Britain between the wars1918-1939

These were troubled times for Britain. Industry was declining, the Depression caused many problems and the 1930s became famous for unemployment and stagnation.

With dole queues and hunger marches, the promise to make Britain 'a country fit for heroes to live in' was not achieved.

Governments between the wars 1918-22 Liberal Conservative Coalition (Lloyd

George) 1922-3 Conservative (Bonar Law) 1923-4 Conservative (Baldwin) 1924 Labour (Ramsey MacDonald) 1924-9 Conservative (Baldwin) 1929-31 Labour (Ramsey MacDonald) 1931 National Government (Ramsey

MacDonald) 1935 (Baldwin) 1937-40 (Chamberlain)

The Post-War Coalition

Huge plans for improved healthcare, unemployment benefits and pensions were difficult to implement due to the poor economy.

200,000 new council houses was one of the successes.

In 1922, 1 million were unemployed, yet social welfare cuts continued.

The Lloyd George Fund This was the governments downfall. Conservatives broke away from Liberals

Anglo Irish Treaty of 1921

1916 Easter Rising WW1 Sinn Feinn became more popular and

the IRA was established in 1919 Black and Tans sent to fight them The agreement separated Ulster from

the rest of an independent Ireland

Britain's first Labour Government Attracted votes from the working class Increased unemployment benefits and

put more money into education Zinoviev letter encouraging revolution Decline of Liberals

The General Strike, 1926

The Depression

Industries badly hit as trading with the USA stopped

Huge debts Unemployment grew from 1.28 million

in 1929 to 2.64 million in 1931 and 1932

'Hunger Marches' were peaceful protests of unemployed. The most famous is the Jarrow Hunger March of 1936 when 200 unemployed men from a Tyneside shipyard marched to London

George Orwell, 1936, Road to Wigan Pier

‘through the monstrous scenery of slag-heaps, chimneys, piled scrap-iron, foul canals, paths of cindery mud criss-crossed by the prints of clogs…She had a pale round face, the usual exhaused face of the slum girl who is 25 and looks 40, thanks to miscarriages & drudgery; and it wore, for the second in which I saw it, the most desolate hopeless expression I have ever seen’.

'Two Nations'

The feeling that London didn't understand the suffering in the north.

Increase of 'mod-cons' (cosmetics,tabloids,magazines, radio, cinema and sports)

Housing improved More council houses More home owners Electricity

The Abdication Crisis, 1936 Edward VIII abdicated due to his wish to

marry Mrs Wallace Simpson (a divorcee)