Liberal Government 1905–15

The Liberal government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that began in 1905 and ended in 1915 consisted of two ministries: the Campbell-Bannerman Ministry, led by Henry Campbell-Bannerman, and then the First Asquith Ministry, led by H. H. Asquith.

Formation

With the fall of Arthur Balfour's Conservative government in the United Kingdom in December 1905, the Liberals under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman were called in to form a government. In the subsequent election, the Liberals won an enormous majority. Campbell-Bannerman was succeeded by H. H. Asquith in 1908.

Policies

The Liberal government, supported by 29 Labour Party MPs, crafted the People's Budget and introduced a great deal of social legislation,[1] such as old age pensions and unemployment insurance for a significant part of the working population. For many working people, for whom in old age the threat of the workhouse was very real, these represented a very significant change. Equally groundbreaking was the Parliament Act 1911 which:

Many of the members of Asquith's cabinet, however, opposed the social measures promulgated by leading figures such as Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George; arguably a reflection of the extent to which many Liberals still adhered to the Party's Gladstonian, classical liberal tradition in spite of the growth of the "New Liberalism". Morley was opposed to both old-age pensions and the provisions of the Trade Boards Act of 1909, while Runciman was against the eight-hour day for miners and compensation for workers. Burns, Bryce, Loreburn, and W.S. Robson were opposed to land reform, insurance, and the feeding of schoolchildren,[2] while several cabinet members[3] (such as Crewe,[4] Fitzmaurice,[5] Harcourt,[6] and McKenna[7]) were critical of Lloyd George's progressive "People's Budget." Nevertheless, according to Neil Smith, the majority of the members of the Edwardian Liberal Cabinets were supportive of social reform and social progress.[8] As noted by one study,

“They (the Liberal Cabinet members) sought to respond to the discontent of the electorate by using the existing structure of government to correct the ills of society through innovative legislation. Two-thirds of the Liberal candidates, including Edwin Montagu, had pledged support for such measures during the campaign. While their support was often expressed in general terms, their intent was clear: Social and economic reform must be the first order of the new government.”[9]

Fate

Although the government lost a great deal of support by the two general elections of 1910, they managed to hold on by dint of support from the Irish Parliamentary Party. After early mismanagement during the First World War, particularly the failure of the Dardanelles Campaign, Asquith was forced to bring the Unionists into the government in a coalition.

Cabinets

Campbell-Bannerman's cabinet

Changes

Asquith's cabinet

OFFICENAMETERM
Prime Minister
First Lord of the Treasury
H. H. AsquithMay 1908 – May 1915
Lord ChancellorThe Lord Loreburn[10]April 1908 – June 1912
 The Viscount HaldaneJune 1912 – May 1915
Lord President of the CouncilThe Lord TweedmouthApril–September 1908
 The Viscount WolverhamptonSeptember 1908 – June 1910
 The Earl BeauchampJune–November 1910
 The Viscount Morley of BlackburnNovember 1910 – August 1914
 The Earl BeauchampAugust 1914 – May 1915
Lord Privy SealThe Marquess of RiponMay–October 1908
 The Earl of Crewe[11]October 1908 – October 1911
 The Earl CarringtonOctober 1911 – February 1912
 The Marquess of CreweFebruary 1912 – May 1915
Chancellor of the ExchequerDavid Lloyd GeorgeMay 1908 – May 1915
Home SecretaryHerbert GladstoneMay 1908 – February 1910
 Winston ChurchillFebruary 1910 – October 1911
 Reginald McKennaOctober 1911 – May 1915
Foreign SecretarySir Edward Grey, BtMay 1908 – May 1915
Secretary of State for the ColoniesThe Earl of CreweMay 1908 – November 1910
 Lewis HarcourtNovember 1910 – May 1915
Secretary of State for WarRichard Haldane[12]May 1908 – June 1912
 John SeelyJune 1912 – March 1914
 H. H. AsquithMarch–August 1914
 The Earl KitchenerAugust 1914 – May 1915
Secretary of State for IndiaThe Viscount Morley of BlackburnMay 1908 – November 1910
 The Earl of CreweNovember 1910 – May 1915
First Lord of the AdmiraltyReginald McKennaMay 1908 – October 1911
 Winston ChurchillOctober 1911 – May 1915
Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterThe Viscount WolverhamptonMay–September 1908
 The Lord FitzMauriceSeptember 1908 – June 1909
 Herbert SamuelJune 1909 – May 1910
 Joseph PeaseMay 1910 – October 1911
 Charles HobhouseOctober 1911 – February 1914
 Charles MastermanFebruary 1914 – January 1915
 Edwin Samuel MontaguJanuary–May 1915
President of the Board of TradeWinston ChurchillMay 1908 – February 1910
 Sydney BuxtonFebruary 1910 – February 1914
 John BurnsFebruary–August 1914
 Walter RuncimanAugust 1914 – May 1915
Secretary for ScotlandJohn Sinclair[13]May 1908 – February 1912
 Thomas McKinnon WoodFebruary 1912 – May 1915
Chief Secretary for IrelandAugustine BirrellMay 1908 – May 1915
President of the Local Government BoardJohn BurnsMay 1908 – February 1914
 Herbert SamuelFebruary 1914 – May 1915`
President of the Board of AgricultureThe Earl CarringtonMay 1908 – October 1911
 Walter RuncimanOctober 1911 – August 1914
 The Lord LucasAugust 1914 – May 1915
President of the Board of EducationWalter RuncimanMay 1908 – October 1911
 Joseph PeaseOctober 1911 – May 1915
Postmaster GeneralSydney BuxtonMay 1908 – February 1910
 Herbert SamuelFebruary 1910 – February 1914
 Charles HobhouseFebruary 1914 – May 1915
First Commissioner of WorksLewis HarcourtMay 1908 – November 1910
 The Earl BeauchampNovember 1910 – August 1914
 The Lord EmmottAugust 1914 – May 1915
Attorney GeneralSir Rufus Isaacs[14]June 1912 – October 1913
 Sir John SimonOctober 1913 – May 1915

Changes

List of Ministers

Members of the cabinet are in bold face.

OfficeNameDateNotes
Prime Minister,
First Lord of the Treasury
and Leader of the House of Commons
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman5 December 1905 
H. H. Asquith5 April 1908 – 25 May 1915 
Chancellor of the ExchequerH. H. Asquith10 December 1905 
David Lloyd George12 April 1908 
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
and Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons
George Whiteley12 December 1905 
Jack Pease3 June 1908 
The Master of Elibank14 February 1910 
Percy Illingworth7 August 1912 
John Gulland24 January 1915 
Financial Secretary to the TreasuryReginald McKenna12 December 1905 
Walter Runciman29 January 1907 
Charles Hobhouse12 April 1908 
Thomas McKinnon Wood23 October 1911 
Charles Masterman13 February 1912 
Edwin Samuel Montagu11 February 1914 
Francis Dyke Acland3 February 1915 
Junior Lords of the TreasuryHerbert Lewis18 December 1905 – 7 July 1909 
Jack Pease18 December 1905 – 3 June 1908 
Freeman Freeman-Thomas21 December 1905 – 2 February 1906 
Cecil Norton21 December 1905 – 7 July 1909 
John Fuller2 February 1906 – 27 February 1907 
John Henry Whitley27 February 1907 – 20 February 1910 
Oswald Partington7 July 1909 – 19 January 1911 
John Gulland7 July 1909 – 24 January 1915 
William Wedgwood Benn20 February 1910 – 25 May 1915 
Ernest Soares20 February 1910 – 16 April 1911 
Percy Illingworth28 February 1910 – 7 August 1912 
William Jones19 January 1911 – 25 May 1915 
Frederick Edward Guest16 April 1911 – 21 February 1912 
Sir Arthur Haworth, Bt23 February 1912 – 16 April 1912 
Henry Webb16 April 1912 – 25 May 1915 
Cecil Beck3 February 1915 – 25 May 1915 
Walter Rea3 February 1915 – 25 May 1915 
Lord ChancellorThe Lord Loreburn10 December 1905created Earl of Loreburn 4 July 1911
The Viscount Haldane10 June 1912 
Lord President of the CouncilThe Earl of Crewe10 December 1905 
The Lord Tweedmouth12 April 1908 
The Viscount Wolverhampton13 October 1908 
The Earl Beauchamp16 June 1910 
The Viscount Morley of Blackburn3 November 1910 
The Earl Beauchamp5 August 1914 
Lord Privy SealThe Marquess of Ripon10 December 1905also Leader of the House of Lords 10 December 1905 – 14 April 1908
The Earl of Crewe9 October 1908also Leader of the House of Lords; created Marquess of Crewe 3 July 1911
The Earl Carrington23 October 1911 
The Marquess of Crewe13 February 1912also Leader of the House of Lords
Secretary of State for the Home DepartmentHerbert Gladstone10 December 1905 
Winston Churchill14 February 1910 
Reginald McKenna23 October 1911 
Under-Secretary of State for the Home DepartmentHerbert Samuel12 December 1905 
Charles Masterman7 July 1909 
Ellis Ellis-Griffith19 February 1912 
Cecil Harmsworth4 February 1915 
Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsSir Edward Grey, Bt10 December 1905 
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsLord Edmond Fitzmaurice18 December 1905created Baron Fitzmaurice 9 January 1906
Thomas McKinnon Wood19 October 1908 
Francis Dyke Acland23 October 1911 
Neil Primrose4 February 1915 
Secretary of State for the ColoniesThe Earl of Elgin10 December 1905 
The Earl of Crewe12 April 1908also Leader of the House of Lords
Lewis Harcourt3 November 1910 
Under-Secretary of State for the ColoniesWinston Churchill12 December 1905 
J. E. B. Seely12 April 1908 
The Lord Lucas of Crudwell23 March 1911 
The Lord Emmott23 October 1911 
The Lord Islington10 August 1915 
Secretary of State for WarRichard Haldane10 December 1905created Viscount Haldane 27 March 1911
J. E. B. Seely12 June 1912 
H. H. Asquith30 March 1914also Prime Minister
The Earl Kitchener5 August 1914 
Under-Secretary of State for WarThe Earl of Portsmouth12 December 1905 
The Lord Lucas of Crudwell12 April 1908 
J. E. B. Seely23 March 1911 
Harold Tennant14 June 1912 
Financial Secretary to the War OfficeThomas Buchanan14 December 1905 
Francis Dyke Acland12 April 1908 
Charles Mallet4 March 1910 
Francis Dyke Acland31 January 1911 
Harold Tennant25 October 1911 
Harold Trevor Baker14 June 1912 
Secretary of State for IndiaJohn Morley10 December 1905created Viscount Morley of Blackburn 2 May 1908
The Earl of Crewe3 November 1910also Leader of the House of Lords
The Viscount Morley of Blackburn7 March 1911 
The Earl of Crewe25 May 1911also Leader of the House of Lords; created Marquess of Crewe 3 July 1911
Under-Secretary of State for IndiaJohn Edward Ellis12 December 1905 
Charles Hobhouse29 January 1907 
Thomas Buchanan12 April 1908 
The Master of Elibank5 June 1909 
Edwin Samuel Montagu20 February 1910 
Charles Henry Roberts17 February 1914 
First Lord of the AdmiraltyThe Lord Tweedmouth10 December 1905 
Reginald McKenna12 April 1908 
Winston Churchill23 October 1911 
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the AdmiraltyEdmund Robertson12 December 1905 
Thomas James Macnamara13 April 1908 
Civil Lord of the AdmiraltyGeorge Lambert18 December 1905 
President of the Board of Agriculture and FisheriesThe Earl Carrington10 December 1905 
Walter Runciman23 October 1911 
The Lord Lucas of Crudwell6 August 1914 
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture and FisheriesSir Edward Strachey, Bt20 December 1909 
The Lord Lucas23 October 1911 
Sir Harry Verney, Bt10 August 1914 
President of the Board of EducationAugustine Birrell10 December 1905 
Reginald McKenna23 January 1907 
Walter Runciman12 April 1908 
Jack Pease23 October 1911 
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of EducationThomas Lough18 December 1905 
Thomas McKinnon Wood13 April 1908 
Sir Charles Trevelyan, Bt19 October 1908 
Christopher Addison10 August 1914 
Chief Secretary for IrelandJames Bryce10 December 1905 
Augustine Birrell23 January 1907 
Vice President of the Department of Agriculture for IrelandSir Horace Plunkett12 December 1905 
Thomas Russell21 May 1907 
Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterSir Henry Fowler10 December 1905created Viscount Wolverhampton 4 May 1908
The Lord Fitzmaurice13 October 1908 
Herbert Samuel25 June 1909 
Jack Pease14 February 1910 
Charles Hobhouse23 October 1911 
Charles Masterman11 February 1914 
Edwin Samuel Montagu3 February 1915 
President of the Local Government BoardJohn Burns10 December 1905 
Herbert Samuel11 February 1914 
Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government BoardWalter Runciman18 December 1905 
Thomas James Macnamara29 January 1907 
Charles Masterman12 April 1908 
Herbert Lewis7 July 1909 
Paymaster-GeneralRichard Causton12 December 1905 
Ivor Guest23 February 1910created Lord Ashby St Ledgers 15 March 1910
The Lord Strachie23 May 1912 
Postmaster-GeneralSydney Buxton10 December 1905 
Herbert Samuel14 February 1910 
Charles Hobhouse11 February 1914 
Assistant Postmaster-GeneralSir Henry Norman3 January 1910 
Cecil Norton20 February 1910 
Secretary for ScotlandJohn Sinclair12 April 1908created Lord Pentland 15 February 1909
Thomas McKinnon Wood13 February 1912 
President of the Board of TradeDavid Lloyd George10 December 1905 
Winston Churchill12 April 1908 
Sydney Buxton14 February 1910 
John Burns11 February 1914 
Walter Runciman5 August 1914 
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of TradeHudson Kearley18 December 1905created a Baronet 22 July 1908
Harold Tennant10 January 1909 
J. M. Robertson25 October 1911 
First Commissioner of WorksLewis Harcourt10 December 1905entered cabinet 27 March 1907
The Earl Beauchamp3 November 1910 
The Lord Emmott6 August 1914 
Attorney GeneralSir John Lawson Walton12 December 1905 
Sir William Robson28 January 1908 
Sir Rufus Isaacs7 October 1910entered cabinet 4 June 1912
Sir John Simon19 October 1913 
Solicitor GeneralSir William Robson12 December 1905 
Sir Samuel Thomas Evans28 January 1908 
Sir Rufus Isaacs6 March 1910 
Sir John Simon7 October 1910 
Sir Stanley Buckmaster19 October 1913 
Lord AdvocateThomas Shaw12 December 1905 
Alexander Ure14 February 1909 
Robert Munro30 October 1913 
Solicitor General for ScotlandAlexander Ure18 December 1905 
Arthur Dewar18 February 1909 
William Hunter18 April 1910 
Andrew Anderson3 December 1911 
Thomas Brash Morison30 October 1913 
Attorney General for IrelandRichard Robert Cherry20 December 1905 
Redmond John Barry2 December 1909 
Charles Andrew O'Connor26 September 1911 
Ignatius O'Brien24 June 1912 
Thomas Molony10 April 1913 
John Francis Moriarty20 June 1913 
Jonathan Pim1 July 1914 
Solicitor General for IrelandRedmond John Barry20 December 1905 
Charles Andrew O'Connor2 December 1909 
Ignatius O'Brien19 October 1911 
Thomas Molony24 June 1912 
John Francis Moriarty25 April 1913 
Jonathan Pim20 June 1913 
James O'Connor1 July 1914 
Lord Steward of the HouseholdThe Lord Hawkesbury18 December 1905created Earl of Liverpool 22 December 1905
The Earl Beauchamp31 July 1907 
The Earl of Chesterfield22 June 1910 
Lord Chamberlain of the HouseholdThe Viscount Althorp18 December 1905succeeded as 6th Earl Spencer 13 August 1910
The Lord Sandhurst14 February 1912 
Vice-Chamberlain of the HouseholdWentworth Beaumont18 December 1905succeeded as 2nd Lord Allendale 13 February 1907
John Fuller27 February 1907created a Baronet 7 July 1910
Geoffrey Howard6 February 1911 
Master of the HorseThe Earl of Sefton18 December 1905 
The Earl of Granard6 September 1907 
Treasurer of the HouseholdSir Edward Strachey, Bt18 December 1905 
William Dudley Ward20 December 1909 
Frederick Edward Guest21 February 1912 
Comptroller of the HouseholdThe Master of Elibank18 December 1905 
The Earl of Liverpool (2nd)12 July 1909 
The Lord Saye and Sele1 November 1912 
Government Chief Whip in the House of LordsThe Lord Ribblesdale18 December 1905 
The Lord Denman29 May 1907 
The Lord Colebrooke15 March 1911 
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-ArmsThe Earl Beauchamp18 December 1905 
The Lord Denman31 July 1907 
The Lord Colebrooke26 June 1911 
Captain of the Yeomen of the GuardThe Duke of Manchester18 December 1905 
The Lord Allendale29 April 1907 
The Earl of Craven2 October 1911 
Lords in WaitingThe Lord Denman18 December 1905 – 31 July 1907 
The Earl of Granard18 December 1905 – 21 August 1907 
The Lord Acton18 December 1905 – 25 May 1915 
The Earl Granville18 December 1905 – 25 May 1915 
The Lord Hamilton of Dalzell18 December 1905 – 2 October 1911 
The Lord Colebrooke21 February 1906 – 26 June 1911 
The Lord Herschell31 July 1907 – 25 May 1915 
The Lord O'Hagan1 November 1907 – 15 April 1910 
The Lord Tweedmouth15 April 1910 – 4 December 1911 
The Lord Willingdon19 July 1911 – 31 January 1913 
The Viscount Allendale2 October 1911 – 25 May 1915 
The Lord Ashby St Ledgers31 January 1913 – 8 February 1915succeeded as 2nd Lord Wimborne 22 February 1914
The Lord Stanmore1 May 1914 – 25 May 1915 
The Lord Ranksborough8 February 1915 – 25 May 1915 

See also

References

  1. https://archive.org/details/governmentsrecor00libeuoft
  2. Tanner, Duncan (1990). "Ideas and politics, 1906-1914". Political Change and the Labour Party 1900-1918. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 48. ISBN 0521329817.
  3. Murray, Bruce (Autumn 2009). "The "People's Budget" A Century On" (PDF). Journal of Liberal History (Liberal Democrat History Group) (64): 4–13. Retrieved 9 Aug 2015.
  4. Waterhouse, Michael (2013). Edwardian Requiem: A Life of Sir Edward Grey. London: Biteback Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781849545808.
  5. Murray, Bruce (1980). "The Budget in the Cabinet". The People's Budget: 1909–1910 ; Lloyd George and Liberal Politics. Clarendon Press. p. 149.
  6. Jackson, Patrick (Autumn 2003). "Biography: Lewis Harcourt" (PDF). Journal of Liberal History (Liberal Democrat History Group) (40): 14–17.
  7. Campbell, John (2010). "H. H. Asquith and David Lloyd George". Pistols at Dawn: Two Hundred Years of Political Rivalry from Pitt and Fox to Blair and Brown. London: Vintage. p. 149. ISBN 9781845950910.
  8. Smith, Neil (1972). "Social reform in Edwardian liberalism: the genesis of the policies of national insurance and old age pensions, 1906–11 - Durham e-Theses". Durham E-Theses. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  9. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jQQUCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA82&dq=They+sought+to+respond+to+the+discontent+of+the+electorate+by+using+the+existing+structure+of+government+to+correct+the+ills+of+society+through+innovative+legislation&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=They%20sought%20to%20respond%20to%20the%20discontent%20of%20the%20electorate%20by%20using%20the%20existing%20structure%20of%20government%20to%20correct%20the%20ills%20of%20society%20through%20innovative%20legislation&f=false
  10. Earl Loreburn from 1911.
  11. Marquess of Crewe from 1911
  12. Viscount Haldane from 1911
  13. Lord Pentland from 1909
  14. Lord Reading from 1913.

Source: Butler, David and Gareth Butler. Twentieth Century British Political Facts, 1900–2000. (St. Martin's, 2000)

Preceded by
Balfour Ministry
Government of the United Kingdom
1905–1915
Succeeded by
Second Asquith Ministry
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