Votes for women – when the Liberals called an election in 1918, they realised that the residency

requirement (needing to live in a constituency for a year) wouldn’t allow many war veterans to vote.
In addition to this, they decided to add on votes for women. However, this measure said that all men
could vote – and women who were over 30 could vote (because women were flighty and hysterical)
and had to pay a certain amount of rent or own a certain amount of property.

Background
 The first trade unions were for skilled workers who felt threatened by automation
o They were nicknamed New Model Unions
o They were quite conservative – they believed in capitalism, didn’t strike unless as a
last resort, etc.
 By 1875, it was legal to have trade unions, and it was legal to go out on strike (i.e. you could
go out and not lose your job). These reforms were introduced by the Conservatives.
 However, unskilled labourers felt disenfranchised – but were increasingly becoming literate –
so, from the 1880s, trade unions for unskilled workers were formed.
o This was called New Unionism. These unions are more likely to go on strike, more
violence, more radical, keener on socialism.
o These really concerned the employers and government, who were afraid of
revolution. In the 1880s, many unions striking got pay raises, which encouraged their
setup even more.
 Osborne Judgement of 1909 – he opposed a portion of his trade union fees going to the
Labour Party (the political levy). The court rule in favour of Osborne, where the money was
“opt-in”. The Liberal Government reverses this in the Trade Unions of 1913, to make it “opt-
out”. They did this to curry favour with the unions. This demonstrated the strength of the
trade unions.

 he Labour Party would not have been created if the Liberals and Conservatives had been
responsive enough to the needs of the workers. The Secret Ballot was introduced in Britain.

They also wanted to achieve the “closed shop” – that employers could only hire someone who was
already part of the trade union. Karl Marx wrote that the workers could only succeed with a change of
mindset – that everyone like them is in the same boat, and they must act together. Marx said this was
very difficult, because the system was designed to introduce competition between the workers. He
called the unity between workers “working class solidarity”. Employers naturally did not like trade
unionism. So in the late 19th and early 20th century, courts make a series of rulings AGAINST trade
unions.

Taff Vale, 1901. 1899, Lyons vs Wilkins, declared that workers could not picket. This emant that
employers could hire other workers to immediately replace striking workers. This enraged trade
unions. This convinced trade unions that they needed to be in power to change the laws.

What they agreed, it was agreed that Home Rule would not be passed until after WWI, but everyone
assumed that this would be by the end of the year. John Redmond, leader of the IPP, said to the people
of Ireland – be loyal and fight for the country. He wanted Home Rule to be passed legally, and knew
Home Rule was on the horizon. So, 90% of the Irish volunteers fought for Great Britain, and 100% of
the Ulster volunteers. However, because, Irish feeling against Britain after WWI was very strong,
these IV did not come home as heroes, nor were they memorialised. Also, the 10% of IV who refused
would cause problems. The Ulster Volunteers were decimated on the first day of the Somme. The
people of Ireland, felt deeply angry because their people were being slaughtered by English generals,
yet not getting Home Rule. In 1915, a coalition is formed to fight the war. Bonar Law, as leader of the
conservatives, joins this coalition. This deeply concerned the Irish (because Conservatives were the
enemies of the people). They asked John Redmond to join the Cabinet, but Redmond refused – he said
that he would only join the cabinet AFTER home rule was implemented. This was a major mistake.

The 10% of the IV who did not fight in the war renamed themselves as the Irish Republican
Brotherhood (later the IRA). The IRB wanted to start a revolution in Ireland.- namely in the Easter
Rising of 1916. The IRB tried taking various buildings, but they only took the Post Office in Dublin.
What they hoped was that the people of Dublin would rise up in the support of them, and then the
other Irish people. However, this didn’t happen. The British just shot the hell out of them with
warships. Although this was a humiliating failure, it was a great symbolic victory for the Irish.
However, Britain’s response was a deep mistake. Their heavyhanded response was incredibly
unpopular, and alienated the Irish so that they not only wanted Home Rule, but wanted independence.
Martial Law introduced in Ireland – as if the whole island had participated in the uprising. Thousands
who were considered to be “politically suspect” were arrested and deported to Britain.

The British discovered who the 15 ringleaders of the uprising were, and executed them by firing
squad. One person was dying anyway, but they too him half-conscious out of the hospital and simply
shot him. There was a lot of anger against this in the Irish, both domestically and internationally – for
example, many irish in the us were appalled and this hindered their involvement in WW1.
Increase in support for Sinn Fein, decline in support for Home Rule.

In May after the Easter Rising, Britain introduced conscription. Ireland was exempt, however. The
UK government aso illegalised Sinn Fein, games of football, etc. In the election of 1918 after the war,
Sinn Fein wins most of the votes (more than a quarter of the candidates were in prison from the Easter
Rising). They therefore declared themselves the official government of Ireland.