Fall of Lloyd George

1176 Words5 Pages
The reign of Lloyd George saw a number of fluctuations. Lloyd George won overwhelmingly in 1918 as ‘the man who won the war’. How is it that he fell from power in 1922 never to return to the premiership? A multitude of problems struck both Lloyd George and his government; some of which were his own faults whilst others were political circumstances beyond his control. These problems progressively mounted so high that they obscured Lloyd George's successes and toppled him from power, ultimately helping the Conservatives engineer his downfall. This essay will assess both internal factors, such as problems as home, centred on unemployment, coupled with external factors, including the Chanak Crisis. It will be argued that the Conservatives reaped power as a result of the combined internal and external problems, all of which amounted to a loss of confidence at home, and thereby created negative public perceptions of the Liberals. Lloyd George's post as Prime Minister was in a way doomed from the beginning. He came to power at the head of a coalition party making enemies along the way. Most notably Asquith and many other Liberal MPs people whom should have been supporters. Instead he became a prisoner of the Conservative Party; the main bulk of the coalition. Lloyd George's policies of reform and views on the Irish question were incompatible with many Conservatives, many of whom abandoned him when they came to power. This incompatibility stifled the coalition's progress. The high hopes of a "land fit for heroes" meant this lack of progress especially hurt his reputation in office. This internal factor was thereby key in helping the Conservatives engineer his downfall. This lack of progress was also due to a general downturn in the economy: caused by WW1 and the growth of competition abroad. A policy of retrenchment was introduced after a short boom. Retrenchment did not
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