What did British politics look like in the early 20th century?

Britain – Politics, 1902-14

In this course, Professor Jeremy Black (University of Exeter) explores the changing British political landscape from 1902-14. In the first lecture, we think about Britain’s political landscape in the early 20th century. In the second lecture, we think about the leaders and policies of the Liberal party in this period. In the third lecture, we think about the 1909-11 constitutional crisis and its outcomes. Next, we think about political party differences in views and policies around defence spending. In the fifth lecture, we think about the rise of the Labour party and the development of the Suffragette Movement. In the sixth and final lecture, we think about policies and protests surrounding the Home Rule bill [1912] in Ireland.

What did British politics look like in the early 20th century?

In this lecture, we think about politics in the first few years of the 20th century, focusing in particular on: (i) Arthur Balfour’s Conservative government of 1902-05; (ii) Balfour’s predecessor being his uncle, the Marquess of Salisbury; (iii) a key reason for the failure of the Conservative Party being Balfour’s lack of charisma; (iv) the role of patriotism during the Boer War in the success of the Conservative Party in the 1900 election; (v) the Conservative stance on imperial free trade and protectionism as another key reason for their failure in 1905; (vi) Joseph Chamberlain as a Liberal Unionist and leading figure in the Conservative movement; (vii) Chamberlain’s view that the solution to economic threat in Britain was to be the centre of a strong empire through protectionism; (viii) the ‘Liberal loaf’ and ‘Tory loaf’ contrast used in the 1906 general election; (ix) Conservative tactics in the 1906 election, including their proposal that Liberal policies would only benefit Britain’s trading rivals; (x) the Liberal focus on the urban working class in the 1906 election; (xi) Arthur Balfour’s standing down and Conservative concession of office to the Liberals, with the hope of electoral success in 1906.