Category Social Sciences

 The Labour Party grew out of the trade union movement and socialist political parties of the 19th century before the First World War. Although after 1825, workers were allowed to form associations, they could not strike for their cause, and unions were not protected by law. However, after 1850, with the entry of mass production techniques, the Industrial Revolution entered a new phase. The number of unions grew, even in towns. New political ideas emerged, due to Socialism, which stressed on equality among men. The 1874 elections saw two workers entering parliament, and slowly, their numbers rose in the coming years.

 Initially, though these men supported the Liberal Party, slowly another group emerged within the union with the support of eminent personalities like Bernard Shaw. The Labour Representation Committee was formed in 1893 to select candidates to stand for the polls for the parliament, and in 1900, the Independent Labour Party was formed, heralding a new era in the history of parliament. The party primarily served the poor working class, the aged, and sought the intervention the government to protect the workers in the new industrial society.

The Labour Party grew steadily, and was dedicated to the cause of the workers.

In 1919, the first Labour government under Ramsay Macdonald assumed office, and the Labour Party became a leading political party in Britain.

The members of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) founded by Mrs. Pankhurst in 1904 were called Suffragettes. This was formed to fight for women’s right to vote and for equal status with men. The suffragettes at first, tried peaceful means, through speeches, pamphlets and demonstrations. Upon getting no attention from the parliament, they resorted to more extreme measures like breaking windows, burning empty houses and even chaining themselves to the railings of Hyde Park. However during the First World War in 1914, the suffragettes abandoned their campaign to actively support the war effort. These acts persuaded the government to allow women over thirty to vote in 1918, and later in 1928, women were given equal status with men, and could vote at the age of 21. 

 The Lords always posed difficulties, whenever the Liberals tried to pass a bill to reform legislation. It got so bad that, at one point, the government decided to put an end to this. The Parliament Bill was thus a weapon to limit the powers of the Lords, especially in matters pertaining to finance and its prominence in legislation. When the Lords attempted to stop this bill’s passage, the then Prime Minister Asquith appealed to King George V for help. The king promised the PM, that if necessary, he would create enough new Liberal peers to vote for the approval of the bill. The Lords of course, took a tough stance. The PM again went to the polls in December 1910, and won a clear majority. The king’s promise was made public, and the Lords had to concede. On August 10th, 1911, the Parliament Bill became law.

Between 1832 and 1918, the British electoral system was transformed. Each electoral reform, by itself, may not seem very dramatic, but taken together, the series of reforms passed during the period was surely revolutionary. One reform led to another. After the First and Second Reform Acts, an act was passed in 1883 to limit the expenses of election candidates. In 1884, the vote was extended to all householders in the counties. Standing for election, and voting at elections, was no longer the privilege of the rich. By 1918, three-quarters of the adult population could vote, and vote freely, for a range of candidates. This meant that politicians had to work harder to win votes. They had to travel around the country, meeting ordinary people to ask for their votes. Parliament had at last, become truly democratic.