The war also had a large impact on the Conservative party. In the short term the war can be seen as a setback to the process of steady recovery for the Conservatives. In view of the problems faced by the Liberal government in the four pre war years and with the vitality and unity of the party restored under Bonar Law a chance of a Conservative victory in 1915 was a possibility. However most would argue that in the long term the war caused the revival of Conservative fortunes. Their political ideology was better able to respond to the key war issues which emerged during the conflict as it was the Conservatives who pre war had been anti-German, and pro conscription, greater armaments and a tougher foreign policy.
The coalition governments were genuine partnerships, and especially in the Lloyd George coalition Tory leaders held most positions of key authority. They dominated the new government and emerged with prestige as a successful party of government, sharing with Lloyd George the popular credit for victory. Conservative ministers also gained vital experienced from the coalition governments. So it can be seen that the war also hugely affected Conservative fortunes, and so had a large impact on the British political scene. Of all three parties the Tories were the winners at the end of the war in 1918. They were the only fully united party and had the advantage of Liberal divisions and Labour inexperience. Although they had no Prime Minister during the war, they were in a strong period to dominate the inter-war period. The war re-asserted the Tories as the most powerful force in British politics and put them in a position to dominate the British government during the inter war period.
The war was also of significance to the Labour party. Although in the short term the war exposed the divisions in the Labour party, in the long term it helped their development. At the outbreak of war there was a split in the Labour party as many were pacifists, believing it was a class war fought on behalf of the rich. However those who were opposed generally did not campaign against it, and so this division was no were near as bad as that in the Liberal party, and it was not a lasting split.
In the long term the war can be seen to have affected the party positively. Labour gained vital ministerial experience from the war as Henderson was in both coalition governments. Another gain was that when Labour pulled out of the coalition in 1917 it gave them time to re-assert their independence and in particular re-organise. They formed a new Constitution which allowed individuals to join the party without being in an affiliated group and made a commitment to socialism in clause IV, which provided a practical alternative to the Liberals. The party also wrote a document which was to be its policy for the next thirty years that included a policy of re-distribution of wealth and the principle of ‘National Minimum’ in wages and work standards. ILP branches were also set up in many more constituencies and there was a drive to increase membership and set select more candidates.
Although it had only won 57 seats in the election, the party was growing as a force in politics. There share of the vote increased from 7% in 1910 to 22% in 1918 and they were better organised, had clearer policies and with the reform act giving all working class men the vote, the future looked good. So it can be seen that the war also had a large impact on the Labour party. Though not as noticeable as the effect on the other parties, the war gave Labour a chance to mature into a fully fledged party. It allowed them to re-organise and develop putting them in a prime position to take over from the now divided Liberals.
The war also had an impact on British politics more generally than affecting a specific party. In Feb. 1918 the Representative of the People Act was passed, finally giving the vote to all men over twenty one, without any proper qualifications. For the first time women were also given the vote as a reward for war work done, (although this was only women over thirty). The electorate increased from 8 million to 22 million and it was also possible for a greater variety of people than ever before to stand for parliament. No longer where there any religious or financial restrictions on candidates. This act also had an immense impact on British politics. It made Britain more democratic than ever before, allowing a much greater variety of people to vote.
The impact the war had on politics can be shown by the post war December 1918 election. This took place as the Tories were not confident enough to stand alone and so joined with the Lloyd George Liberals to neutralise the growing threat from Labour. 150 Lloyd George Liberals and 300 Tories received letters from their party leaders to show they were coalition candidates. Eighty eight per cent of them were successful, defeating the tiny no. of Asquith Liberals and many Labour candidates. The Tories dominated the new parliament and held basically all ministries. Lloyd George was now a ‘Prime Minister without a party’ and ‘prisoner of the Tories’. By the time the coalition collapsed Unionists had 344 seats, Lloyd George Libs a mere 53. This general election shows the large impact the war had on British politics. It led to a four year post-war experiment in peacetime coalition government. This election effectively redrew the political map of Britain as Labour and Liberal strongholds fell to the coalition. This coalition government shows just how much the Great War changed British politics.
Ultimately the Great War had a huge impact on British politics. The upheval on the political scene was immense. The war caused the demise of one of the two main pre war political parties and placed the Conservatives in a position to control the inter war government. It also affected what would soon become the second party of British politics, giving Labour time to develop. It allowed them to re-assert their independence and re-organise, which led to them fully maturing as a political party. It also partly led to the Representation of the People act, which greatly affected British politics. This act massively increased the no. that could vote and so made Britain more democratic. Blake said when speaking about the impact of the First World War ‘In the world of politics, remarkable transformations were to take place… The old party divisions were to blur and fade and new alignments were to arise, new allegiances, new enmities.’
