Labour Party: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:47, 23 January 2012

British political party founded in the early years of the 20th century. According to their website “the values Labour stands for today are those which have guided it throughout its existence”. These values are “social justice”, “strong community and strong values”, “reward for hard work”, “decency”, and “rights matched by responsibilities”. (labour.org.uk, “What is the Labour Party?”)

With the beginning of the 20th century religion no longer played the main role for giving the vote to a certain party, instead social orientation and class became more important. In this context, the Labour Party was formed as a coalition of mainly working class people, trade unionists and socialists. In February 1900 a “Conference on Labour Representation” was held at the Memorial Hall in London. The large number of different organisations which were present at this conference (i.e. the Independent Labour Party and the Social Democratic Federation) founded the “Labour Representation Committee” (LRC), which was not a “real” party yet. The Committee “had no members, only organisations affiliated to it”. (labour.org.uk, “History of the Labour Party”)

Jim Mortimer argues that “between the founding conference of the LRC in February 1900 and the 1906 General Election, after which the successful candidates endorsed by the LRC began to describe themselves as belonging to the Labour Party, the labour movement moved forward towards more effective political independence”. (Mortimer)

In the general elections of 1906 the Liberal Party displaced the Tories in the British government. The Liberal Party concluded an agreement with the LRC – who had won 29 seats in Parliament – which helped the Labour Party to constitute itself. In 1924, Britain saw the first Labour (minority) government under James Ramsay MacDonald - who had been secretary of the LRC - as first Labour Prime Minister, tolerated by the Liberals. After the general elections of 1924 the Labour Party replaced the Liberal Party as the second major party in Britain, next to the Conservatives.

In 1929, the second Labour government came into office (still as a minority administration), again under Ramsay MacDonald. But the effects of the Great Depression – especially the high unemployment – “caused a crisis within the cabinet” of the Labour government. As a result a National Government was formed with MacDonald as Prime Minister and liberal as well as conservative ministers.

Sources

Labour Party. <http://www.labour.org.uk/history_of_the_labour_party> [16.01.2012].

Maurer, Michael. Kleine Geschichte Englands. Aktualisierte und erweiterte Ausgabe. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2007.

Mortimer, Jim. “The Formation of the Labour Party. Lessons for Today”. Socialist History Occasional Papers Series (10/2000).

Spartacus Educational. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Plabour.htm> [16.01.2012].

YouTube. "The Man Who Would Lead Labour" (1924). <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7vl4OFSffY> [16.01.2012]. ("A look at the home and family life of incoming Labour Prime Minister Ramsay").

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	~~The Labour Party is a~~ British political party ~~which was~~ founded in the early years of the 20th century. According to their website “the values Labour stands for today are those which have guided it throughout its existence”. These values are “social justice”, “strong community and strong values”, “reward for hard work”, “decency”, and “rights matched by responsibilities”. (labour.org.uk, “What is the Labour Party?”)		British political party founded in the early years of the 20th century. According to their website “the values Labour stands for today are those which have guided it throughout its existence”. These values are “social justice”, “strong community and strong values”, “reward for hard work”, “decency”, and “rights matched by responsibilities”. (labour.org.uk, “What is the Labour Party?”)

	With the beginning of the 20th century religion no longer played the main role for giving the vote to a certain party, instead social orientation and class became more important. In this context, the Labour Party was formed as a coalition of mainly working class people, trade unionists and socialists. In February 1900 a “Conference on Labour Representation” was held at the Memorial Hall in London. The large number of different organisations which were present at this conference (i.e. the Independent Labour Party and the Social Democratic Federation) founded the “Labour Representation Committee” (LRC), which was not a “real” party yet. The Committee “had no members, only organisations affiliated to it”. (labour.org.uk, “History of the Labour Party”)		With the beginning of the 20th century religion no longer played the main role for giving the vote to a certain party, instead social orientation and class became more important. In this context, the Labour Party was formed as a coalition of mainly working class people, trade unionists and socialists. In February 1900 a “Conference on Labour Representation” was held at the Memorial Hall in London. The large number of different organisations which were present at this conference (i.e. the Independent Labour Party and the Social Democratic Federation) founded the “Labour Representation Committee” (LRC), which was not a “real” party yet. The Committee “had no members, only organisations affiliated to it”. (labour.org.uk, “History of the Labour Party”)