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Conservative Re-election
The Conservatives, benefiting from British success in the Boer War, and from splits in the Liberal Party, were returned to power. Lord Salisbury remained as prime minister and became the last premier to sit in the House of Lords. -
The 'Taff Vale' case leads to the birth of the Labour party
The Taff Vale Railway Company successfully sued a trade union, the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, for the costs of industrial action taken by its members. The Labour Representative Committee, a socialist federation formed in 1900, convinced the trade unions that the political representation of labour was now essential. This organisation later became the Labour party. -
Treaty of Vereeniging ends the Second Boer War
The treaty of Vereeniging confirmed British victory over the Boer republics after three years of war, and laid the foundations for the Union of South Africa. Notably, it still ignored the rights of the black population. The cost and conduct of the war prompted concerns that Britain was no longer fit for its imperial role. -
Arthur Balfour succeeds Lord Salisbury as prime minister
The Conservatives, led by the Marquess of Salisbury, dominated British politics after the Liberals' split over the issue of 'Home Rule' for Ireland in 1886. Salisbury's successor and nephew, Arthur Balfour, shared with his uncle an interest in foreign imperial policy. He was premier for two-and-a-half years. -
'Lib-Lab' pact enables Labour to break into national politics
A secret pact was ratified between the Liberal party and the Labour Representative Committee, which in certain constituencies allowed Labour a free run at elections, unimpeded by a Liberal candidate. In the long run, the pact may have done more to destroy the Liberal party than preserve it. -
Women's Social and Political Union is formed to campaign for women's suffrage
The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was founded by six women, of whom Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst soon became the most prominent. Frustrated at the lack of progress on women's rights, their activities soon became more confrontational, and included prison hunger strikes. -
'Entente Cordiale' is signed between Britain and France
This agreement reconciled British and French imperial interests, particularly in Africa, but also marked the end of centuries of intermittent conflict and paved the way for future diplomatic and military cooperation. The two countries were united in their suspicion of Germany's ambitions. Germany, in turn, hoped to persuade Britain to abandon the alliance -
Liberals form a government under Henry Campbell-Bannerman
In November, the Conservative Prime Minister Arthur Balfour tried to expose the divisions within the Liberal opposition by resigning, but his rival Henry Campbell-Bannerman formed a Liberal government and then led it to a smashing success at the polls in January 1906. Armed with an overall majority, the Liberals embarked on a programme of social reform. -
Herbert Asquith becomes Liberal prime minister
Illness had forced Liberal Prime Minister Henry Campbell-Bannerman to resign, and he was succeeded by Herbert Asquith. In his cabinet reshuffle, Asquith brought in Reginald McKenna and Winston Churchill, and appointed the radical, David Lloyd George, as chancellor of the exchequer. -
Parliament approves old age pensions
New legislation gave a weekly means-tested pension of a maximum of five shillings to all those aged over 70. Only about half a million people received the pension, and thus the significance of the legislation lay as much in the fact that it established a principle as in its immediate benefits. -
Chancellor David Lloyd George introduces the 'People's Budget'
The introduction of the new 'Dreadnought' class battleship and the subsequent naval arms race with Germany prompted David Lloyd George, the chancellor of the exchequer, to introduce a tax on land, to increase income tax, and to propose a 'super-tax' on incomes over £5,000 per annum. He presented these increases as designed to fund social reforms. -
House of Lords rejects the 'People's Budget'
In rejecting Chancellor David Lloyd George's budget, the Conservative-dominated House of Lords broke the parliamentary convention that the upper house should not overturn a financial bill. This ensured that House of Lords reform was one of the issues at stake in the next general election. -
Liberals win the election but lose their overall majority
The election precipitated by the Lords' rejection of the 'People's Budget' resulted in 275 seats for the Liberals, 273 for the Conservatives and 40 for Labour. The budget was then passed. The Irish Nationalists, with 82, were now in a position to force Irish 'Home Rule' back up the agenda.The election precipitated by the Lords' rejection of the 'People's Budget' resulted in 275 seats for the Liberals, 273 for the Conservatives and 40 for Labour. The budget was then passed. The Irish Nationalis -
Edward VII dies and is succeeded by George V
Both Edward VII, who died in 1910, and his son, George V, ensured that the monarchy was more active than it had been in the latter years of Victoria's reign, but they exercised their influence discreetly. Edward's funeral brought together the royalty of Europe - many of them his relations - for the last time before war broke out in 1914. -
Liberals retain power in the second general election of the 1910
After the general election in February, efforts to broker a deal on parliamentary reform failed, and the Liberals went back to the polls at the end of the year. They and the Conservatives each secured 272 seats, and, with Labour supporting the Liberals, the Irish Nationalists held the balance of power. -
House of Lords loses its power of veto over legislation
The Liberals finally forced through House of Lords reform, which had been on the cards for two years. The reforms meant that the Lords could not veto legislation that had passed the House of Commons in three successive sessions, and that parliament itself would be dissolved after five years, not seven. In separate legislation, pay for members of parliament was introduced. -
National Insurance Act provides cover against sickness and unemployment
Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George devised a contributory scheme of health insurance for those in employment, which provided payment for medical treatment. Grafted on to the act was a limited plan for unemployment benefit drawn up by Winston Churchill. With this legislation, the Liberals laid the foundations of the Welfare State. -
Liberals propose Irish 'Home Rule' for the third time
Reflecting their dependence on Irish Nationalist votes in the House of Commons, the Liberals proposed 'Home Rule' for Ireland. In response, Ulster Protestants and unionists formed the Ulster Volunteer Force, a paramilitary force which threatened the government with civil war if the measure was carried. -
Britain declares war on Germany in response to the invasion of Belgium
When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia in July, Serbia's ally Russia mobilised its army. Austria-Hungary's ally, Germany, in turn declared war on Russia. Russia's alliance with France now threatened Germany with war on two fronts. Germany acted to quickly neutralise France by a well-planned surprise invasion through neutral Belgium - the 'Schlieffen Plan'. Britain, as guarantor of Belgian neutrality, told Germany to withdraw. The ultimatum expired on 4 August and Britain duly declared war. -
Herbert Asquith forms a coalition government
Liberal Prime Minister Herbert Asquith formed a coalition government following the 'Shell Crisis', which was sparked press reports of shell shortages at the front. The principal beneficiaries of this coalition in terms of the top jobs remained the Liberals rather than the Conservatives. -
Conscription is introduced in Britain
In addition to raising a large army, Britain needed to allocate its manpower rationally between military service and wartime production to meet the demands of 'total war'. Conscription enabled it to do both. Opposition to the measure in the House of Commons was limited (36 votes to 383), but parliament still acknowledged the rights of the individual in allowing conscientious objection. -
Irish rebels of the 'Easter Rising' seize the post office in Dublin
Irish nationalists, supplied with German rifles, rebelled at Easter and seized key buildings in Dublin, including the post office where their final stand was made. Most of the population was unsupportive and the rebellion was crushed within a week. The British executed the leaders, inadvertently making martyrs of the rebels and inspiring those who followed. -
David Lloyd George becomes prime minister
Prime Minister Herbert Asquith opposed the creation of a smaller war committee to run the war effort on a daily basis. His Liberal colleague and Minister for Munitions David Lloyd George, with the support of the Conservatives, used the split to force Asquith out and replace him as prime minister. Lloyd George set up a war cabinet whose members were freed from other cabinet duties.