The Progressive Alliance and the Rise of Labour, 1903-1922

Description

This book provides a detailed study of the politics of the Progressive Alliance at the constituency level from its inception in 1903 to collapse during the First World War. It evaluates the character, development and difficulties of progressive co-operation and considers the long-term viability of an electoral alliance between the Liberal and Labour parties. Samantha Wolstencroft provides an exhaustive analysis of political change in two of Britain’s major industrial centres, Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent, during a period that witnessed the decline of the Liberal Party and rise of Labour. She evaluates the difficulties faced by the early Labour Party in its attempt to attain a foothold within the political landscape, examines the impact of the experience of the First World War upon the political parties, and demonstrates the power of issues and the role of candidates in the transformation of electoral politics in Britain in the immediate aftermath of war. Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii Introduction: Historians and the Decline of the Liberal Party (Samantha Wolstencroft)....Pages 1-33 The Politics of the Progressive Alliance: Manchester Liberalism and the Emergence of Labour, 1906–1908 (Samantha Wolstencroft)....Pages 35-61 The Viability of the Progressive Alliance: Electoral Politics in Manchester, 1910–1912 (Samantha Wolstencroft)....Pages 63-87 Municipal Politics and the Progressive Alliance in Manchester, 1906–1914 (Samantha Wolstencroft)....Pages 89-101 The Complexities of Progressive Cooperation: Lib-Labism and Electoral Politics in Stoke-on-Trent, 1903–1910 (Samantha Wolstencroft)....Pages 103-119 A Fragile Alliance: The 1912 Hanley By-Election (Samantha Wolstencroft)....Pages 121-138 The Impact of War and the Collapse of the Progressive Alliance: Political Change in Manchester, 1918–1922 (Samantha Wolstencroft)....Pages 139-168 Manchester’s Municipal Politics in the Aftermath of War and the 1922 General Election (Samantha Wolstencroft)....Pages 169-189 The Politics of Change: The End of Lib-Labism in Stoke-on-Trent, 1918–1921 (Samantha Wolstencroft)....Pages 191-209 The Rise of Labour: The 1922 General Election in Stoke-on-Trent (Samantha Wolstencroft)....Pages 211-230 Conclusion: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Alliance (Samantha Wolstencroft)....Pages 231-240 Back Matter ....Pages 241-247