To what extent was Lloyd-George responsible for his own downfall in 1922?

In many ways it can be argued that LG was responsible for his own downfall. The way he dealt with Ireland and his economic policies were all contributory factors. However these are factors that LG was directly responsible for and that he could control. Events like the loss of exports and certain economic issues were things that he could not control. Therefore with the First World War came a mixture of views about LG, which either way led to his downfall in 1922.

The First World War led to a split in the liberal democrat party with 90% of MPs siding with Asquith. This meant that after the war LG could either stand for election on his own which he would find it very difficult to do with only a very small number of MPs or he could carry on the coalition government with the conservatives that had been formed during the war. The coupon election of 1918 confirmed LG’s allegiance with the conservative party. Although LG was still in office it meant that he had no party of his own to fall back on. This is why some historians argue that LG was destined to fail from the start.

The primary function following any war, including the First World War, is for the government to address the economic issues of the country that is what LG did. When LG got into office the first thing that he set out to do was to get Britain’s economy back on its feet after four years of poor economics. However if LG had purely had his mind set on the economy then he would have had to sacrifice his public image. It is a well-known fact that politics is all about compromise and this situation was no different. In order for LG to remain in power he needed to balance the economics with the demands of the people. ‘Homes fit for heroes’ was one of LG’s most famous promises. Although it could be argued that he built some homes he had not built nearly as many as he said that he would. Now although this could be blamed on the economy not being stable enough because of the war it is more likely that LG was making promises that realistically he could not keep. When LG set up unemployment benefit towards the end of the war the public were very pleased to be able to get money if they needed it as long as they paid into the scheme. However the war left millions needing benefits as the system was still in first years it did not have the money to provide all of the funds needed. This led to the government having to pay out more money to support the scheme. LG did try to redeem his actions with a cut in government spending and the ‘Geddes Axe’ which managed to cut government spending by half but it was not nearly enough.

As well as wasting money on ‘Homes fit for heroes’ LG also failed to modernise British industry. Britain was already at a loss because of the seizure of exportation during the war and with more advanced countries such as Switzerland producing cheaper raw goods like coal; it comes as no surprise that Britain lost out even more. Many historians argue that instead of ‘squandering’ money away on homes, LG should have put a lot more money into industry and modernisation.

One of the provisos of being part of a provisional government is that both parties have ...

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One of the provisos of being part of a provisional government is that both parties have to cooperate in order to make decisions that relate to both parties’ political views. One of LG’s other major downfalls was his handling of Ireland up until 1922. The failure to implement conscription in 1918 fuelled an ever-present hatred amongst the Irish being under British rule. Ultimately this led to a militant group, the black and tans, being sent over to Ireland to ‘sort them out’. This was very unpopular with the Irish because the brutality of this group left many dead. This led to the formation of Sinn Fein and the IRA. Sinn party MPs being voted into office in 1921 was the last straw for the coalition. Some may argue that LG should have offered an ultimatum earlier to avoid the violence. However with the pro-unionist conservatives, this was made very difficult. To end the violence LG told the Irish under ‘the Government of Ireland Act’ that they could have their own parliament but still be a British state. When Sinn Fein refused the violence continued. The most controversial decision made by LG was to allow Ireland to be an independent state with Britain still owning the 6 counties of Ulster. If the Irish had refused then LG promised a war within three days. Some historians argue that LG’s brilliant powers of negotiation allowed him to compromise so that both sides got a fair deal. Unfortunately the conservative majority of the coalition did not share this view. They believed that giving into the Irish was showing a sign of British weakness and that the British should have stood their ground at all costs. Ireland was one of the major issues leading ultimately to LG’s resignation.

LG’s handling of the strikes brought about the same mixed opinion as that of Ireland. The miners strike left Britain with only three days of coal left. LG yet again was put to the test in using his negotiation skills to try and solve this. Ultimately he negotiated a deal with the miners, railways and Dockers (the three members of the triple alliance), which gave them some of what they asked for but later led to their downfall. Another example of LG’s decisiveness was when the Glasgow Dockers attempted a communist revolution that was quickly quashed by the army. This went down well with his conservative backbenchers as they and the majority of British citizens were strongly against Communism. Some argue that LG over used force but in saying that he had managed to end the revolution quickly.

Economics, Ireland and the strikes were the main reasons for LG’s downfall in 1922. However there were smaller incidents that acted as the icing on the cake. By far the largest was Chanak. Chanak, although supported by the conservatives because LG was trying to protect British interests was very unpopular with the public. This was because they thought that encouraging another war immediately after the last one was a recipe for disaster. The ‘Honour’s scandal’, although honours had always been sold, left LG looking like a corrupt Prime Minister because of his open dealings with the upper-class. These small events played an important part by acting as a decider as to whether to keep LG or ask/force him to resign.

Although LG did great things while in office such as causing the break-up of the triple alliance and the unemployment benefit scheme and providing some homes for people, LG is noted more for his failures. The failure to keep Ireland under British rule lead to a bitterness amongst the conservative backbenchers which was never to be resolved. Also his ‘taxing of the rich’ did not go down well at all with the landowning conservative MPs. His ‘squandering’ of money led him to be unpopular with the public. The only thing that kept LG in power for so long was that he was seen as the man who won the war and his brilliant negotiation skills. The Chanak crisis and the honour’s scandal as well as LG’s very unstable private life all lead to his dignified resignation at the Carlton Club in 1922. So although certain aspects of the economic policies that LG had to make were out of his control, it was ultimately his wasting of money, handling of Ireland and the smaller scandals that led to LG being disliked by a majority of the public and his own backbenchers. To this extent LG was responsible for his own downfall in 1922 and by looking at all of the facts it is possible to say that although he did good things for the country he held the majority of the responsibility for the decisions made and ultimately his resignation in the four years that he held office.

To what extent was Lloyd-George responsible for his own downfall in 1922?

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