#4396 - The Rise Of The Labour Party Notes - 20th Century British Politics

BRITISH POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT SINCE 1900

SOCIAL CLASS, SOCIALISM AND THE RISE OF THE LABOUR PARTY

Traditionalism, conservatism and class collaboration account for the failure of the Labour Movement to form a viable political party before 1914. Do you agree?

The Development of British Socialism, 1900-1918: D. Tanner

- ‘Labour’ politics was influenced by:

- The protective and conservative aims of the trade unions.

- The Liberal origins of many Labour leaders.

- The naïve ethical socialism espoused by many within the party.

- Pre-existing social structures which limited horizons and aims.

- The integration of British labour into the nation state.

- Arguably, Labour had ideas of its own before 1914.

- It remained a union pressure group into the 1920s.

- Its new ideas in the 1930s owed much to Liberalism.

- The party was less susceptible to Marxist ideas that its European equivalents.

- Labour’s democratic socialism emerged from their perception of the economic and social realities of the day – not some abstract concept of ‘liberalism’¹.

- Labour demands prior to 1914 focused on improving working conditions and reducing unemployment. The minimum wage, 48hr week, and 8hr day were important but sectional policies which marked Labour as a party without the thinking necessary for broad electoral appeal².

- Macdonald argued that the transition to State ownership of industry was aided by capitalist competition and its tendency to create large, efficient companies – which could then be nationalised.

The First Labour Party, 1906-1914: K. D. Brown

- Ideology and composition:

- Labour nominated only 15 candidates at the 1900 election, and only two were returned – Keir Hardie and Richard Bell. They represented the two main strands of the Labour party³.

- Hardie – chairman of the ILP and a leading socialist thinker and speaker.

- Bell – unionist leader, not socialist but interested in representing the aspirations of the working class.

- The former defeated a Liberal opponent, whilst the latter was elected with Liberal assistance.

- 30 Labour MPs were elected in 1906.

- 22 were supported by unions and 8 by the ILP.

- The average age of members was 46, and most had entered politics on the radical wing of the Liberal party⁴. Impact of Lib/Labs on the Labour party? Problems associated with having to share the ‘progressive’ vote?

- Labour lost 4 by-elections between 1912-14, three of them the result of rebounding Liberal strength.

- In 1914 the British Socialist Party applied for affiliation with Labour – a sign of the Left’s consolidation.

- Did Labour’s reliance on Union support mean its interests were too narrow to garner broad electoral support? Unions were growing in membership and influence, and their support was vital to the success of the party both at Westminster and nationally.

- Labour and the Trade Unions:

- In the 15 years before the First World War, lib-lab union politics was replaced by socialist labourism. This was despite efforts to maintain the old system and to construct conservative trade unions.

- 1908 – MFGB affiliated with the Labour Party.

- Many unions were fearful of socialism, particularly Bell’s ASRS.

- Members’ apathy towards the political levy limited the instance of union supported MPs in the years before 1914. The 1913 Trade Union Act resulted in significantly increased contributions being received.

- The PLP was a passive actor after 1910, as many of its aims were being advanced by the Liberal party. The People’s Budget and subsequent Lords reform temporarily overshadowed the Labour party.

- The Edwardian Labour Party:

- Philip Snowden, Labour MP, said in 1914 that ‘the present Labour representation in parliament (was) there mainly by the goodwill of the Liberals.’⁵ Keir Hardie shared these doubts, fearing that the party was ceasing to count and may soon cease to exist.

- Labour was demonstrating viability in policy making. Labour policy on trade disputes, workmen’s compensation, and unemployment relief had all been adopted by the Liberals and enacted.

- The elation after the 1906 electoral advance quickly turned to despondency.

- In rural areas and in London the Labour party hardly existed as a political entity.

- London unions were already represented by the London Trades Council. The London Labour Party did not appear until 1914.

- In 1902, less than a quarter of the Nation’s 2million trade union members were affiliated to the Labour Party.

- Desire to repeal Taff Vale, which required legislative action, saw union affiliated double between 1902 and 1904.

- Taff Vale was overturned by the 1906 Trade Disputes Act – a vicarious victory for Labour.

- The 1909 Osborne Judgement rendered union political levies illegal. Labours finances were seriously damaged, though this was partially repealed in 1913.

- Union affiliation peaked and fell slightly. 50% 1910-12. 38% 1914⁶.

- Voting qualification prior to 1918 may have disenfranchised many potential Labour voters.

- Even in 1914, the grass-roots organisation of the Labour party was still patchy.

- Did Labour suffer from internal ideology/policy disagreements?

-Progress:

- Had significant union affiliation, and doubled the number of affiliated constituency bodies between 1906 and 1910.

- Had a national press, albeit nascent.

- Had extirpated the lib-lab element of the Liberal party.

- Had seen some of its key policies adopted by the Liberal government and enacted.

- Now had nationally recognised leaders, capable and growing in experience.

Remained:

- Weak on clear, independent policy creation.

- Limited voice within parliament.

- Structural progress was not translating to electoral progress – class franchise a major factor.

- Ingrained conservative attitudes among workers – deference, political apathy, fear of socialism, reluctance to change voting patterns.

- Labour and State ‘Welfare’:

- The party was internally divided on the form and provision of welfare; there existed debate rather than policy.

- Labour were still deciding what the relationship between State, individual, and economy should look like, and the Liberals were equally unsure.

- Labour opposed the 1905 Unemployed Workmen Act, regressive taxation, and the lack of an old aged pension.

-Liberal inaction on ‘welfare’ stemmed from lack of consensus and limited resources in a low-tax, free trade economy.

- Most trade union members sought political support for employment over the prospect of dependence on benefits.

- Casual workers were least likely to be registered to vote. In 1911, only 20.5% of Whitechapel adult males were registered to vote.

- The Labour party was forced to react to Liberal measures, and largely support them even if they were not ideal. They were not in a position to enact their own policies.

- Labour was not yet a credible third choice nationwide.

- Its leaders focused on building support among a broader cross-section of the nation.

- Labour and the constitutional crisis:

- Labour was suffering as a result of its relationship with the Liberals.

- When supportive, they were unable to make electoral headway as an independent political entity.

- When combative, the progressive vote was split to Conservative advantage.

Labour’s First Century: Thane, Tanner et al

- Affiliated members⁷:

1900 – 376,000

1905 – 921,000

1910 – 1,443,000

1915 – 2,093,000

- The Labour Representation Committee was formed in 1900.

Modern British Politics: S.H. Beer

- The National Farmers Union, formed in 1908, sought Conservative representation.

-In 1900, the NUT sponsored 2 Liberal and 1 Conservative MPs⁸.

- Sectionalism within the trade union movement impaired their political cohesion. Major unions, such as the miners, did not feel any immediate need to affiliate with the Labour party, waiting until 1909 to do so.

- Union affiliation doubled the year after Taff Vale was passed.

- Macdonald, in 1906, said that LRC members were ‘in almost every case earnest liberals who would support a Liberal government.’⁹

- In 1906 and 1908, the Labour party gave 89% and 84% support to government Bills, respectively.

- Labour refrained from offering ‘a broad electoral challenge to the Liberals during the pre-war period.’ Why?

- Labour officially adopted socialism in 1918, breaking with the Liberals to better represent the working class. The party saw a significant upsurge in membership following the war.

- The middle and upper class liberals were happy to cultivate the votes of the working classes, but would not let them enter the party’s leadership. They represented interests without sharing power.

-Liberal caucuses were refusing to accept working-class candidates, accelerating the end of the Lib-Lab entente.

Popular Politics and Society in Late Victorian Britain: H. Pelling

- The working-classes were suspicious of some of Labour’s policy proposals, particularly any expansion of the power of the State, including the welfare State¹⁰.

-They disliked existing institutions and were wary of State intervention.

- There was a social stigma attached to the Poor Law, and this coloured feelings towards the nascent welfare state.

- State education, made compulsory in 1880 and with fees payable until 1890, was disliked by many of the working-class because of the loss of income it caused. It was not necessarily conservative distrust of ‘big government’, but the ‘almost universal hostility of working men to the legal system of the country.’¹¹ A general feeling that State intervention was designed to benefit the rich at a cost to the poor.

- Voters may have been less interested in social reform than Labour thought.

- Rural...