Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald was a Labour politician, member of the Parliament, and prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Contents
History
MacDonald began doing electioneering work for Hardie's Independent Labour Party (ILP) in 1894. He stood for several Parliamentary elections, none of which he won.
In 1900 he was elected secretary of the new Labour Representation Committee (LRC), a precursor to the Labour Party. In this position, he negotiated the Lib-Lab Pact with Liberal Herbert Gladstone. The Liberal Party agreed to not contest several boroughs, enabling Labour to win 29 seats in the 1906 general election. MacDonald was one of those elected.
In 1911 he became leader of the PLP. He opposed joining World War 1, but the party itself moved to support the Asquith government. MacDonald therefore resigned as leader in 1914.
He returned as party leader in 1922.
Baldwin called snap elections in late 1923; the Conservatives however lost their majority. His government then lost a vote of confidence in January, enabling MacDonald to form the first Labour government with Liberal supply and confidence.
The government was toppled by the so-called Campbell Case. J. R. Campbell, editor of Workers' Weekly, published in July 1924 an article encouraging servicemen to mutiny. After MacDonald had the criminal indictment against Campbell withdrawn, a motion of censure was introduced. MacDonald declared defeating the motion a vote of confidence. When it passed overwhelmingly, he called snap elections. Held in October, Baldwin led the Conservatives to win a commanding majority.
Following the May 1929 elections, MacDonald again formed a minority government with Liberal supply and confidence.
In response to the Great Depression, he aimed to implement budget cuts and keep the gold standard. His cabinet mutinied against his policy proposals, and he planned to call snap elections, but he was instead persuaded to form a coalition government with the Conservatives. The Invergordon Mutiny nonetheless forced him to abandon the gold standard.
While the coalition proved effective and popular, Labour itself lost seats in the 1931 general elections.
In 1935, amid failing health, MacDonald swapped positions with Baldwin, serving in the coalition now as lord president. He retired in 1937 and died shortly thereafter.
Policies
MacDonald opposed the reparations and restrictions forced on Germany through Versailles. He negotiated with Herriot to, among other concessions, end to the occupation of the Ruhr.
He spoke in favor of general disarmament in the League of Nations.
He established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. He negotiated a treaty that would have guaranteed the bonds issued by Imperial Russia to British citizens in exchange for a new loan to the Soviet government. This treaty was received by Parliament overwhelmingly negatively.
He was an advocate for home rule. The Westminster Statute in 1931 granted dominion status to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The Irish Free State officially held that England had already ceded the right to govern Ireland, so technically this statute was never adopted there, but dominion status was similarly offered.