Challenges faced by the National Gov. (1a) Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Challenges faced by the National Gov. (1a) Deck (30)
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1
Q

What challenges did the national gov. face?

A
  • Dealing with the rise of extremism

- Confronting the economic challenge of the Great Depression

2
Q

Why did extremism fail to gain support in Britain?

A

Partly due to the national gov.

3
Q

Who was Oswald Mosley and the BUF?

A

Oswald Mosley formed the BUF (British Union of Fascists) in 1932 with the aim of emulating Mussolini style leadership

4
Q

What was the BUF like?

A

Racist and anti semitic

5
Q

How was the BUF party funded?

A

By Mosley himself and some wealthy aristocrats

6
Q

How many members did the BUF have in the 1930s?

A

50,000

7
Q

What was the ‘Battle of Cable Street’?

A
  • Took place in 1936
  • The BUF marched through East London (home to many Jews and Irish immigrants)
  • Turned into a violent clash
8
Q

What made the BUF even more unpopular?

A

WW2, Mosley was imprisoned for 3 years until 1943 and the BUF was banned

9
Q

What was the Communist Party of Great Britain like?

A

More successful than Mosley and the BUF

10
Q

When did the CPGB gain MPs and how many?

A

One in 1924 and 1935

11
Q

What was the maximum of the vote that the CPGB gained?

A

0.4%; British electorate rejected communism

12
Q

What prevented Communism from ever taking off?

A

Traditions and the strength of Trade Unions

13
Q

What did the CPGB use to try and infiltrate the Labour party?

A
  • They used ‘entryism’
  • This involved trying to steer their ideas further to the left
  • Labour banned CPGB members from joining Labour to support this
14
Q

When did the CPGB gain some support?

A

After Russia helped to defeat Nazi Germany

15
Q

What did unemployment never fall below in the interwar period?

A

1 million

16
Q

What did unemployment rise to in 1932?

A

3 million

17
Q

In 1929 what was unemployment like?

A

5% of the unemployed had been jobless for over a year

18
Q

In 1932 what was unemployment like?

A

16.5% of the unemployed had been jobless for over a year

19
Q

What lead to a fall of union membership?

A
  • Mass unemployment
  • By almost 50%
  • From 8 million in 1922 to 4.5 million in 1932
20
Q

Which workers tended to fight harder for their jobs and pay?

A

Traditional heavy industries - it was against employers wanting to make cuts and improve productivity

21
Q

Who did the government try to support during this time?

A

The unemployed, but they didn’t have the resources to do this
Also the gov. tended to side with the employer in trade disputes

22
Q

What industry was in terminal decline and working conditions remained poverty stricken?

A

Traditional heavy industries (by 1939)

23
Q

When did the National gov. remove the £ from the gold standard?

A

1931

24
Q

What happened when the National gov. removed the £ from the gold standard?

A

The value of the pound depreciated from $4.80 to $3.40

25
Q

What did removing the £ from the gold standard allow?

A

Quicker recovery from the depression compared to other countries

26
Q

How did unemployment change after the £ was removed from the gold standard in 1931?

A

Unemployment fell from 17% to 8.5% between 1932 and 1937

27
Q

What happened to interest rates when the £ was removed from the gold standard in 1931?

A

Interest rates were cut from 6% to 2%, leading to greater borrowing
This policy was called ‘Cheap money’

28
Q

How much was the rate of long term gov. borrowing cut by after the £ was removed from the gold standard in 1931?

A

1.5%, slashing the cost of gov. debt repayment

29
Q

What did greater borrowing trigger after the £ was removed from the gold standard in 1931?

A

A boom in mortgages and house building

30
Q

How were exports and industrial production affected by the £ being removed from the gold standard in 1931?

A
  • Exports were cheaper as prices of British goods fell by 45% + sales went up by 28%
  • Industrial production rose by 46%

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