Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin was a Conservative politician, member of the Parliament, and prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Contents
History
Stanley's father, Alfred Baldwin, died in 1908. He succeeded his father in directorship of the Great Western Railway and, following a by-election, in representing Bewdley in the House of Commons.
In 1917, during the coalition government led by George, Baldwin was appointed to the Treasury. He rose rapidly and, by 1921, was also president of the board of trade.
By 1922, Conservative discontent against the coalition government had grown substantially. A backbench revolt known as the Carlton Club meeting coordinated a withdrawal of confidence in the government, forced all members serving in the coalition government to resign, and ultimately triggered new elections. Despite being a member of the government, Baldwin was a leading figure in this revolt.
Chamberlain was replaced with Law as party leader. After winning the elections outright, nearly all coalitionists were sidelined. Baldwin was appointed chancellor of the exchequer. Law's health again forced him to resign the next year, and he died shortly after. Baldwin succeeded him as prime minister and party leader in May.
In November he called for snap elections; the Conservatives however lost their majority in the December elections. Baldwin's government then lost a vote of confidence the month after.
A snap election was held again in October 1924, in which Baldwin recaptured a majority. His second government notably included Chamberlain and Churchill.
He lost a majority again in the 1929 elections, but remained as party leader.
During the Great Depression, Baldwin served in a unity government headed by MacDonald. He held significant power in this government, especially as Labour dwindled in the 1931 elections and as MacDonald's health failed. He eventually succeeded the leadership of the coalition in 1935.
He retired in 1937, with Chamberlain inheriting leadership.
Policies
Baldwin was strongly anti-union. He pushed the Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act of 1927 to curb their powers.
He strengthened diplomatic relations with Germany, as through the the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, and generally pursued a policy of appeasement.