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Unrest in Postwar Britain
The British government had a great deal of difficulty in adjusting to post-war politics. Though David Lloyd George, the prime minister, had returned from the Paris Peace Conference to general approval, things gradually began to look less rosy. Demobilization caused much difficulty in England. Overseen by the Ministry of Reconstruction, the British government called back from Europe those men deemed most necessary at home; these men were often those who had been most recently sent over the channel. Long-term military personnel grew angry, and, after a number of demonstrations, the policy of “first in, first out” was set to appease the military.
Immediately after World War I, workers in many key industries began to strike, demanding higher wages, better working conditions, and shorter hours now that the war was ended. Workers in the mining and railway industries were especially adamant, and troops were called in on a number of occasions. However, the spirit of the labor movements did not blossom in Britain as it did elsewhere, and the socialist goal of nationalization of industry was put on hold. Factories owned by the government were sold off, and soon practically no businesses remained in government hands.
Political Instability
However, political stability could not be maintained. In 1922, David Lloyd George resigned, and the coalition of parties under him fragmented, ushering in a period of uncertainty. Control swung from the leftist Labour Party to the British Conservative Party and back again. After the Samuel Commission advocated wage reductions in the coal industry in March 1926, the Triple Alliance—made up of miners, rail workers, and other transport workers—began to strike, with workers in other industries around the nation striking in sympathy. However, the spirit of Conservatism remained high and the government held out. The miners went back to work in December, forced by necessity, and the Trade Disputes Act of 1927 made sympathetic striking illegal. However, labor did have some wins in the interwar decades, most notably with the passage of the Unemployment Insurance Act of 1920.
The onset of the depression in the early 1930s tore the British Parliament apart, as disagreement over recovery measures divided the nation. Labour advocated extremely leftist policies and radical spending, while the Liberal and Conservative Parties were divided within themselves over just what to do. The election of 1931 was a marked success for the Conservatives, who emerged with a vast majority in Parliament. However, despite the Party’s protectionist efforts, the depression grew steadily worse. The remainder of the peacetime years was spent dabbling in different potential solutions to the nation's economic problems.
Foreign Policy
In the realm of foreign relations, the only major issue was the resurgence of German aggression. Focusing on its own problems, Britain had attempted to stay relatively removed from European power politics during the inter-war years, a project which enjoyed fair success until Nazi Germany began to rear its ugly head. Prime minister Neville Chamberlain pursued the failed policy of appeasement regarding Adolf Hitler's aggression, signing the Munich Pact in 1938. The move was a failure, and Hitler soon demonstrated his desire for total European domination, to which the British responded with a declaration of war on September 3, 1939.
Though Chamberlain’s policies in office were questionable, he did prove that he had learned one thing from the interwar years. By accepting his rival, Winston Churchill, as his successor, he prepared his party for the political transition. This allowed Britain to avoid the destructive divisions that had doomed previous transitions of power and caused drastic political realignments. For a country on the cusp of war, this was vital.
