousting outraged many traditional Liberals who saw Lloyd George
as a traitor and continued to support Asquith.
This split was crystallised in the Maurice Debate which was sparked by a
public letter by General Maurice who accused Lloyd George of lying to
Parliament about the number of troops on the Western Front.
Asquith led an attempt to oust Lloyd George with the support of the
majority of Liberal MPs, but this failed.
To what extent did the Representation of the
People Act of 1918 damage the Liberals?
Significant damage
Limited damage
Representation of the
People Act led to a growing
number of working class voters
which the Liberals failed to win
over.
 Effectiveness of the Labour
Party in adapting to the new
areas of the electorate took
votes away from the Liberals.
 The working class vote did not
 The
increase to the extent where it
could have led to such a
decline in Liberal seats.
 Liberals failed to challenge the
development of the first past
the post system and this only
really damaged the Liberals in
the 1930s – by then the decline
was too far gone.
Was the 1918 ‘Coupon Election’ a turning
point in Liberal fortunes?
 Because the divisions within the Liberal Party did not heal in time,
the 1918 General Election was contested by two Liberal Parties –
one which supported Lloyd George and the other who supported
Asquith.
 Lloyd George made a coalition with the Conservatives – who were
desperate for office after an absence of 18 years and allied
themselves with the popular Lloyd George, who did not have
enough Parliamentary Liberals to support him.
 Any candidate who stood for election on behalf of the Lloyd
George/Conservative coalition was issues with a ‘Coupon’ – a letter
confirming they stood for the coalition.
 The coalition won by a landslide with the Conservatives as the
dominant partner with 332 seats and Lloyd George Liberals with 133
seats. Only 28 Asquith Liberals won seats with Asquith losing his.
Was the 1918 ‘Coupon Election’ a turning
point in Liberal fortunes?
The impact of the ‘Coupon Election’ was far reaching on the
Liberals –
 Asquith’s leadership never recovered.
 The Lloyd George Liberals were dependent on the
Conservatives and had a weak position in Parliament.
 Lloyd George tried to make the coalition permanent with
the formation of an anti-Labour ‘Centre Party’. This attempt
failed and divided Liberals even further.
How did Lloyd George’s conduct
damage the Liberal Party in 1922?
 Lloyd George had made his name as a champion of limiting the
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rights of the privileged and the ‘man who won the war’.
In June 1922, a scandal emerged where he was selling knighthoods
and peerages amassing a huge political fortune [which he refused to
share with the Liberals unless they followed his ideas].
The scandal did much damage to his credibility and he was
portrayed as corrupt.
At the same time, he was seen as a warmonger, threatening Turkey
if it sought to revise the terms of the peace treaty in the Chanak
Incident.
These events led to the Conservatives withdrawing from the
coalition and forcing Lloyd George to resign.
The subsequent election saw the Conservatives win a handsome
majority with Lloyd George’s National Liberals in third place.
How did the Liberals try to bounce back
from the 1922 General Election?
 Lloyd George’s personal unpopularity, divisions between the Liberals
and the rise of the Labour Party were significant reasons why the
Liberals lost the 1922 General Election.
 Although it supported a minority Labour government in 1924, their
share of the vote fell by 12% in the 1924 General Election, This was
down to the Liberals losing the confidence of their traditional voter
base as many turned to the Conservatives.
 After Asquith’s resignation, Lloyd George was able to reunite the
Liberals in 1926.
 Lloyd George tried to create a viable set of policies to solve the
growing problem of unemployment and investment in industry
presented in their ‘The Yellow Book’. They never gained the support
of the electorate and the Liberals became increasingly marginalised
and their share of the vote continued to fall throughout the 1920s.
Main task
Complete the Magic Three worksheet. Write a definition for
each of the twelve words and how they relate to the fall of
the Liberal Party in the 1920s and then group them into
threes explaining the link between them.
Extension task
Complete the David Lloyd George word cloud task for your
notes.
Home learning task
Pair up with another member of the class. Here are two events
that relate to the fortunes of the Liberal Party between 1918 and
1931. Between each pair, choose who is going to research which
event.
 The Maurice Debate and the Coupon Election of 1918.
 The cash for honours scandal and the Chanak Incident of
1922.
Your task is to produce a one page summary of the events using
bullet points and divided by sub-headings. This is to be
exchanged with your partner next lesson.