UK National Government
Encyclopedia
In the United Kingdom
the term National Government is an abstract concept referring to a coalition of some or all major political parties. In a historical sense it usually refers primarily to the governments of Ramsay MacDonald
, Stanley Baldwin
and Neville Chamberlain
which held office from 1931 until 1940.
The all-party coalitions of Herbert Henry Asquith and David Lloyd George
in the First World War
and of Winston Churchill
in the Second World War
were sometimes referred to as National Governments at the time, but are now more commonly called Coalition Governments. Churchill's brief 1945 "Caretaker Government" also called itself a National Government and in terms of party composition was very similar to the 1931–1940 entity.
and Britain was particularly badly hit. The government was trying to achieve several different, contradictory objectives: trying to maintain Britain's economic position by maintaining the pound on the gold standard
, balancing the budget
, and providing assistance and relief to tackle unemployment.
In 1931 the situation deteriorated and there was much fear that the budget was unbalanced, which was borne out by the independent May Report
which triggered a confidence crisis and a run on the pound. The Labour government agreed to make changes in taxation and expenditure in order to balance the budget and restore confidence, but the Cabinet
could not agree on the two options available: either introduce tariff
s, or make 20% cuts in unemployment benefit
. When a final vote was taken the Cabinet was split 11:9 with a minority - including many political heavyweights - threatening to resign rather than agree. Due to this unworkable split, on 24 August 1931 the government resigned.
The political crisis generated much concern and the leaders of both the Conservative and Liberal parties met with King George V
and MacDonald, at first to discuss support for the measures to be taken but later to discuss the shape of the next government. On 24 August MacDonald agreed to form a National Government composed of "men from all parties" with the specific aim of balancing the Budget and restoring confidence. The government would then dissolve itself and a general election
would be held on party lines. A small Cabinet of just ten Ministers was formed to take emergency decisions, with ministerial posts divided as proportionally as possible between the three parties, though relatively few Labour members joined the government.
and James Henry Thomas
did little to explain themselves, with the result that the Labour Party soon swung fully against the government. Efforts to bring public expenditure cuts produced further problems, including a mutiny in the Royal Navy
over pay cuts, with the result that the Pound came under renewed pressure and the government was forced to take the radical step of taking the Pound off the Gold Standard altogether.
Debate now broke out about further steps to tackle the economic problems, while at the same time the Labour Party officially expelled all of its members who supported the National Government, including MacDonald. Increasingly the majority of the Cabinet came to believe that a protective tariff was necessary to support British industry and provide revenue, and that a general election should be fought to secure a mandate for this but this was anathema to the Liberal Party. The Liberals' acting leader and Home Secretary Sir Herbert Samuel
fought in Cabinet against an election but found the Liberal party dividing in several directions over the course of action. One group under Sir John Simon
emerged as the Liberal Nationals
who were prepared to accept the tariff and expressed willingness to take the place of the main Liberals in the government. The party's official leader, David Lloyd George
was incapacitated at this time but called for the Liberals to abandon the government altogether and stand independently in defence of Free Trade
but this call was heeded only by four other MPs
, all related to him.
It was eventually agreed that the government as a whole would seek a "Doctor's Mandate" to take a free hand and that each party would issue its own manifesto. Supporters of MacDonald formed National Labour and the parties agreed to allow their local organisations to agree whether or not to oppose each other. The government was opposed by the Labour Party, Lloyd George and his Liberals and the New Party
of Sir Oswald Mosley
, while within the parties there was particular conflict between the Conservatives and Liberals. The result of the 1931 general election
was the greatest landslide ever, with the National Government winning a total of 556 seats and a Parliamentary majority of 500.
The government entered protracted wrangling over whether or not to introduce tariffs. Both the Liberals and Snowden found this particularly difficult to accept, but were in a heavy minority. However both MacDonald and Baldwin wished to maintain the multi-party nature of the Government. On the suggestion of Hailsham it was agreed to suspend the principle of Collective Responsibility and allow the Liberals to oppose the introduction of tariffs while remaining in government. This would hold for some months.
In 1932 Sir Donald MacLean died. MacDonald came under pressure not to merely appoint another Liberal, particularly as it was felt they would be overrepresented, and so instead appointed the Conservative Lord Irwin (later Lord Halifax). Further tensions emerged over the Ottawa Agreement which set up a series of tariff agreements within the British Empire
and the remaining Liberals and Snowden resigned their ministerial posts, though continued to support the government from the backbenches for another year. MacDonald considered resigning as well and allowing a party government to take office but was persuaded to remain, even though his health was now in decline. In domestic politics he increasingly allowed Baldwin to give a lead, but in foreign affairs the main direction was determined by MacDonald and Simon.
The most prominent policy of the National Government in the early 1930s was the proposal to introduce Indian Home Rule, a measure that was fiercely opposed by the Diehard wing of the Conservative party, with Winston Churchill
taking a lead amongst the opponents. The bill was fiercely opposed but eventually passed in 1935.
With MacDonald's health failing, he retired as Prime Minister in June 1935, to be succeeded by Baldwin. Increasingly foreign affairs were coming to dominate political discourse and in November Baldwin led the government to victory in the 1935 general election
on a platform of support for the League of Nations
and sanctions against Italy
for invading Abyssinia
.
The following month a massive storm developed when it emerged that the new Foreign Secretary, Sir Samuel Hoare, had negotiated the Hoare-Laval Pact
which proposed to cede most of Abyssinia to Italy. Many were outraged, including many government MPs, and the agreement was dropped and Hoare sacked, though he later returned to government.
Baldwin's last years in office were seen as a period of drift, but in late 1936 he achieved a notable triumph in resolving the Abdication Crisis of Edward VIII
without major repercussions. Baldwin took the opportunity of George VI
's coronation as an opportune moment to retire.
was seen by many as the only possible successor to Baldwin, and his appointment as Prime Minister was widely credited with bringing a new dynamism to the government. With a strong track record as a radical Minister of Health
and competent Chancellor of the Exchequer
many expected Chamberlain to provide a strong lead in domestic affairs and here the government had a number of successes, such as over the nationalisation of coal mining royalties, the curtailing of excess working hours by the Factory Act and much slum clearance. Another success was the 1938 Holidays with Pay Act, which gave a fornight's paid holiday a year to workers, starting in 1939. The school leaving age was also to be increased from Autumn 1939, but was deferred as war loomed. Further reforms were curtailed by the increased international tension which came to occupy most of his time.
In foreign affairs, the government sought to increase Britain's armaments, while maintaining the unity of the Empire and Dominion
s and preventing any one power from becoming dominant on the continent of Europe. These proved increasingly difficult to reconcile, as many Dominions were reluctant to support Britain in the event of her going to war, and so military action risked splitting the Empire. Chamberlain took a strong personal lead in foreign affairs and sought to bring about peaceful revision of European frontiers in areas where many commentators had long- acknowledged grievances. In this, he received much popular support at the time, but the policy has been much attacked since. The most prominent point in the policy of appeasement
came in September 1938, when the Munich Agreement
was negotiated. Following the agreement, the government sped up the re-armament process in the hope of being ready for war when it came. At the same time, it took a tougher line in foreign affairs, including making a guarantee to defend Poland
against Germany
.
, supported by all of the Dominions except Ireland
. For some time there had been calls to expand the government by bringing in members of the official Labour and Liberal parties but the latter refused to join. For the first few months of war Britain saw comparatively little action apart from at sea, but the failure of the Norwegian campaign
led to a massive outcry in Parliament.
On 7 and 8 May 1940, a two-day debate took place in Parliament, known to history as the Norway Debate
. Initially a discussion of what had gone wrong in that field, it soon turned into a general debate on the conduct of the war with fierce criticism expressed by all sides of the House. The government won the debate, albeit with a reduced majority, but over the next two days it became increasingly clear that Labour and the Liberals would have to be brought into government and that Chamberlain was unable to achieve this. On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded the Low Countries
and Chamberlain finally bowed to pressure and resigned, bringing the life of the National Government to a close. It was succeeded by an all-party coalition headed by Winston Churchill
.
there were no other Liberal Nationals in the Cabinet - excluding even the Lord Chancellor Lord Simon. This government nevertheless used the title National Government and could be seen as the heir to the 1930s governments, even though the personnel were very different. The government fought the 1945 general election
as a National Government but lost.
Following the defeat , elements of the old National Government 'all party coalition' idea continued with Sir John Anderson (elected as a National M.P.) and Gwilym Lloyd-George - a former Liberal M.P. who now sat as an Independent Liberal - occupying important positions in Churchill's Shadow Cabinet
team. In addition the Liberal Nationals (National Liberals
from 1947-48 onwards) also kept a semi-separate existence and didn't finally disappear until
1968 - the last political legacy of what happened in crisis of August 1931.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
the term National Government is an abstract concept referring to a coalition of some or all major political parties. In a historical sense it usually refers primarily to the governments of Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
, Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
and Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
which held office from 1931 until 1940.
The all-party coalitions of Herbert Henry Asquith and David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
were sometimes referred to as National Governments at the time, but are now more commonly called Coalition Governments. Churchill's brief 1945 "Caretaker Government" also called itself a National Government and in terms of party composition was very similar to the 1931–1940 entity.
The crisis of 1931
The Wall Street Crash heralded the global Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and Britain was particularly badly hit. The government was trying to achieve several different, contradictory objectives: trying to maintain Britain's economic position by maintaining the pound on the gold standard
Gold standard
The gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed mass of gold. There are distinct kinds of gold standard...
, balancing the budget
United Kingdom budget
The United Kingdom budget deals with HM Treasury budgeting the revenues gathered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and expenditures of public sector departments, in compliance with government policy.Adjustment is achieved with the GDP deflator....
, and providing assistance and relief to tackle unemployment.
In 1931 the situation deteriorated and there was much fear that the budget was unbalanced, which was borne out by the independent May Report
May Report
The May Report was the publication on 31 July 1931 of the views of the Committee on National Expenditure chaired by Sir George May.-Background:...
which triggered a confidence crisis and a run on the pound. The Labour government agreed to make changes in taxation and expenditure in order to balance the budget and restore confidence, but the Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
could not agree on the two options available: either introduce tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
s, or make 20% cuts in unemployment benefit
Unemployment benefit
Unemployment benefits are payments made by the state or other authorized bodies to unemployed people. Benefits may be based on a compulsory para-governmental insurance system...
. When a final vote was taken the Cabinet was split 11:9 with a minority - including many political heavyweights - threatening to resign rather than agree. Due to this unworkable split, on 24 August 1931 the government resigned.
The political crisis generated much concern and the leaders of both the Conservative and Liberal parties met with King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and MacDonald, at first to discuss support for the measures to be taken but later to discuss the shape of the next government. On 24 August MacDonald agreed to form a National Government composed of "men from all parties" with the specific aim of balancing the Budget and restoring confidence. The government would then dissolve itself and a general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
would be held on party lines. A small Cabinet of just ten Ministers was formed to take emergency decisions, with ministerial posts divided as proportionally as possible between the three parties, though relatively few Labour members joined the government.
The early days
The Government was initially applauded by most, but the Labour Party were left in a state of confusion with the loss of several of their most prominent figures, and MacDonald, Philip SnowdenPhilip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden
Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden PC was a British politician and the first Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer, a position he held in 1924 and again between 1929 and 1931.-Early life: 1864–1906:...
and James Henry Thomas
James Henry Thomas
James Henry "Jimmy" Thomas was a British trade unionist and Labour politician. He was involved in a political scandal involving budget leaks.-Early career and Trade Union activities:...
did little to explain themselves, with the result that the Labour Party soon swung fully against the government. Efforts to bring public expenditure cuts produced further problems, including a mutiny in the Royal Navy
Invergordon Mutiny
The Invergordon Mutiny was an industrial action by around 1,000 sailors in the British Atlantic Fleet, that took place on 15–16 September 1931...
over pay cuts, with the result that the Pound came under renewed pressure and the government was forced to take the radical step of taking the Pound off the Gold Standard altogether.
Debate now broke out about further steps to tackle the economic problems, while at the same time the Labour Party officially expelled all of its members who supported the National Government, including MacDonald. Increasingly the majority of the Cabinet came to believe that a protective tariff was necessary to support British industry and provide revenue, and that a general election should be fought to secure a mandate for this but this was anathema to the Liberal Party. The Liberals' acting leader and Home Secretary Sir Herbert Samuel
Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel GCB OM GBE PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Early years:...
fought in Cabinet against an election but found the Liberal party dividing in several directions over the course of action. One group under Sir John Simon
John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon
John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon GCSI GCVO OBE PC was a British politician who held senior Cabinet posts from the beginning of the First World War to the end of the Second. He is one of only three people to have served as Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer,...
emerged as the Liberal Nationals
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
who were prepared to accept the tariff and expressed willingness to take the place of the main Liberals in the government. The party's official leader, David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
was incapacitated at this time but called for the Liberals to abandon the government altogether and stand independently in defence of Free Trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
but this call was heeded only by four other MPs
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, all related to him.
It was eventually agreed that the government as a whole would seek a "Doctor's Mandate" to take a free hand and that each party would issue its own manifesto. Supporters of MacDonald formed National Labour and the parties agreed to allow their local organisations to agree whether or not to oppose each other. The government was opposed by the Labour Party, Lloyd George and his Liberals and the New Party
New Party (Oswald Mosley)
The New Party was a political party briefly active in the United Kingdom in the early 1930s. It was formed by Sir Oswald Mosley, an MP who had belonged to both the Conservative and Labour parties, quitting Labour after its 1930 conference narrowly rejected his "Mosley Memorandum", a document he...
of Sir Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
, while within the parties there was particular conflict between the Conservatives and Liberals. The result of the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
was the greatest landslide ever, with the National Government winning a total of 556 seats and a Parliamentary majority of 500.
MacDonald's National Government 1931-1935
Although the Conservatives had a bare majority in Cabinet of 11 Conservatives to 9 non-Conservatives, they held comparatively few of the most important jobs. The two groups of Liberals were also disbalanced, with the official Liberals holding one more seat than the National Liberals, despite the Parliamentary position being reversed. This balance was to cause tensions, particularly as the Diehard wing of the Conservative party felt unrepresented (see below).The government entered protracted wrangling over whether or not to introduce tariffs. Both the Liberals and Snowden found this particularly difficult to accept, but were in a heavy minority. However both MacDonald and Baldwin wished to maintain the multi-party nature of the Government. On the suggestion of Hailsham it was agreed to suspend the principle of Collective Responsibility and allow the Liberals to oppose the introduction of tariffs while remaining in government. This would hold for some months.
In 1932 Sir Donald MacLean died. MacDonald came under pressure not to merely appoint another Liberal, particularly as it was felt they would be overrepresented, and so instead appointed the Conservative Lord Irwin (later Lord Halifax). Further tensions emerged over the Ottawa Agreement which set up a series of tariff agreements within the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and the remaining Liberals and Snowden resigned their ministerial posts, though continued to support the government from the backbenches for another year. MacDonald considered resigning as well and allowing a party government to take office but was persuaded to remain, even though his health was now in decline. In domestic politics he increasingly allowed Baldwin to give a lead, but in foreign affairs the main direction was determined by MacDonald and Simon.
The most prominent policy of the National Government in the early 1930s was the proposal to introduce Indian Home Rule, a measure that was fiercely opposed by the Diehard wing of the Conservative party, with Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
taking a lead amongst the opponents. The bill was fiercely opposed but eventually passed in 1935.
Baldwin takes over
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
on a platform of support for the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
and sanctions against Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for invading Abyssinia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
The following month a massive storm developed when it emerged that the new Foreign Secretary, Sir Samuel Hoare, had negotiated the Hoare-Laval Pact
Hoare-Laval Pact
The Hoare-Laval Pact was a December 1935 proposal by British Foreign Secretary Samuel Hoare and French Prime Minister Pierre Laval for ending the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. Italy had wanted to take Abyssinia as part of its empire, and have an empire like the Romans had, and also to avenge...
which proposed to cede most of Abyssinia to Italy. Many were outraged, including many government MPs, and the agreement was dropped and Hoare sacked, though he later returned to government.
Baldwin's last years in office were seen as a period of drift, but in late 1936 he achieved a notable triumph in resolving the Abdication Crisis of Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
without major repercussions. Baldwin took the opportunity of George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
's coronation as an opportune moment to retire.
The government of Neville Chamberlain
Neville ChamberlainNeville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
was seen by many as the only possible successor to Baldwin, and his appointment as Prime Minister was widely credited with bringing a new dynamism to the government. With a strong track record as a radical Minister of Health
Secretary of State for Health
Secretary of State for Health is a UK cabinet position responsible for the Department of Health.The first Boards of Health were created by Orders in Council dated 21 June, 14 November, and 21 November 1831. In 1848 a General Board of Health was created with the First Commissioner of Woods and...
and competent Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
many expected Chamberlain to provide a strong lead in domestic affairs and here the government had a number of successes, such as over the nationalisation of coal mining royalties, the curtailing of excess working hours by the Factory Act and much slum clearance. Another success was the 1938 Holidays with Pay Act, which gave a fornight's paid holiday a year to workers, starting in 1939. The school leaving age was also to be increased from Autumn 1939, but was deferred as war loomed. Further reforms were curtailed by the increased international tension which came to occupy most of his time.
In foreign affairs, the government sought to increase Britain's armaments, while maintaining the unity of the Empire and Dominion
Dominion
A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...
s and preventing any one power from becoming dominant on the continent of Europe. These proved increasingly difficult to reconcile, as many Dominions were reluctant to support Britain in the event of her going to war, and so military action risked splitting the Empire. Chamberlain took a strong personal lead in foreign affairs and sought to bring about peaceful revision of European frontiers in areas where many commentators had long- acknowledged grievances. In this, he received much popular support at the time, but the policy has been much attacked since. The most prominent point in the policy of appeasement
Appeasement
The term appeasement is commonly understood to refer to a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to another power. Historian Paul Kennedy defines it as "the policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and...
came in September 1938, when the Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
was negotiated. Following the agreement, the government sped up the re-armament process in the hope of being ready for war when it came. At the same time, it took a tougher line in foreign affairs, including making a guarantee to defend Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
against Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The outbreak of war
When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, Britain declared war in tandem with FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, supported by all of the Dominions except Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. For some time there had been calls to expand the government by bringing in members of the official Labour and Liberal parties but the latter refused to join. For the first few months of war Britain saw comparatively little action apart from at sea, but the failure of the Norwegian campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
led to a massive outcry in Parliament.
On 7 and 8 May 1940, a two-day debate took place in Parliament, known to history as the Norway Debate
Norway Debate
The Norway Debate, sometimes called the Narvik Debate, was a famous debate in the British House of Commons that took place in May 1940. It led to the formation of a widely-based National Government led by Winston Churchill which was to govern Britain until the end of World War II in Europe...
. Initially a discussion of what had gone wrong in that field, it soon turned into a general debate on the conduct of the war with fierce criticism expressed by all sides of the House. The government won the debate, albeit with a reduced majority, but over the next two days it became increasingly clear that Labour and the Liberals would have to be brought into government and that Chamberlain was unable to achieve this. On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
and Chamberlain finally bowed to pressure and resigned, bringing the life of the National Government to a close. It was succeeded by an all-party coalition headed by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
.
The Caretaker government of 1945
In May 1945, following the defeat of Germany the coalition government broke up and Churchill formed a new administration, including Conservatives, Liberal Nationals and various non-party individuals who had been previously appointed to Ministerial posts. However, significantly, with the exception of the Earl of RoseberyHarry Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery
Albert Edward Harry Meyer Archibald Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery and 2nd Earl of Midlothian , known by his third name of Harry, was a UK politician who briefly served as Secretary of State for Scotland in 1945...
there were no other Liberal Nationals in the Cabinet - excluding even the Lord Chancellor Lord Simon. This government nevertheless used the title National Government and could be seen as the heir to the 1930s governments, even though the personnel were very different. The government fought the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
as a National Government but lost.
Following the defeat , elements of the old National Government 'all party coalition' idea continued with Sir John Anderson (elected as a National M.P.) and Gwilym Lloyd-George - a former Liberal M.P. who now sat as an Independent Liberal - occupying important positions in Churchill's Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
team. In addition the Liberal Nationals (National Liberals
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
from 1947-48 onwards) also kept a semi-separate existence and didn't finally disappear until
1968 - the last political legacy of what happened in crisis of August 1931.