Citizendia
Your Ad Here

The Right Honourable
 Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
In office
24 August 1931 – 7 June 1935
Monarch George V
Preceded by himself, leading Labour Government 1929-1931
Resigned and reappointed same day
Succeeded by Stanley Baldwin
In office
5 June 1929 – 24 August 1931
Monarch George V
Preceded by Stanley Baldwin
Succeeded by himself, leading National Government 1931-1935
Resigned and reappointed same day
In office
22 January 1924 – 4 November 1924
Monarch George V
Preceded by Stanley Baldwin
Succeeded by Stanley Baldwin
Born October 12, 1866(1866-10-12)
Lossiemouth, Morayshire, United Kingdom
Died 9 November 1937 (aged 71)
The Atlantic Ocean, on holiday
aboard the liner Reina del Pacifico
Nationality British
Political party Labour (until 1931), National Labour (from 1931)
Spouse Margaret Gladstone
Alma mater Birkbeck,University of London, United Kingdom
Profession Journalist
Religion Presbyterian

James Ramsay MacDonald (12 October 1866 – 9 November 1937) was a British politician and twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The Right Honourable (abbreviated as The Rt Hon) is an Honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Second Labour Government was formed by Ramsay MacDonald on his second appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on June 5 1929. Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867 &ndash 14 December 1947 was a British Conservative politician statesman and major Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867 &ndash 14 December 1947 was a British Conservative politician statesman and major The National Government was composed of members of the following parties National Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Party Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867 &ndash 14 December 1947 was a British Conservative politician statesman and major Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867 &ndash 14 December 1947 was a British Conservative politician statesman and major Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1866 ( MDCCCLXVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Lossiemouth is a town in Moray, Scotland. Originally the port belonging to Elgin, it became an important and innovative fishing town Moray ( Moireibh in Gaelic) is one of the Registration counties of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west Inverness-shire The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one Seaport to another along regular long-distance Maritime routes according to a schedule The Reina del Pacifico was the name of a South American liner made famous after the former British Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald died aboard whilst on a The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The National Labour Party was a group founded around the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald after he was expelled from the Labour Party Margaret MacDonald, née Margaret Ethel Gladstone (1870 &ndash 1911 was a Feminist, Social reformer, and the wife of British politician and future Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval Birkbeck University of London, sometimes referred to by its former (and still legal name Birkbeck College or by the abbreviation BBK, is a constituent college The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A journalist (also called a newspaperman) is a person who practices Journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events trends The Church of Scotland (Eaglais na h-Alba known informally by its Scots language name The Kirk, is the National church of Scotland. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1866 ( MDCCCLXVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom He rose from humble origins to become the first Labour Prime Minister in 1924. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Labour returned to power in 1929 but was soon overwhelmed by the crisis of the Great Depression. The Labour government split on its response to the crisis, and in 1931 he formed a "National Government" in which a majority of MPs were from the Conservatives (earning him the unflattering nickname 'The Lucifer of the Left ) and as a result he was expelled from the Labour Party. In the United Kingdom the term National Government is in an abstract sense used to refer to a coalition of some or all UK major political parties. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Lucifer is a name frequently given to Satan in Christian belief

He remained Prime Minister of the National Government from 1931 to 1935, however his health rapidly deteriorated and he became increasingly ineffective as a leader. He was forced to resign in 1935 and died two years later.

Contents

Early life

Lossiemouth

MacDonald was born in Lossiemouth, in Morayshire in northeast Scotland, the illegitimate son of John Macdonald, a farm labourer, and Anne Ramsay, a housemaid. Lossiemouth is a town in Moray, Scotland. Originally the port belonging to Elgin, it became an important and innovative fishing town Moray ( Moireibh in Gaelic) is one of the Registration counties of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west Inverness-shire Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. In Common law, legitimacy is the status of a Child that is born to parents who are legally married to one another or that is born shortly after the [1] Although registered at birth as James McDonald Ramsay, he was known as Jaimie MacDonald. Illegitimacy could be a serious handicap in 19th-century Presbyterian Scotland, but in the north and northeast farming communities, this was less of a problem; In 1868 a report of the Royal Commission on the Employment of Children, Young Persons and Women in Agriculture noted that the illegitimacy rate was around 15%[2] and it is unclear to what extent the associated stigma affected MacDonald throughout his life. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity He received an elementary education at the Free Church of Scotland school in Lossiemouth, and then from 1875 at the local Drainie parish school. In 1881 he became a pupil teacher at Drainie and the entry in the school register as a member of staff was 'J. MacDonald'. [3] He remained in this post until 1 May 1885 to take up a position as an assistant to a clergyman in Bristol. [4] It was in Bristol, that he joined the Democratic Federation, an extreme Radical sect. The Radicals were a parliamentary political grouping in the United Kingdom in the early to mid 19th century who drew on earlier ideas of radicalism and helped to This federation changed its name a few months later to the Social Democratic Federation (SDF). The Social Democratic Federation (SDF was established as Britain's first organised socialist Political party by H [5][6] He remained in the group when it left the SDF to become the Bristol Socialist Society. The Bristol Socialist Society was a political organisation in South West England. MacDonald returned to Lossiemouth before the end of the year for reasons unknown but in early 1886 once again left Lossiemouth for London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. [7]

London

He arrived in London jobless[8] but after some short-term menial work, he found employment as an invoice clerk. [9] Meanwhile, MacDonald was deepening his socialist credentials. He engaged himself energetically in C. L. Fitzgerald's Socialist Union which, unlike the SDF, aimed to progress socialist ideals through the parliamentary system. The Socialist Union was a British Political party active from February 1886 to 1888. [10]

Bloody Sunday 1887
Bloody Sunday 1887

On 13 November, 1887, MacDonald witnessed the Bloody Sunday of 13 November, 1887 in Trafalgar Square and in response to this he had a pamphlet published by the Pall Mall Gazette entitled Remember Trafalgar Square: Tory Terrorism in 1887. For other incidents referred to by this name see Bloody Sunday. The Pall Mall Gazette was an evening newspaper founded in London on February 7 1865. Trafalgar Square is a square in central London, England. With its position in the heart of London it is a tourist attraction its trademark is Nelson's [11]

MacDonald retained an interest in Scottish politics. Gladstone's first Irish Home Rule Bill inspired the setting-up of a Scottish Home Rule Association in Edinburgh. The Irish Home Rule bills were bills introduced in the British House of Commons during the late 19th and early 20th centuries intended to grant self-government and Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. On 6 March 1888, MacDonald took part in a meeting of Scotsmen who were London residents and who, on his motion, formed the London General Committee of Scottish Home Rule Association. [12] He continued to support home rule for Scotland, but with little support from London Scots forthcoming, his enthusiasm for the committee waned and from 1890 he took little part in its work. [13][14]

Politics at this time, however, was still of less importance to MacDonald than furthering himself in employment. To this end he took evening classes in science, botany, agriculture, mathematics, and physics at the Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution but his health suddenly failed him due to exhaustion one week before his examinations. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Botany, plant science(s, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of Biology and is the scientific study of plant Life Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Birkbeck University of London, sometimes referred to by its former (and still legal name Birkbeck College or by the abbreviation BBK, is a constituent college This put an end to any thought of having a career in science. [15] In 1888, MacDonald took employment as private secretary to Thomas Lough who was a tea merchant and a Radical politician. Thomas Lough (1850 &ndash 11 January 1922) was a British Liberal politician For opposition to all forms of government social hierarchy or authority see Anarchism. [16] [17] Lough was elected as the Liberal MP for West Islington, in 1892. Islington West was a Borough constituency in the Metropolitan Borough of Islington, in North London. Many doors now opened to MacDonald. He had access to the National Liberal Club as well as the editorial offices of Liberal and Radical newspapers. The National Liberal Club, known to its members as the NLC, is a London gentlemen's club, now also open to women which was established by William He also made himself known to various London Radical clubs and with Radical and labour politicians. MacDonald gained valuable experience in the workings of electioneering. In 1892, he left Lough’s employment to become a journalist and was not immediately successful. By then, MacDonald had been a member of the Fabian Society for some time and toured and lectured on its behalf at the London School of Economics and elsewhere. The Fabian Society is a British Intellectual Socialist movement whose purpose is to advance the principles of Social democracy via Gradualist The London School of Economics and Political Science, more commonly referred to as The London School of Economics or LSE, is a specialist college of the [18]

Active politics

The TUC had created the Labour Electoral Association (LEA) and entered into an unsatisfactory alliance with the Liberal Party in 1886. The Trades Union Congress (TUC is a national trade union centre, a federation of Trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade [19] In 1892, MacDonald was in Dover to give support to the candidate for the LEA in the General Election and who was well beaten. MacDonald impressed the local press[20] and the Association, however, and was adopted as its candidate. MacDonald, though, announced that his candidature would be under a Labour Party banner. [21] He denied that the Labour Party was a wing of the Liberal Party but saw merit in a working relationship. In May 1894, the local Southampton Liberal Association was trying to find a labour minded candidate for the constituency. MacDonald along with two others were invited to address the Liberal Council. One of three men turned down the invitation and MacDonald failed to secure the candidature despite the strong support he had among Liberals. [22]

In 1893, Keir Hardie had formed the Independent Labour Party (ILP) which had established itself as a mass movement and so in May 1894 MacDonald applied for membership of, and was accepted into, the ILP. James Keir Hardie (15 August 1856 - 26 September 1915 was a Scottish Socialist and labour leader and was the first independent labour Member of Parliament See Independent Labor Party for the Political party in Burundi, Independent Labour Group for the Irish party and Labour candidates He was officially adopted as the ILP candidate for one of the Southampton seats on 17 July 1894[23] but was heavily defeated at the election of 1895. Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year MacDonald stood again for Parliament again in 1900 for one of the two Leicester seats and although he lost was accused of splitting the Liberal vote to allow the Conservative candidate to win. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar [24] That same year he became Secretary of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), the forerunner of the Labour Party, while retaining his membership of the ILP. The ILP, while not a Marxist party, was more rigorously socialist than the future Labour Party in which the ILP members would operate as a "ginger group" for many years. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Ginger Group was not a formal political party in Canada, but a faction of radical Progressive and Labour Members of Parliament

As Party Secretary, MacDonald negotiated an agreement with the leading Liberal politician Herbert Gladstone (son of the late Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone), which allowed Labour to contest a number of working-class seats without Liberal opposition,[25] thus giving Labour its first breakthrough into the House of Commons. The Gladstone-MacDonald pact of 1903 was a secret informal electoral agreement negotiated by Herbet Gladstone, Liberal Party Chief Whip, and Ramsay The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party Herbert John Gladstone 1st Viscount Gladstone GCB, GCMG, GBE, PC ( 18 February 1854 &ndash 6 March, The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords He married Margaret Gladstone, who was unrelated to the Gladstones of the Liberal Party, in 1896. Margaret MacDonald, née Margaret Ethel Gladstone (1870 &ndash 1911 was a Feminist, Social reformer, and the wife of British politician and future Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Margaret Gladstone MacDonald was very comfortably off, although not hugely wealthy. [26] This allowed them to indulge in foreign travel, visiting Canada and the United States in 1897, South Africa in 1902, Australia and New Zealand in 1906 and to India several times. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

In 1906, the LRC changed its name to the "Labour Party", and absorbed the ILP. Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the [27] In that same year, MacDonald was elected MP for Leicester along with 28 others,[28] and became one of the leaders of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Leicester (ˈlɛstə is the largest city and Unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England, and is the traditional In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP is the Parliamentary party of the Labour Party in Parliament: Labour MPs as a collective These Labour MPs undoubtedly owed their election to the ‘Progressive Alliance’ between the Liberals and Labour which at this time was a minor party supporting the Liberal governments of Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H. Asquith. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, GCB (7 September 1836 &ndash 22 April 1908 was a British Liberal Statesman who served as Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC ( 12 September 1852 &ndash 15 February 1928) served MacDonald became the leader of the left wing of the party, arguing that Labour must seek to displace the Liberals as the main party of the left.

Up to 1910 his name was usually styled Ramsay Macdonald, thereafter Ramsay MacDonald.

Party leader

Hoist with this own petard.Mr. Ramsay Macdonald (Champion of Independent Labour). "Of course I'm all for peaceful picketing - on principle. But it must be applied to the proper parties." Cartoon from Punch June 20, 1917
Hoist with this own petard.
Mr. Ramsay Macdonald (Champion of Independent Labour). "Of course I'm all for peaceful picketing - on principle. But it must be applied to the proper parties. "
Cartoon from Punch June 20, 1917

In 1911 MacDonald became Party Leader (formally "Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party"),[29] but within a short period his wife became ill with blood poisoning and died. Punch was a British weekly Magazine of Humour and Satire published from 1841 to 1992 and from 1996 to 2002 Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year This affected MacDonald very much[30] and it is doubtful whether or not he truly recovered. It made him a lonely figure prone to self-pity. MacDonald had always taken a keen interest in foreign affairs and knew from his visit to South Africa just after the Boer War had ended, what the effects of modern conflict would have. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa See also First Boer War,, South African Wars (1879-1915 The Second Boer War ( Dutch: Tweede Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans: [31] Although the Parliamentary Labour Party generally held an anti-war opinion, the fact was that when war was declared in August 1914, patriotism came to the fore. [32] Labour supported the government in its request for £100,000,000 of war credits and, as MacDonald could not support this, he resigned the Chairmanship. [33] Arthur Henderson became the new leader while MacDonald took the party Treasurer post. Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935 was a British union leader politician Disarmament advocate and the 1934 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate [34] During the early part of the war he was extremely unpopular and was accused of treason and cowardice. The journal, John Bull published in September, 1915 an article carrying details of MacDonald’s so-called deceit in not disclosing his real name. [35] His illegitimacy was no secret and he hadn’t seemed to have suffered by it, but according to the journal he had, by using a false name, gained access to parliament falsely and that he should suffer heavy penalties and have his election declared void. However, MacDonald received much support but the way in which the disclosures were made public had affected him. [36] He wrote in his diary

. . . I spent hours of terrible mental pain. Letters of sympathy began to pour in upon me. . . Never before did I know that I had been registered under the name of Ramsay, and cannot understand it now. From my earliest years my name has been entered in lists, like the school register, etc. as MacDonald.

Yet, despite his opposition to the war, MacDonald still visited the front in December 1914. [37] Lord Elton wrote:

. . . he arrived in Belgium with an ambulance unit organised by Dr Hector Munro. The following day he had disappeared and agitated enquiry disclosed that he had been arrested and sent back to Britain. At home he saw Lord Kitchener who expressed his annoyance at the incident and gave instructions for him to be given an “omnibus” pass to the whole Western Front. Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener 1st Earl Kitchener, KG, KP, GCB, OM He returned to an entirely different reception and was met by General Seeley at Poperinghe who expressed his regrets at the way MacDonald had been treated. They set off for the front at Ypres and soon found themselves in the thick of an action in which both behaved with the utmost coolness. Later, MacDonald was received by the Commander-in-Chief at St Omer and made an extensive tour of the front. Returning home, he paid a public tribute to the courage of the French troops, but said nothing then or later of having been under fire himself.

As the war dragged on his reputation recovered but nevertheless he lost his seat in the 1918 "khaki election", which saw the Liberal David Lloyd George coalition government win a huge majority. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom David Lloyd George 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor OM, PC (17 January 1863 &ndash 26 March 1945 was a British Statesman and the only

Election poster produced for the 1923 election
Election poster produced for the 1923 election

In 1922 the Conservatives left the coalition and Bonar Law, who had taken over from Lloyd George, called an election on 26 October. Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Andrew Bonar Law (16 September 1858 &ndash 30 October 1923 was a Canadian -born British Conservative Party statesman and Prime Minister. MacDonald was returned to the House as MP for Aberavon in Wales and his rehabilitation was complete; the Labour New Leader wrote that his election was

enough in itself to transform our position in the House. Aberavon is a constituency in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. We have once more a voice which must be heard. [38]

By now the party was reunited and MacDonald was re-elected as Leader. The Liberals by this point were in rapid decline and at the 1922 election Labour became the main opposition party to the Conservative government of Stanley Baldwin, making MacDonald Leader of the Opposition. Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867 &ndash 14 December 1947 was a British Conservative politician statesman and major The Leader of the Opposition (sometimes known as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons) in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads By this time he had moved away from the hard left and abandoned the socialism of his youth — he strongly opposed the wave of radicalism that swept through the labour movement in the wake of the Russian Revolution of 1917 — and became a determined enemy of Communism. See also Russian Revolution (1905 The Russian Revolution of 1916 refers to a series of popular revolutions in Russia, and the events surrounding them Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Unlike the French Socialist Party and the German SPD, the Labour Party did not split and the Communist Party of Great Britain remained small and isolated. The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB was the largest Communist party in the United Kingdom, though it never became a mass party like the Communist parties of

Although he was a gifted speaker, MacDonald became noted for "woolly" rhetoric such as the occasion at the Labour Party Conference of 1930 at Llandudno when he appeared to imply unemployment could be solved by encouraging the jobless to return to the fields "where they till and they grow and they sow and they harvest. " Equally there were times it was unclear what his policies were. There was already some unease in the party about what he would do if Labour was able to form a government. At the 1923 election the Conservatives lost their majority, and when they lost a vote of confidence in the House in January 1924 King George V called on MacDonald to form a minority Labour government, with the tacit support of the Liberals under Asquith from the corner benches. Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. MacDonald thus became the first Labour Prime Minister, the first from a "working-class" background and one of the very few without a university education.

First government

Main article: First Labour Government (UK)
Social democracy  v • d • e 

MacDonald took the post of Foreign Secretary as well as Prime Minister, and made it clear that his main priority was to undo the damage which he believed had been caused by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, by settling the reparations issue and coming to terms with Germany. The first Labour government of the United Kingdom lasted from January to November 1924 Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century Utopian socialism is a term used to define the first currents of modern socialist thought A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout the European Orthodox Marxism is the term used to describe the version of Marxism which emerged after the death of Karl Marx and acted as the official philosophy of the The term "revisionism" is also used to refer to other concepts Socialist Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a Society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures The Third Way is a term that has been used to describe a variety of political philosophies of governance that embracing a mix of market and interventionist philosophies Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives Labor rights or workers' rights are a group of Legal rights and claimed Human rights having to do with Labor relations between Workers thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. A mixed economy is an Economic system that incorporates aspects of more than one economic system Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from Religion or religious beliefs Fair trade is an organized Social movement and market-based approach to empowering developing country producers and promoting sustainability Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. This is a list of parties in the world that consider themselves to be upholding the principles and values of Social democracy. Socialist International is a worldwide organization of socialist ( social democratic and labour) political parties The Party of European Socialists (PES is a European political party comprising of thirty-three socialist, social democratic and labour Inaugural Congress The founding and first congress of the ITUC was held November 1 - 3 2006 in Vienna Eduard Bernstein ( January 6 1850 December 18 1932) was a German social democratic theoretician and ( 23 November 1860 – 24 February 1925) was a Swedish politician Friedrich Ebert ( February 4, 1871 February 28, 1925) was a German Politician ( SPD) who served as Jean Léon Jaurès (full name Auguste Marie Joseph Jean Léon Jaurès; 3 September 1859 31 July 1914) was a French André Léon Blum (9 April 1872 30 March 1950 was a French politician usually identified with the moderate left and three times the Prime Minister of France. Karl Kautsky ( October 16 1854 - October 17 1938) was a leading theoretician of Social democracy. Clement Richard Attlee 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC ( 3 January 1883 &ndash 8 October 1967 Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, PC, CC, SOM ( October 20, 1904 – February 24, 1986) was a The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a member of the United Kingdom Government heading the This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. World War I reparations refers to the payments and transfers of property and equipment that the German country was forced to make under the Treaty of Versailles (1919 following Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. He left domestic matters to his ministers, including J.R. Clynes as Lord Privy Seal, Philip Snowden as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Henderson as Home Secretary. John Robert Clynes ( 27 March 1869 &ndash 23 October 1949) was a British Trade unionist and Labour Party The Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom ranking beneath the Philip Snowden 1st Viscount Snowden ( July 18, 1864 – May 15, 1937) was a British politician and the first Labour The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all Economic and Financial The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office Since the government did not have a majority in either House of the Parliament, there was in any case no possibility of passing any radical legislation.

MacDonald took the decision in March 1924 to end construction work on the Singapore military base despite strong opposition from the Admiralty[39]. Singapore In June, MacDonald convened a conference in London of the wartime Allies, and achieved an agreement on a new plan for settling the reparations issue and the French occupation of the Ruhr. The Ruhr is a medium-size River in western Germany ( North Rhine-Westphalia) a right tributary (east-side of the Rhine. German delegates then joined the meeting, and the London Settlement signed. This was followed by an Anglo-German commercial treaty. MacDonald the neophyte Prime Minister was hugely proud of what had been achieved and was the pinnacle of his administration's achievements. [40] In September he made a speech to the League of Nations Assembly in Geneva, the main thrust of which was for general European disarmament which was received with great acclamation. The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920 Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking Disarmament refers to the act of reducing limiting or abolishing Weapons. [41]

But before all of this the United Kingdom had recognised the Soviet Union and MacDonald informed parliament in February 1924 that negotiations would begin to negotiate a treaty with the Soviet Union. [42] The treaty was to cover Anglo-Soviet trade and the situation of the British bondholders who had contracted with the pre-revolutionary Russian government and which had been rejected by the Bolsheviks. There were in fact to be two treaties. One covering commercial matters and the other to cover a fairly vague future discussion on the problem of the bondholders. If and when the treaties were signed, then the British government would conclude a further treaty and guarantee a loan to the Bolsheviks. [43] The treaties were not popular with the Conservatives nor with the Liberals who, in September, criticized the loan so vehemently that negotiation with them seemed impossible. [44]

However, it was the "Campbell Case" — the abrogation of prosecuting the left-wing newspaper the Workers Weekly — that determined its fate. The Campbell Case of 1924 was instrumental in bringing down the first Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald. A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. The Conservatives put forth a censure motion, to which the Liberals added an amendment. MacDonald's Cabinet resolved to treat both motions as matters of confidence, which if passed, would necessitate a dissolution of government. A Motion of Confidence is a motion of support proposed by a government in a Parliament or other assembly of elected representatives to give members of parliament (or The Liberal amendment carried and the King granted MacDonald a dissolution of parliament the following day. [45] The issues which dominated the election campaign were, unsurprisingly, the Campbell case and the Russian treaties which soon combined into the single issue of the Bolshevik threat. [46]

The Zinoviev letter

Main article: Zinoviev letter

On 25 October, just 4 days before the election, the Daily Mail reported that a letter had come into its possession which purported to be a letter sent from Zinoviev, the President of the Communist International, to the British representative on the Comintern Executive. The " Zinoviev Letter " is a 1924 letter that was allegedly addressed from Grigori Zinoviev, president of the presidium of the Executive Committee of the Communist The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow The letter was dated 15 September and so before the dissolution of parliament; it stated that it was imperative that the agreed treaties between Britain and the Bolsheviks be ratified urgently. To this end, the letter said that those Labour members who could apply pressure on the government should do so. It went on to say that a resolution of the relationship between the two countries would ‘ assist in the revolutionising of the international and British proletariat …. make it possible for us to extend and develop the ideas of Leninism in England and the Colonies. ’ The government had received the letter before the publication in the newspapers and had protested to the Bolshevik’s London chargé d'affaires and had already decided to make public the contents of the letter together with details of the official protest[47] but had not been swift footed enough. MacDonald always believed that the letter was forgery [48] but damage had been done to his campaign.

Despite all that had gone on, the result of the election was not disastrous to Labour. The Conservatives were returned decisively gaining 155 seats for a total of 413 members of parliament. Labour lost 40 seats but held on to 151 while the Liberals lost 118 seats leaving them with only 40.

Second government

Main article: Labour Government 1929–1931
MacDonald in later life
MacDonald in later life

The strong majority enjoyed by Baldwin’s party allowed him to preside over a government that would serve a full term during which it would have to deal with the General Strike and miners’ strike of 1926. The Second Labour Government was formed by Ramsay MacDonald on his second appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on June 5 1929. The UK General Strike of 1926 was a General strike that lasted nine days from 3 May 1926 to 12 May 1926. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Unemployment in the UK during this period remained high but relatively stable at just over 10% and, apart from 1926, strikes were at a low level. [49] At the May 1929 election, Labour won 288 seats to the Conservatives' 260, with 59 Liberals under Lloyd George holding the balance of power. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. (At this election MacDonald moved from Aberavon to the seat of Seaham Harbour in County Durham. Seaham was a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was in existence between 1918 and 1950 ) Baldwin resigned and MacDonald again formed a minority government, at first with Lloyd George's cordial support. This time MacDonald knew he had to concentrate on domestic matters. Henderson became Foreign Secretary, with Snowden again at the Exchequer. J.H. Thomas became Lord Privy Seal with a mandate to tackle unemployment, assisted by the young radical Oswald Mosley. James ('Jimmy' Henry Thomas, ( October 3, 1874 - January 21, 1949) was a British trade unionist and Labour Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 &ndash 3 December 1980 was a British Politician, known principally as the founder of the British

MacDonald's second government was in a stronger parliamentary position than his first, and in 1930 he was able to pass a revised Old Age Pensions Act, a more generous Unemployment Insurance Act, and an act to improve wages and conditions in the coal industry (i. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. e. the issues behind the General Strike). He also convened a conference in London with the leaders of the Indian National Congress, at which he offered responsible government, but not independence, to India. Indian National Congress-I (also known as the Congress Party and abbreviated INC) is a major Political party in India. Responsible government is a conception of a System of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster In April 1930 he negotiated a treaty limiting naval armaments with the United States and Japan. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The Great Depression

Main article: Great Depression in the United Kingdom

MacDonald's government had no effective response to the economic crisis which followed the Stock Market Crash of 1929. This article deals with the effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s - also known as the Great Slump - on the United Kingdom. The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the ’29 Crash, the Crash of 1929, the Great Crash of 1929, the Great Crash of October 1929 Snowden was a rigid exponent of orthodox finance and would not permit any deficit spending to stimulate the economy, despite the urgings of Moseley, David Lloyd George and the economist John Maynard Keynes. Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 &ndash 3 December 1980 was a British Politician, known principally as the founder of the British David Lloyd George 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor OM, PC (17 January 1863 &ndash 26 March 1945 was a British Statesman and the only John Maynard Keynes 1st Baron Keynes CB (ˈkeɪnz "cains" (5 June 1883 &ndash 21 April 1946 was a British Economist whose ideas

During 1931 the economic situation deteriorated, and pressure from orthodox economists and the press for sharp cuts in government spending, including pensions and unemployment benefits, increased. Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Keynes, though, urged MacDonald to devalue the pound by 25% and abandon the existing economic policy of a balanced budget. MacDonald, Snowden and Thomas, however, supported such measures as necessary to maintain a balanced budget and to prevent a run on the Pound sterling, but the measures split the Cabinet down the middle and the trade unions bitterly opposed them. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency

Although there was a narrow majority in the Cabinet for drastic reductions, the minority included senior ministers such as Arthur Henderson who made it clear they would resign rather than acquiesce to the cuts. Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935 was a British union leader politician Disarmament advocate and the 1934 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate With this unworkable split, On August 24, 1931 MacDonald submitted his resignation and then agreed, on the urging of king George V to form a National Government including the Conservatives and Liberals. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the United Kingdom the term National Government is in an abstract sense used to refer to a coalition of some or all UK major political parties.

MacDonald, Snowden and Thomas were expelled from the Labour Party and subsequently formed a new National Labour Party, but this had little support in the country or the unions. The National Labour Party was a group founded around the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald after he was expelled from the Labour Party

Great anger in the labour movement greeted MacDonald's move. Mass riots by unemployed people took place in protest in Glasgow and Manchester. The Independent Labour Party disaffiliated from the Labour Party.

Shortly after this a General Election was called. the 1931 general election saw the Labour Party, now headed by Arthur Henderson go down to its worst ever defeat, winning only 52 seats. The UK general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday This further increased the bitterness felt towards MacDonald by his former colleages.

National Government

Main article: National Government (UK)

MacDonald did not want an immediate election, but the Conservatives forced him to agree to one in October 1931. In the United Kingdom the term National Government is in an abstract sense used to refer to a coalition of some or all UK major political parties. Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The National Government won 554 seats, comprising 470 Conservatives, 13 National Labour, 68 Liberals (Liberal National and Liberal) and various others, while Labour won only 52 and the Lloyd George Liberals four. This was the largest mandate ever won by a British Prime Minister at a democratic election, but it left MacDonald at the beck-and-call of the Conservatives. Neville Chamberlain became Chancellor of the Exchequer while Baldwin held the real power in the government as Lord President. Arthur Neville Chamberlain (18 March 1869 &ndash 9 November 1940 was a British Conservative Politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867 &ndash 14 December 1947 was a British Conservative politician statesman and major The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above

Effectively powerless at home, MacDonald involved himself heavily in foreign policy, and attended in two conferences in 1932; the Geneva Disarmament Conference and the Lausanne Conference, which was concerned with German reparations. The Disarmament Conference of 1932-34 (sometimes World Disarmament Conference or Geneva Disarmament Conference) was an effort by member states of the League of The Lausanne Conference was a 1932 meeting of representatives from Great Britain, Germany, and France that resulted in an agreement to suspend World

MacDonald was deeply affected by the anger and bitterness caused by the fall of the Labour government. He continued to regard himself as a true Labour man, but the rupturing of virtually all his old friendships left him an isolated figure.

Retirement and death

During 1933 and 1934 MacDonald's health declined, and he became an increasingly ineffective leader as the international situation grew more threatening. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. His pacifism, which had been widely admired in the 1920s, led Winston Churchill and others to accuse him of failure to stand up to the threat of Adolf Hitler. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately

In May 1935 he was forced to resign as Prime Minister, taking the largely honorary post of Lord President vacated by Baldwin, who returned to power. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. At the election later in the year MacDonald was defeated at Seaham by Emanuel Shinwell. Emanuel Shinwell Baron Shinwell CH, PC ( 18 October 1884 - 8 May 1986) (familiarly known as Manny) was Shortly after he was elected at a by-election in January 1936 for the Combined Scottish Universities seat, but his physical and mental health collapsed in 1936. The Combined Scottish Universities by-election 1936 was a By-election held from 27 January to 31 January 1936 for the Combined Scottish The Combined Scottish Universities was a University constituency in the United Kingdom Parliament from 1918 until 1950. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A sea voyage was recommended to restore his health, and he died at sea in November 1937. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Reputation

MacDonald's expulsion from Labour along with his National Labour Party's coalition with the Conservatives, combined with the decline in his mental powers after 1931, left him a discredited figure at the time of his death and receiving unsympathetic treatment from generations of Labour-inclined British historians. Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The events of 1931, with the downfall of the Labour government and his coalition with the Conservatives, led to MacDonald becoming one of the most reviled figures in the history of the Labour Party[50], with many of his former supporters accusing him of betraying the party he had helped create. Clement Attlee in his autobiography As it Happened (1954) called MacDonald's decision to abandon the Labour government in 1931 "the greatest betrayal in the political history of the country"[51]. Clement Richard Attlee 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC ( 3 January 1883 &ndash 8 October 1967

It was not until 1977 that he received a supportive biography, when Professor David Marquand, a former Labour MP, wrote Ramsay MacDonald with the stated intention of giving MacDonald his due for his work in founding and building the Labour Party, and in trying to preserve peace in the years between the two world wars. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays David Ian Marquand FBA (born 20 September 1934) is a British academic and former Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP He argued also to place MacDonald's fateful decision in 1931 in the context of the crisis of the times and the limited choices open to him.

Similarly, opinion about the economic decisions taken in the inter-war period (Winston Churchill's decision to return to the Gold Standard in 1925, and MacDonald's desperate efforts to defend it in 1931) is no longer as uniformly hostile as was once the case. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 In the late 1960s Robert Skidelsky, in his classic account of the 1929-31 government, "Politicians and the Slump", compared the orthodox policies advocated by leading politicians of both parties unfavourably with the more radical, proto-Keynesian measures advocated by Lloyd George and Oswald Mosley. David Lloyd George 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor OM, PC (17 January 1863 &ndash 26 March 1945 was a British Statesman and the only Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 &ndash 3 December 1980 was a British Politician, known principally as the founder of the British But in the preface to the 1994 edition Skidelsky argues that recent experience of currency crises and capital flight make it hard to be so critical of the politicians who wanted to achieve stability by cutting labour costs and defend the value of the currency.

Mentions in popular culture

In Howard Spring's 1940 novel Fame is the Spur (later made into film and TV adaptations) the lead character Hamer Shawcross is generally believed to be based upon Ramsay MacDonald [52]. Howard Spring ( February 10, 1889 - May 3, 1965) was a Welsh Author.

The central character, Hamer Shawcross, starts as a studious boy in an aspirational working-class family in Ancoats, Manchester; he becomes a socialist activist and soon a career politician, who eventually is absorbed by the upper classes he had begun by combating. Ancoats is an Inner city area of Manchester, in North West England.

In Muriel Spark's "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie", Ramsay Macdonald is mentioned in passing by the title character to her class on page 44. Dame Muriel Spark, DBE ( February 1, 1918 &ndash April 13, 2006) was an award-winning Scottish Novelist. She is almost caught by the headteacher saying "Mussolino is one of the greatest men in the world, far more so than Ramsay Macdonald". This suggests that Brodie did have some respect for the PM, but not nearly as much as for Mussolini. It could also be seen to suggest that they were of a similar vein, if she thought to compare them.

In the Doctor Who Big Finish Audio Storm Waring, The Doctor and his companion, Charley, name a creature they captured Ramsay, after Ramsay McDonald. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC.

Personal life

Ramsay MacDonald married Margaret Gladstone in 1896. Margaret MacDonald, née Margaret Ethel Gladstone (1870 &ndash 1911 was a Feminist, Social reformer, and the wife of British politician and future The marriage was a very happy one, and they had six children, including Malcolm MacDonald (1901-81), who had a prominent career as a politician, colonial governor and diplomat, and Ishbel MacDonald (1903-82), who was very close to her father. Malcolm Ian Macdonald (born 7 January 1950) is a former English footballer nicknamed "Supermac" famed for scoring goals for Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Ishbel MacDonald (1903–1982 was the daughter of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Ramsay MacDonald and his wife Margaret MacDonald. Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) MacDonald was devastated by Margaret's death from blood poisoning in 1911, and had few significant personal relationships after that time, apart from with Ishbel, who cared for him for the rest of his life. Following his wife's death, MacDonald commenced a relationship with Lady Margaret Sackville[53]. Lady Margaret Sackville (1881 – 1963 was an English Poet and children’s author In the 1920s and '30s he was frequently entertained by the society hostess Lady Londonderry, which was much disapproved of in the Labour Party since her husband was a Conservative cabinet minister, and it was said that MacDonald was infatuated with her. The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. Edith Vane-Tempest-Stewart Marchioness of Londonderry DBE ( 3 December 1878 &ndash 23 April 1959) was a noted and influential

MacDonald's unpopularity in the country following his stance against Britain's involvement in the First World War spilled over into his private life. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All In 1916, he was expelled from the Moray Golf Club in Lossiemouth for supposedly bringing the club into disrepute because of his pacifist views. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Lossiemouth is a town in Moray, Scotland. Originally the port belonging to Elgin, it became an important and innovative fishing town [54] The manner of his expulsion was regretted by some members but an attempt to re-instate him by a vote in 1924 failed. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. However a Special General Meeting held in 1929 finally voted for his reinstatement. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. By this time, MacDonald was Prime Minister for the second time. He felt the initial expulsion very deeply and refused to take up the final offer of membership. [55]

MacDonald's governments

First Labour government: January - November 1924

Second Labour government: June 1929 - August 1931

Changes

First national government: August - November 1931

Second national government: November 1931 - May 1935

Changes

Key

Notes

  1. ^ Marquand, David: Ramsay MacDonald, London, 1977, pp. 4, 5
  2. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 6
  3. ^ Drainie School log books
  4. ^ Lord Elton: The life of James Ramsay MacDonald, 1939, London, p. 39
  5. ^ Bryher, Samual: An Account of the Labour and Socialist Movement in Bristol, 1929
  6. ^ Elton, op. cit. , p. 44
  7. ^ Marquand, David: op. cit. , 9. 17
  8. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 19
  9. ^ Tracey, Herbert: J. Ramsay MacDonald, 1924, p. 29
  10. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 20
  11. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 21
  12. ^ MacDonald Papers P. R. O. 3/57
  13. ^ MacDonald Papers P. R. O. 5/54
  14. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 23
  15. ^ Elton, op. cit. ,pp 56, 57
  16. ^ Obrien, Conor Cruise: Parnell and his Party, 1957, p. 275
  17. ^ Sidney Webb to MacDonald, 22 January 1890, MacDonald Papers P. R. O. 5/1
  18. ^ Sidney Webb to MacDonald, 22 January 1890, MacDonald Papers P. R. O. 5/1
  19. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 31
  20. ^ Dover Express, 17 June 1892; 12 August 1892
  21. ^ Dover Express, 7 October, 1892
  22. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p35
  23. ^ Southampton Times, 21 July 1894
  24. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 73
  25. ^ Mackintosh, John P (Ed. ): British Prime Ministers in the twentieth Century, London, 1977, p. 157
  26. ^ MacDonald Papers, P. R. O. 3/95
  27. ^ Clegg, H. A, Fox, Alan, Thompson, A. F. : A History of British Trade Unions since 1889, 1964, vol I, p. 388
  28. ^ Leicester Pioneer, 20 January , 1906
  29. ^ Leicester Pioneer, 11 February 1911
  30. ^ Thompson, Laurence: The Enthusiasts, 1971, p. 173
  31. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 77
  32. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 168
  33. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 168
  34. ^ MacKintosh, John P (Ed. ):British Prime Ministers in the Twentieth Century, London, 1977, p. 159
  35. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 189
  36. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , pp 190, 191
  37. ^ Elton, op. cit. , pp. 269-71
  38. ^ New Leader, 17 November 1922
  39. ^ MacDonald Papers, P. R. O. I/86
  40. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , pp. 329-51
  41. ^ Limam: The First Labour Government, 1924, p. 173
  42. ^ Hansard (1924), vol. 169, cols. 768-9
  43. ^ Lyman: The First Labour Government, 1924, pp. 195-6
  44. ^ Lyman: The First Labour Government, 1924, p. 204
  45. ^ Cabinet Minutes, 54(24)
  46. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 378
  47. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , p. 382
  48. ^ MacDonalds Diary, P. R. O. classification 8/1, entry 31 October 1924
  49. ^ A Century of Change: Trends in UK statistics since 1900, Research Paper 99/111, 1999, House of Commons Library
  50. ^ labourhistory.org
  51. ^ Attlee, Clement As it Happened Heinemann 1954
  52. ^ brimovie.co.uk
  53. ^ The Telegraph: Secret love affair of Labour Prime Minister and Lady Margaret is revealed 80 years on
  54. ^ Marquand, op. cit. , pp 190, 191
  55. ^ McConnachie, John: The Moray Golf Club at Lossiemouth, 1988

Further reading

External links

Political offices

Political offices
Preceded by
Herbert Henry Asquith		 Leader of the Opposition
1922 – 1924		 Succeeded by
Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by
Stanley Baldwin		 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
22 January 1924 – 4 November 1924
Leader of the House of Commons
1924
Preceded by
The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston		 Foreign Secretary
1924		 Succeeded by
Sir Austen Chamberlain
Preceded by
Stanley Baldwin		 Leader of the Opposition
1924 – 1929		 Succeeded by
Stanley Baldwin
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
5 June 1929 – 7 June 1935
Leader of the House of Commons
1929 – 1935
Lord President of the Council
1935 – 1937		 Succeeded by
The Viscount Halifax
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Sir John Rolleston
Henry Broadhurst		 Member of Parliament for Leicester
with Henry Broadhurst, to March 1906;
Franklin Thomasson, 1906–1910;
Eliot Crawshay-Williams, 1910–1913;
Sir Gordon Hewart, 1913–1918
1906 – 1918		 Constituency abolished
Preceded by
John Edwards		 Member of Parliament for Aberavon
1922 – 1929		 Succeeded by
William George Cove
Preceded by
Sidney Webb		 Member of Parliament for Seaham
1929 – 1935		 Succeeded by
Emanuel Shinwell
Preceded by
Noel Skelton		 Member of Parliament for the
Combined Scottish Universities
1936 – 1937		 Succeeded by
Sir John Anderson
Party political offices
New political party Labour Party Secretary
1900 – 1912		 Succeeded by
Arthur Henderson
Preceded by
Philip Snowden		 Chairman of the Independent Labour Party
1906 – 1909		 Succeeded by
Frederick William Jowett
Preceded by
George Nicoll Barnes		 Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party
1911 – 1914		 Succeeded by
Arthur Henderson
Preceded by
Arthur Henderson		 Treasurer of the Labour Party
1912 – 1924		 Succeeded by
Unknown
Preceded by
John Robert Clynes		 Leader of the British Labour Party
1922 – 1931		 Succeeded by
Arthur Henderson
Preceded by
Sidney Webb		 Chair of the Labour Party
1923 – 1924		 Succeeded by
Charles Cramp
New political party Leader of the National Labour Party
1931 – 1937		 Succeeded by
Malcolm MacDonald
Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC ( 12 September 1852 &ndash 15 February 1928) served The Leader of the Opposition (sometimes known as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons) in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867 &ndash 14 December 1947 was a British Conservative politician statesman and major Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867 &ndash 14 December 1947 was a British Conservative politician statesman and major The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons George Nathaniel Curzon 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC ( 11 January 1859 &ndash 20 March The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a member of the United Kingdom Government heading the Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain KG ( 16 October 1863 &ndash 17 March 1937) was a British Statesman, Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867 &ndash 14 December 1947 was a British Conservative politician statesman and major The Leader of the Opposition (sometimes known as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons) in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads Stanley Baldwin 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867 &ndash 14 December 1947 was a British Conservative politician statesman and major The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above Edward Frederick Lindley Wood 1st Earl of Halifax, KG, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC ( 16 April 1881 &ndash The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories See also Harry Broadhurst Henry Broadhurst ( 13 April 1840 &ndash 11 October 1911) was a prominent A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Leicester was a Parliamentary borough in Leicestershire, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs to the House of Commons from 1295 See also Harry Broadhurst Henry Broadhurst ( 13 April 1840 &ndash 11 October 1911) was a prominent Descended from a well known family of cotton spinners from Bolton, Lancashire, Franklin Thomasson was born on 16th August 1873 at Alderley Edge Cheshire the 3rd child Eliot Crawshay-Williams ( September 4, 1879 &ndash May 11, 1962) was a British author officer and Liberal Party politician Gordon Hewart 1st Viscount Hewart PC ( 7 January 1870 &ndash 5 May 1943) was a Politician and Judge in The United Kingdom general election of 1906 was held from 12 January to 8 February 1906 The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Aberavon is a constituency in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The UK general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922 It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish The 1929 UK general election was held on 30 May 1929 and resulted in a Hung parliament. William George Cove ( 21 May 1888 &ndash 15 March 1963) was a British Politician. Sidney James Webb 1st Baron Passfield PC ( 13 July, 1859 &ndash 13 October, 1947) was a British socialist economist and reformer A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Seaham was a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was in existence between 1918 and 1950 The 1929 UK general election was held on 30 May 1929 and resulted in a Hung parliament. Results |} Total votes cast 20991488 All parties shown Conservatives include Ulster Unionists Seats won by the Independent Labour Party (ILP are Emanuel Shinwell Baron Shinwell CH, PC ( 18 October 1884 - 8 May 1986) (familiarly known as Manny) was Archibald Noel Skelton ( 1 July 1880 - 22 November 1935) was a Scottish Unionist politician journalist and intellectual A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The Combined Scottish Universities was a University constituency in the United Kingdom Parliament from 1918 until 1950. The Combined Scottish Universities by-election 1936 was a By-election held from 27 January to 31 January 1936 for the Combined Scottish The Combined Scottish Universities by-election 1938 was a By-election held from 21 February to 25 February 1938 for the Combined Scottish John Anderson 1st Viscount Waverley, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, PC ( 8 July 1882 &ndash 4 January The General Secretary is the most senior employee of the British Labour Party. Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935 was a British union leader politician Disarmament advocate and the 1934 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Philip Snowden 1st Viscount Snowden ( July 18, 1864 – May 15, 1937) was a British politician and the first Labour See Independent Labor Party for the Political party in Burundi, Independent Labour Group for the Irish party and Labour candidates Frederick William 'Fred' Jowett ( 31 January 1864 &ndash 1 February 1944) was a British Labour politician George Nicoll Barnes CH PC ( January 2, 1859 &ndash April 21, 1940) was a Scottish Politician and a In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP is the Parliamentary party of the Labour Party in Parliament: Labour MPs as a collective Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935 was a British union leader politician Disarmament advocate and the 1934 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935 was a British union leader politician Disarmament advocate and the 1934 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate The Treasurer of the Labour Party is a position on the National Executive Committee of the British Labour Party. John Robert Clynes ( 27 March 1869 &ndash 23 October 1949) was a British Trade unionist and Labour Party The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935 was a British union leader politician Disarmament advocate and the 1934 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Sidney James Webb 1st Baron Passfield PC ( 13 July, 1859 &ndash 13 October, 1947) was a British socialist economist and reformer The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. The National Labour Party was a group founded around the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald after he was expelled from the Labour Party Malcolm Ian Macdonald (born 7 January 1950) is a former English footballer nicknamed "Supermac" famed for scoring goals for
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic