OCR Specification focus:
‘Constitutional crisis 1909–1911: causes, course and results; the issue of women’s suffrage 1906–1914; problems in Ireland 1910–1914.’
The years 1906–1914 witnessed severe constitutional tensions, demands for women’s suffrage, and bitter conflict in Ireland. These political crises reshaped Britain’s democratic system and tested parliamentary authority.
The Constitutional Crisis 1909–1911
Background to the Crisis
The Liberal government of 1906, led by Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and later H. H. Asququith, introduced major social reforms that required higher public spending. To finance these measures, David Lloyd George’s People’s Budget of 1909 proposed steep taxes on the wealthy, particularly landowners, with the aim of redistributing wealth and funding welfare reforms.
The People’s Budget and Lords’ Veto
The House of Lords—dominated by Conservative peers—rejected the budget. This was a break from convention, as money bills were traditionally considered the prerogative of the Commons.
Cause of crisis: The Lords’ veto threatened the Commons’ authority and challenged parliamentary democracy.
Course of events: The rejection provoked two general elections in 1910. Both resulted in hung parliaments, forcing the Liberals to rely on the support of the Irish Nationalists and Labour MPs.
Key issue: Irish MPs demanded progress on Home Rule in exchange for their support, tying the constitutional crisis to Irish politics.
The Parliament Act 1911
The Liberals, with Irish backing, sought to limit the Lords’ powers.
First page of the Parliament Act 1911. The statute ended the Lords’ absolute veto, replacing it with a two-year delay (one month for money bills) and reduced the maximum life of a Parliament to five years. Shown here as a contemporaneous printed Act, it is an authoritative primary source. Source
Provisions of the Act:
The Lords lost their absolute veto over legislation, retaining only the power of a two-year delay.
Money bills were placed entirely under the control of the Commons.
The maximum length of a Parliament was reduced from seven to five years.
Parliament Act 1911: Legislation that curtailed the powers of the House of Lords, ensuring the primacy of the House of Commons.
This settlement ended the immediate constitutional crisis but left enduring debates about the legitimacy of the Lords.
Women’s Suffrage 1906–1914
Suffragist Campaigns
The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), led by Millicent Fawcett, pursued gradual, lawful reform. Their peaceful lobbying gained sympathy but limited progress in Parliament.
The Militancy of the Suffragettes
In contrast, the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), founded by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903, grew increasingly militant after 1906.
WSPU propaganda poster featuring “Justice” with a W.S.P.U. banner, used to promote the movement’s periodical The Suffragette. The image exemplifies militant suffragette messaging and iconography before 1914. It includes the newspaper masthead, which provides additional—but closely related—context. Source
Tactics: Public demonstrations, hunger strikes, window-smashing, arson attacks, and heckling politicians.
Government response: Harsh imprisonment and force-feeding of hunger strikers provoked public outcry.
Force-feeding: The practice of restraining hunger-striking suffragette prisoners and feeding them against their will, often violently, through tubes.
Political Responses
The Liberal government was divided: some ministers were sympathetic, others hostile.
Bills proposing female suffrage were introduced but repeatedly blocked or delayed, often by the Lords.
By 1914, frustration with political obstruction had radicalised suffragette action further, contributing to rising public disorder.
The Irish Question 1910–1914
Background and Nationalist Demands
The Irish Parliamentary Party, led by John Redmond, sought Home Rule—self-government within the United Kingdom. The Liberals, dependent on Irish votes, revived the issue after 1910.
The Third Home Rule Bill (1912)
With the Lords’ veto weakened by the 1911 Act, the government introduced a third Home Rule Bill in 1912. It passed the Commons but faced bitter opposition.
Unionist opposition: Led by Edward Carson and supported by Conservatives, Unionists in Ulster resisted any weakening of ties with Britain.
Ulster Volunteers: In 1913, they formed a paramilitary organisation to resist Home Rule by force if necessary.
Curragh Incident (1914): British Army officers suggested they might refuse orders to act against Ulster Unionists, exposing the government’s weakness.
The Role of the Lords
Before 1911, the Lords had blocked Home Rule bills. After their powers were limited, Unionists had to rely on threats of resistance rather than parliamentary obstruction.
Escalation Towards Civil Conflict
By 1914:
Nationalists had formed the Irish Volunteers to counter Unionist militias.
Both sides were arming, raising fears of civil war.
The outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 delayed the implementation of Home Rule, which was suspended for the duration of the war.
Home Rule: A constitutional arrangement granting Ireland its own parliament and limited self-government while remaining part of the United Kingdom.
Interconnections of Crisis, Suffrage, and Home Rule
The constitutional crisis, suffrage campaigns, and the Irish problem overlapped in this period:
The Parliament Act 1911, won through Irish support, weakened the Lords, enabling Home Rule legislation.
Women’s suffrage campaigns exposed limits of reform within the existing political system.
The clash between democratic principle and entrenched interests in Lords, Unionists, and the government framed Britain’s politics up to the First World War.
FAQ
The Lords saw the budget as a direct attack on their landowning class, since it introduced heavy taxation on land and wealth.
They argued that the proposals went beyond routine financial measures and were instead a fundamental redistribution of property. Breaking convention, they chose to reject it to protect their political and social interests.
King George V played a decisive role by agreeing to create hundreds of new Liberal peers if the Lords continued to block the Act.
This threat undermined the Lords’ confidence, forcing them to pass the measure rather than face permanent dilution of their influence.
Labour MPs supported the Liberal government in the Commons, seeing the reduction of the Lords’ powers as essential to advancing social reform.
Their votes were crucial in both 1910 elections and in ensuring the Parliament Act passed. Labour also portrayed the struggle as one between democracy and aristocracy.
Reactions were mixed:
Some sympathised with women after witnessing force-feeding of hunger strikers.
Others condemned violent acts such as arson and bombing, believing they harmed the cause.
Newspapers often sensationalised militant actions, polarising opinion further.
This division weakened the chance of immediate reform, though it kept the issue in the public eye.
The Curragh Incident revealed that the British Army was unwilling to enforce Home Rule in Ulster.
Officers threatened to resign rather than act against Unionist opposition, showing the limits of government authority.
This emboldened Unionists, weakened the Liberal government’s position, and pushed Ireland closer to potential civil war.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks)
In which year was the Parliament Act passed, and what was its main effect on the powers of the House of Lords?
Mark Scheme:
1 mark for correctly identifying the year 1911.
1 mark for stating the main effect (e.g. limited the Lords’ veto to a delaying power of up to two years, or that money bills could not be blocked by the Lords).
Question 2 (6 marks)
Explain two reasons why the issue of Irish Home Rule created political tension in Britain between 1910 and 1914.
Mark Scheme:
Up to 3 marks per reason.
Award marks for valid reasons with development and supporting detail:
Reason 1 (up to 3 marks):
Identification: Unionist opposition in Ulster (1 mark).
Development: Led by Edward Carson and Conservatives (1 mark).
Supporting detail: Formation of the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1913 to resist Home Rule by force (1 mark).
Reason 2 (up to 3 marks):
Identification: Irish Nationalist pressure on the Liberal government (1 mark).
Development: Liberals depended on Irish Parliamentary Party votes after 1910 elections (1 mark).
Supporting detail: Passage of the Third Home Rule Bill in 1912 due to reduced Lords’ powers (1 mark).
Alternative valid reasons (max 3 marks each):
Tensions caused by the Curragh Incident (army officers threatened to resign rather than act against Unionists).
Escalation with the creation of the Irish Volunteers in response to Unionist militarisation.
