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Stanley Baldwin. CONS PM 1923 1929 and again 1935 37.

First entered West. as MP in 1908. Became Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1922.

Became Leader of the opposition in 1924. He also participated inthe National

government under Ramsay MacDonald.

He returned to power in 1935, this era corresponds to a period of full democracy

(women vote, various political parties, etc.)

Bonar Law was diagnosed with terminal cancer, King George V turned to Baldwin

(instead of Lord Curzon LORD?) to become PM. CONS No clear majority in the

Commons. The Conservatives could govern for five years but because of the different

economic problems (tariffs and protectionism, imports driving prices and profits

down) Baldwin preferred to call an early general election. The Conservatives went

divided to this election. The outcome was: CONS 258 LAB 191 LIB 159. But the

government was defeated in a motion of confidence and Baldwin resigned.

During this period, Ramsay MacDonald took over with an unstable minority Labour

government.

On March 1924, Labour was defeated but the CONS continued to vote with LAB

against the LIB on cutting expenditure and Irish policy.

Baldwins new cabinet included many former Liberals like Churchill who was

appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Britain was undergoing a large number of social and economic problems (strikes in

Scotland and Northern England)

A close collaboration started in 1931 between Baldwin and the Conservatives and

Ramsay MacDonald who was expelled from the Labour Party

Disarmament represented a major problem for Baldwin who campaigned against.

He was not completely against it but he thought that great armaments lead

nevitably to war

n 1932, he declared The time has now come to an end when GB can proceed with

unilateral disarmament He did not advocate total disarmament but was for itsreduction.

Many politicians advised him to make rearmament the central issue but was opposed

to this idea saying: "I give you my word that there will be no great armaments". Both

Chamberlain and Churchill made it clear that Germany was speeding up its air

armament and requested that the money on air armament be doubled ot trebled.

LAB opposed any rearmament programme. Clement Attlee said: We are opposed to

anything in the nature of rearmament

He showed an interest in armament during late 1930s but it was too late, as the UK

was not prepared to wage the WWII. Baldwin was accused of deceiving the country of

the dangers it faced. The press engaged in this debate and blamed Baldwin along

with other political leaders such as Churchill who said: he ought to be hanged

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Sir Oswald Mosley

Founder of the British Union of Fascists, MP for Harrow from 1918 to 1924 and for

Smethwick from 1926 to 1931.

He was married to Lord Curzons first wife. He was more interested in her social

position and her inheritance. The wedding (May 1920) was a very important event

attended by famous people such as King George V and Queen Mary.

Mosley spent large amounts of his private fortune on the British Union of Fascists

(BUF) and tried to establish it on a firm financial footing by negotiating, through

Diana, with Adolf Hitler for permission to broadcast commercial radio to Britain fromGermany.

Mosley was at this time falling out with the Conservatives over Irish policy but

eventually sat as an Independent MP on the opposition side of the House of

Commons

iberal Westminster Gazette wrote that he was "the most polished literary speaker in

the Commons

by 1924, he showed interest to the Labour party and eventually joined the

ndependent Labour Party and allied himself with the left

Conservative attacks on him for being too rich and claims he was covering up his

wealth

He was close to Ramsay MacDonald and hoped for one of the great offices of state,

but when Labour won the 1929 general election he was appointed only to the post of

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, de facto Minister without Portfolio

He was given responsibility for solving the unemployment problem, but found that

his radical proposals were blocked either by his superiorJames Henry Thomas or by

the Cabinet

Mosley was always impatient and finally resigned in may 1930

He was in favour of imposing tariffs to protect British industries from international

finance

He created a new Party but was not successful in securing seats. He went to Italy andwas profoundly influenced by Benito Mussolini and other fascists. He got back to

Britain and created the British Union of Fascists in 1932

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This party was anti-communist and protectionist. The party was also involved in

violent confrontations, particularly with communists and Jewish groups especially in

London. Gradually, the party lost peoples support.

After the outbreak of war he led the campaign for a negotiated peace. People were

hostile to his ideas and was nearly assaulted

Mosley was interned and his Party was prohibited. He was released in 1943 but spent

the rest of the war under house arrest.

After the war Mosley was contacted by his former supporters and persuaded to rejoin

active politics. He formed the Union Movement, calling for a single nation-state

covering the continent of Europe (known as Europe a Nation), and later attempted to

aunch a National Party of Europe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Movementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe_a_Nationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Party_of_Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Movementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe_a_Nationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Party_of_Europe