Explain Why The Conservatives Win The Election Of 1906
Homework: Liberal electoral chances
In 1906, the Liberal party won a landslide victory against the Tory party. Various factors played into this success: the ideas and concepts introduced by so called New Liberalism, combined with the public’s weariness at the Conservatives, who had been in power continuously from the 1880s. By 1906 the Tories had introduced a series of rather unpopular decisions, laws, and policies; a key example is the Boer War of 1899-1902. The Boer War was expected to be an easy victory for Britain, but turned into a gruelling series of events which was only narrowly won by the Brits. The war highlighted the inadequacies of the British military and was seen as a national humiliation: The experienced and well-funded army …show more content…
The non-conformists were angered that schools were brought under Anglican control, and as a result many decided to vote against the Conservatives in the election. The conservatives had to deal with difficult labour issues: the Taff Vale case saw a court rule it illegal for a trade union to organise a strike, angering many working class unionised voters, and again directing votes away from the Tories in the 1906 election. In combination with the the troublesome Chinese labour issue, in which concerns were raised about the low wages of Chinese labourers in the empire, and the possibility of them coming to work in Britain and push down wages, labour weakened its position amongst the working class. Perhaps the most important policy contributing to the Tories’ defeat was the Tariff Reform pushed by Joseph Chamberlain. The reform would have taxed many foods coming from other countries, whilst showing preference to imports from within the British Empire. The intention was the protection and growth of the Empire (Imperial Protectionism), but the idea split the Conservatives and Balfour refused to accept the policy. This caused Chamberlain’s resignation, and made the party look indecisive and caused a divide. The Liberal party would use this to their advantage in the 1906 election and painted the Tories as the party of highly
In 1906, the Liberal party won a landslide victory against the Tory party. Various factors played into this success: the ideas and concepts introduced by so called New Liberalism, combined with the public’s weariness at the Conservatives, who had been in power continuously from the 1880s. By 1906 the Tories had introduced a series of rather unpopular decisions, laws, and policies; a key example is the Boer War of 1899-1902. The Boer War was expected to be an easy victory for Britain, but turned into a gruelling series of events which was only narrowly won by the Brits. The war highlighted the inadequacies of the British military and was seen as a national humiliation: The experienced and well-funded army …show more content…
The non-conformists were angered that schools were brought under Anglican control, and as a result many decided to vote against the Conservatives in the election. The conservatives had to deal with difficult labour issues: the Taff Vale case saw a court rule it illegal for a trade union to organise a strike, angering many working class unionised voters, and again directing votes away from the Tories in the 1906 election. In combination with the the troublesome Chinese labour issue, in which concerns were raised about the low wages of Chinese labourers in the empire, and the possibility of them coming to work in Britain and push down wages, labour weakened its position amongst the working class. Perhaps the most important policy contributing to the Tories’ defeat was the Tariff Reform pushed by Joseph Chamberlain. The reform would have taxed many foods coming from other countries, whilst showing preference to imports from within the British Empire. The intention was the protection and growth of the Empire (Imperial Protectionism), but the idea split the Conservatives and Balfour refused to accept the policy. This caused Chamberlain’s resignation, and made the party look indecisive and caused a divide. The Liberal party would use this to their advantage in the 1906 election and painted the Tories as the party of highly