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Politics 1918-79 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Able to portray himslef as an ordinary man and a man of the people
      - Pioneered the radio to talk to people
      - gained reputation for caliing a spade a spade
      - Ran factories fairly and keen to promote harmony between emplyers and workers
      - Aimed to attract many wealthy middle class liberals to destroy the socialist labour party.
      - Implementation of free trade destoryed the liberal party and forced them to join him
  - - - Wall street exchange in in new york collapsed - led to global decline in trade and production.
      - All labour MPs disagreed with tax cuts in spending, which was thought necessary to stop economic disaster. eventually macdonald and his chancellor excheuer saw no option but to press the cuts
      - Why did it continue
        
        Hold the centre gorund to make extremist parties fail. and attract support to the new government
        
        Continued through the war so that they could focus on the war rather than elections
    - - When macdonald was forced to resign as labour leader, he continued to serve as PM of the national government as King george V had persuaded him to due to his patriotic views
      - Baldwin continued to support labour as leader of the National govenrment as any failures that occured to them would lead to success for the conservaties
      - As Macdonalds health began to fail, Baldwin effectively served as Prime Minister, 1931. In 1935 When Macdonald resigned Baldwin was elected for his 3rd term
  - - - Protects the rights of workers, such as miners so they get the right pay, right holidays and they organise strikes
    - - The Miners Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) was one of the most militant and organised Unions in the UK
      - because of the geography of the mining industry, miners tended to live in pit villages where vast majority of employment was in coal mining
      - this gave coal miners a sense of common place, strenght and purpose where other industries did not
      - Working conditions in the mines were tough, cramped, dirty, hot and uncomfortable. The lack of mechanisation meant miners relied upon brute strength to mine the coal
      - During the war the mines had been nationalised and safety began to increase. However after the war DLG returned the mines to their owners and safety records began to decline
      - Wages had remained status after the war until 1924; the labour government negotiated an improved pay deal for the miners with the employers . However this happened alongside the collapse of the coal export market in 1925, so in 1925 employers felt that they could no longer maintain the increased wage rate.
      - Working hours were supposed to be reduced to 6 hours a day in 1921, but employers claimed they could not afford this so they stayed at 7 hours a day
      - In 1925 mine owners offered a wage deal which would set the average earnings at an 18% decrease at 8 shillings and 10.61 pence per shift
    - - Mine owners demands 1925 - they demanded wage cuts between 13-48% and an increase in working hours to 8 hours
      - Miners response - Leader, AJ Cook. Threatened strike action and the TUC promised to support them from August 1st
      - Government Response - Did not want to risk a general strike, so they announced the setting up of the samuel Commission to look into the miners demands
      - Reaction
        
        Miners
        
        Threatened to strike again in May when the government pay subsidy would end. They wanted to be dealt with properly; they thought LG has just delayed trouble
        
        Mine Owners
        
        Knew it wasn't over, they needed support and that eventually the government would triumph over the communist miners union
        
        TUC
        
        Saw it as a show of solidarity creating a historic turning point in the history of the movement. Also showed a little compromise and said it was not over yet
        
        Government
        
        Saw it as a truce but they must stick together in the next few months until may.
    - - Long Term
        
        Improved working and living conditions with decent housing and pit head baths
        
        National Wages
        
        No increase to working hours
        
        Small companies should join together to increase efficiency
      - Short Term
        
        Government spending should not be renewed beyond May 1st 1926
        
        Miners wages should be cut 10%
        Highly unpopular with miners
    - - Mine Owners
        
        Would not accept reorganisation and amalgamation
        
        Insisted on wage cuts and local wages.
        
        Wanted and extension to working hours
      - Miners
        
        Wanted the improved working conditions and living conditions
        
        Refused local wage
        
        Refused Wage Cuts and Longer hours
      - Government
        
        Baldwin did not want to intervene
        
        Refused to consider subsidy extensions until negotiations were over
        
        Refused to impose a solution.
    - - Actions taken by Gov
        
        Used emergency powers act from first world war to arrange for the army to take over the jobs of striking workers
        
        encouraged middel class students to take a break from uni and work in heavy industries
        
        Started a propaganda campaign with newspaper company british gazette, which turned public opinion agaisnt the strikes it was edited by Churchill
        
        Stanley Baldwin made speeches regerring to the strike as a revolution, fuelling peoples fear of communism
        
        Armoured cars driven by the army and police, were sent to key cities to stop the violent clashes between strikers and government supporters. they are armed with machine guns
      - Actions taken by TUC
        
        Created own newspaper the british worker, where it described the reasons for the strike
        
        Used their newspapers to remind strikers to remain peaceful and not use violent tactics
        
        some strikers did become violent and clashed with police
        
        Strikers travelled the country to picket with other industries in solidarity
        
        funds were set up to help feed the strikers and their families. This would ensure the strikes keep going
      - Strike seen as failure
        
        Union membership fall dramatically
        
        Unemployment rose
        
        Trade disputes and trade Unions act 1927 (Made it illegal for Unions to join together to strike)
        
        No longer use money from Union Membership to fund political parties
        
        Impact on Unions’ relations with the labour party - weakened the power of Unions
    - - Not all workers went into strike in sympathy with miners, as they were not prepared for a strike
      - The government had been preparing for the strike since july 1925; They had created an organisation for the maintenance of supplies, a network of volunteers who could step in an do essential jobs
      - Churchill was put in charge of the British Gazette who turned public opinion against the strike.
      - The TUC did as much as it could to limit violence, this made the strike easier for the government.
      - The strike was massively expensive for the TUC as it spent £4 million of its £12.5 million to fund the strike
      - Herbert Samuel offered an unofficial statement on the Mining industry, The TUC hoped the government would enact this statement: a national wage board set up, wage subsidies and no pay cuts before the restructuring of the mines.
- - - - He was preparing britain for war
      - The phoney war had started but nothing happened this gave them the advantage to be able to mobilise and prepare
      - Set up war cabinet to advise and assist Britain in its direction to the war making Britain in its direction to the war making Britain far more organised
      - Also started the rationing of food which helped increase ammunition spending and prepared for future rations
      - Lots of unemployment
    - - He dealt with the war, he organised Britain and commanded what it should do
      - He increased Britains governing and created several sectors to boost war support
      - such as the minister of aircraft production which was vital in helping destroy the germans
      - His emergency powers act gave him better governing powers over Britain and her armies
    - - Clement was dealing with the aftermath of the war he helped this by nationalising lots of British industries to help protect them
      - Atlee also helped create the NHS
  - - - the war cabinet was set up with 5 peope, 2 conservate, 2 labour and churchill. this was to help make quick descisons