Explain why the Conservatives lost the election of 1905

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Explain why the Conservatives lost the election of 1905

The Liberal government took office in December 1905, before securing a popular response to the January 1906 General Election. Arguably, this sudden Liberal government was more to do with the weaknesses of the coalition administration of the Conservatives and the Liberal Unionists, than the success of the Liberals. It is possible that Balfour did inherit political weaknesses from Lord Salisbury, his uncle, but he didn’t do the Conservative party any justice in his term of office (1902-1905).

A predominant reason why the Conservatives lost the election of 1905 was due to the many unsuccessful policies implemented. Most notably, the Aliens Act of 1905 meant that more foreign immigrants, including 50,000 poor Jews, entered Britain because of the ‘Open Door’ policy, as Balfour and his government assumed that there would be more economical potential. They were vastly known as the ‘Alien Paupers’ as it caused millions of unemployed Britons and also undisputed angst between the locals and the foreigners. Understandably, the Conservatives lost the election because many disliked the fact that the British people couldn’t get jobs due to lenient immigrations policies. Or rather, it was viewed as lenient for all there were restrictions.

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This drastic weakness in the Conservatives’ policies meant that the Liberals could take advantage, leading up to the 1905 election. The inevitable political scheming occurred because of Balfour’s opposition, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, who could exploit the weaknesses whilst glorifying New Liberalism – a term given to the prospective Liberal reforms. Campbell-Bannerman gained more trust from the King, and subsequently, earned more faith from the public. The reason for the King trusting Campbell-Bannerman, was due to the meddling Balfour, who knew that there would have been another General Election just eighteen months after his proposed early election. Balfour’s popularity was significantly ...

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