The Liberal administrations before 1914 saw a remarkable efflorescence of domestic reform and, not surprisingly, this period produces regular exam questions. Yet, as with every ‘topic’, it is not self-contained, and therefore you must adopt a wide approach. Do not neglect Irish affairs or foreign policy. You also need to add on the years 1901-5 in order to cover questions on so-called ‘Edwardian’ Britain (that is, 1901-14, despite the accession of George V in 1910).

The first thing to do is divide the period into manageable sub-divisions and gain a good knowledge of events:

a. Domestic reforms: you need details of the important social legislation passed by the Liberals, including old-age pensions (1908), the introduction of labour exchanges and the People’s Budget (1909), the Parliament Act and the National Insurance Act (1911). Study of these reforms will also inevitably involve knowledge of the leading political figures of the day and of the general elections.

b. Similarly, you should be aware of the campaigns for women’s suffrage.

c. Social and economic affairs: was this a period of contrasting affluence and poverty? Were the rich getting richer and the poor poorer? Do not neglect industrial relations.

d. Irish affairs are also inextricably intertwined with domestic politics. You need to understand the conflict in Ireland, its connections with the Liberal and Conservative parties, and the terms of the 1914 Home Rule Bill.

e. Foreign affairs were less affected by party politics and, indeed, the cabinet was kept remarkably ill-informed, but you also need to know about the events leading to Britain’s declaration of war against Germany on 4 August 1914.

Finally, you must try to assess the period as a whole. Was this some sort of golden age, a pre-war idyll? Or was it a time of escalating tensions? Compiling an overall timeline will help you appreciate the interconnections between events.

a. Why were the Liberals’ early reforms so disappointing to the party?

b. When and why did Lloyd George determine that the powers of the House of Lords had to be curtailed?

c. What were the root causes of the industrial unrest - rising prices, syndicalism, or union or capitalist militancy? When did the unrest peak?

d. To what extent was the female suffrage campaign a consequence of general socio-economic changes in the position of women in British society? What effects did suffragist and suffragette actions have on Liberal politicians?

e. Why did the government not take firmer action to settle the problems of Ireland? Why did the Conservatives give such outspoken support to the Protestants of Ulster?

f. What caused the deterioration in international affairs? Try to assess the responsibility of Grey in particular and the government in general, as against that of the other powers, including Germany.

g. What credence do you give to Dangerfield’s thesis that Liberal England was dying in these years? What was the state of the Liberal party on the eve of war? Was there a new emphasis on force rather than discussion, compromise and agreement?

a. What were the main ideas of the thinkers, especially Hobhouse and Hobson, associated with ‘New Liberalism’? To what extent did these ideas really convert Liberal politicians? Was the cabinet divided between ‘old’ and ‘new’ Liberals?

b. Why did workers show such initial reluctance to accept Lloyd George’s reforms?

c. Were the Liberals losing ground to Labour in this period? Examine by-elections in 1911-14.

d. How significant is the 1905-14 period in the ‘decline of the Liberal party’?

e. What part did the social reforms play in the evolution of social policy in Britain? Were they a fundamental or an incremental change on previous social policies? Did the reforms of the Labour government of 1945-50 merely extend those of Asquith and Lloyd George?

f. How prevalent was poverty in this period, and how was poverty assessed? In the memoirs of those who lived through the Great War, is the pre-war period viewed through rose-tinted spectacles?