The economic crisis of 1931 caused yet further divisions amongst Liberals, and the partys decline accelerated. Yet even in this period of greatest weakness by 1955 the party had fallen to just five MPs Liberalism continued to generate ideas which dictated the political agenda, through the work of Keynes and Beveridge.
History (12)
Biographies (18)
Journal articles (38)
Books (4)
Meetings (11)
Archives: libraries (10)
Archives: individuals (2)
PhD theses (21)
Research (2)
Audio sources (1)
History
A concise history of the Liberal Party, SDP and Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are the successors to two important reformist traditions in British politics - those of liberalism and of social democracy, which became separated from each other in the early p...
Inter-war decline
The Liberals were a political casualty of the Great War - emerging from the conflict as a divided party, whose key ideological beliefs had been sacrificed to meet the needs of modern warfare. ...
Liberal Nadir, 1935-56
The 1935 General Election was a catastrophic defeat for the Liberals. The number of MPs for the party was reduced to 19, 12 of whom had majorities of less than 2,000, seven less than 1,000. The party...
National Sound Archive
The National Sound Archive at the British Library holds various recordings of key Liberal figures. ...
The Liberals and Ireland since 1801
Underneath the surface of this [Irish question], and wrapped up in it, are nearly all the controversies of principle which will agitate the political atmosphere of our time. It is a microcosm of the ...
Liberal Party funding between the wars
One of the major problems facing the Liberal Party in the inter-war period was the lack of funds that they had at their disposal. As the Party became increasingly defunct, so it became impossible to ...
The 1929 general election
The election of May 1929 took place against a backdrop of economic depression, as the Conservative government struggled to stem a growing tide of unemployment in the aftermath of the First World War....
The 1931 general election
The National Government was formed in August 1931, following the failure of Ramsay Macdonald's minority Labour administration to deal with the mounting unemployment that was paralysing Britain. ...
The Liberal Nationals
The Liberal National group was officially formed on 5 October 1931; two days before the commencement of the election campaign, which saw the Liberals enter the polls as three distinct groups. ...
Local history: Wembley Young Liberals in the 1950s
Alan Knight on being active in the Wembley North Young Liberals in the early 1950s. ...
Great Liberals
John Stuart Mill chosen as greatest British Liberal ...
Old heroes for a new leader
As we have done in each of the last two Liberal Democrat leadership elections, in 1999 and 2006, the Liberal Democrat History Group has asked both candidates for the Liberal Democrat leadership to wr...
Biographies
Biography of Clement Davies
Clement Davies, Edward
Biography of 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor David Lloyd George
Lloyd-George, David (Earl Lloyd-George and Viscount Gwynedd)
Biography of Viscount Herbert Samuel
Samuel, Herbert (Viscount Samuel)
Biography of Viscount Thurso Archibald Sinclair
Sinclair, Sir Archibald (Viscount Thurso)
Biography of Sir William Beveridge
Beveridge, William (Lord Beveridge)
Biography of Lord Ralf Gustav Dahrendorf
Dahrendorf, Ralf (Lord Dahrendorf)
Biography of Elliot Dodds
Dodds, Elliot
Biography of John Hammond
Hammond, John and Barbara
Biography of Baron John Maynard Keynes
Maynard Keynes, John (Lord Keynes)
Biography of Ramsay Muir
Muir, Ramsay
Biography of Lord Christopher Addison
Addison, Christopher (Lord Addison)
Biography of Violet Bonham Carter
Bonham Carter, Violet
Biography of Winston Churchill
Churchill, Winston Leonard Spencer
Biography of Sir Dingle Foot
Foot, Dingle
Biography of Baron Jenkins of Hillhead Roy Jenkins
Jenkins, Roy (Lord Jenkins)
Biography of Lady Megan Lloyd George
Lloyd George, Megan
Biography of Sir Donald Maclean
Maclean, Sir Donald
Biography of Viscount John Simon
Simon, John (Viscount Simon)
Journal articles
Report: 'We can conquer unemployment'
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 5 ')
Report of LDHG meeting of September 1994, on the Liberal approach to unemployment in the 1920s and '30s, with Lord Skidelsky
Third Party Politics Since 1945
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 2 ')
Review of John Stevenson, Third Party Politics Since 1945: Liberals, Alliance and Liberal Democrats
Liberals and the 1945 election (1)
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 9 ')
Review of Malcolm Baines, 'The Liberal Party and the 1945 General Election', Contemporary Record 9:1, Summer 1995
Radical Action and the Liberal Party during the Second World War
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 63 ')
The story of this influential pressure group within the Liberal Party.
The Liberal Party and the 1945 election
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 11 ')
Personal recollections of the Liberal Party's campaign in the 1945 general election.
Roger and Pat Thorn
Learning the lessons of history: Liberalism in the 1930s
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 55 ')
What can Liberal Democrats learn from the Liberal Party's positions in the 1930s?
Liberal civil war: Denbigh, Oldham and the 1935 election
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 56 ')
The story of two constituencies where Liberals and Liberal Nationals fought each other at the 1935 general election.
Liberals and the 1945 election (2)
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 9 ')
Review of Peter Joyce, The Liberal Party and the 1945 General Election
The Liberal performance in 1945
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 11 ')
Contribution to the continuing debate over the 1945 election: response to earlier Newsletter articles.
Michael Steed
The Inverness turning point
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 53 ')
How the Liberals' near-miss in the Inverness by-election of 1954 proved a turning point in the party's fortunes.
The Liberal Party's performance in 1945
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 12 ')
Continuing the debate over the Liberal Party and the 1945 general election.
Mark Pack
Last of the Midland radicals
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 53 ')
Biography of Sir Geoffrey Mander, Liberal MP for Wolverhampton East, 1929-45.
'Why I am a Liberal'
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 60 ')
The dynastic Liberalism of Michael and all the Foots.
The Glyndwr manuscripts
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 61 ')
The Glyndwr collection at the Denbighshire Record Office throws light on the fortunes of the local Liberal Party in the 1920s and '30s.
Liberalism reunited: the Huddersfield experience 1945-47
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 52 ')
How fusion between the two Liberal factions helped Liberalism survive in Huddersfield
1945-1964: The gory, gory years
(from journal ' Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter 7 ')
The survival and development of the Liberal Party in the post-war era.
Life with Lloyd George
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 55 ')
A. J. Sylvester's Life with Lloyd George remains a unique source of information. This article examines its preparation, publication and impact.
Archive: The Papers of Herbert Samuel at the Parliamentary Archives
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 65 ')
Violet and Clem
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 66 ')
Examination of the relationship between Liberal leader Clement Davies and Lady Violet Bonham Carter.
The flight from the Liberal Party
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 67 ')
Liberals who joined the Labour Party, 1914-31.
Tom Horabin remembered
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 53 ')
Personal memoir of Tom Horabin MP.
'I am a Liberal as much as a Tory': Winston Churchill and the memory of 1906
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 54 ')
Examination of how Churchill frequently summoned up the memories of 1906 to bolster his own position in politics
Man of mystery: John Creasey
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 57 ')
The life of John Creasey (1908-73), Liberal candidate and author of almost 600 books.
Report: Torrington '58 - Liberal survival and revival, 1945-79
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 61 ')
Report of full-day seminar, with LSE, 14 June 2008.
Beveridge in person
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 53 ')
Encounter with Lord Beveridge.
Politics and ponies
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 57 ')
Review of Garry Tregidga (ed.), Killerton, Camborne and Westminster: The Political Correspondence of Sir Francis and Lady Acland
The Left Foot
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 60 ')
Review of Kenneth O. Morgan, Michael Foot: A Life.
A Liberal without a Home: the Later Career of Leslie Hore-Belisha
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 65 ')
In the simplistic and sometimes pernicious categorisations which have so often been applied to the political personalities of the 1930s - appeasers and anti-appeasers, a majority of dupes and a minority of the far-sighted, the decade's Guilty Men and its isolated voices in the wilderness - Leslie Hore-Belisha has strong claims to be listed among the virtuous. David Dutton tells the story of Hore-Belisha - a Liberal without a home.
A retreat from the left?
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 67 ')
The Liberal Party and Labour, 1945-55.
Liberal pragmatist
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 61 ')
Review of Donald Markwell, John Maynard Keynes and International Relations: Economic Paths to War and Peace
The man who sold the honours
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 66 ')
Review of Andrew Cook, Cash for Honours: The Story of Maundy Gregory (The History Press, 2008)
Radical Reform Group
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 67 ')
Examination of the group's formation, history and publications.
The two great wartime leaders
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 58 ')
Review of Richard Toye, Lloyd George and Churchill: Rivals for Greatness
'A Little Chit of a Fellow'
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 63 ')
Review of Ian R. Grimwood, 'A Little Chit of a Fellow': a biography of the Rt Hon Leslie Hore-Belisha.
David and Frances
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 52 ')
Review of John Campbell: If Love Were All ... The Story of Frances Stevenson and David Lloyd George
Review: A neglected party
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 64 ')
Review of Dutton, Liberals in Schism - A History of the National Liberal Party.
Review: How the Liberal Party fared 1939-45
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 64 ')
Review of Thorpe, Parties at War: Political Organisation in Second World War Britain.
Review: British intellectual life, 1918-39
(from journal ' Journal of Liberal History 65 ')
Review of Richard Overy, The Morbid Age: Britain Between the Wars.
Books
A Short History of the Liberal Party 1900-2001
A short, widely available and up to date introduction.
The Rise and Fall of British Liberalism 1776-1988
From the American Revolution to merger. Was the decline of Liberalism in the twentieth century inevitable?
British Liberalism: Liberal thought from the 1640s to 1980s
Extracts from Liberal thinkers from John Milton to the community politicians.
An Intelligent Person's Guide to Liberalism
The evolution of Liberal philosophy from the seventeenth century to the present. Essential reading.
Meetings
A delicate balance
Sunday 20 September 2009
The long-term decline in popularity of Labour and the Conservatives, and the growth in the number of third-party MPs at Westminster including mostly notably those of the Liberal Democrats means tha...
Torrington '58: Liberal survival and revival, 1945-79
Saturday 14 June 2008
On 27 March 1958, Mark Bonham Carter, Asquiths grandson, won the Parliamentary by-election in the Devon seat of Torrington by a margin of just 219 votes.
...
Rufus Isaacs
Wednesday 18 April 2007
The Marquess of Reading and David Howarth (Lib Dem MP for Cambridge) will talk on Rufus Isaacs, successively Liberal MP for Reading, 1904-13, Lord Chief Justice, Viceroy of India and Foreign Secretar...
The Suez crisis
Monday 3 July 2006
Fifty years ago, in July 1956, the Egyptian President, Colonel Nasser, nationalised the Suez Canal, to the anger and frustration of the British and French governments, who were the majority sharehold...
Civil liberties in war and peace
Monday 24 January 2005
Law and order has long been a major issue in British politics.
...
Clement Davies Liberal Party Saviour?
Sunday 21 September 2003
Clement Davies led the Liberal Party from 1945 to 1956. During that time, the party came very close to dying out but it survived. He turned down Churchills offer of a government position and in so d...
Liberal Party General Election campaigns after 1945
Monday 3 February 2003
With David Butler, longstanding co-author and author of the acclaimed Nuffield General Election studies, and Neil Stockley, former Director of Policy, Liberal Democrats.
...
Dancing the Charleston Again - Liberal/Labour relations 1918-31
Monday 22 November 1999
Professor Ben Pimlott (Warden of Goldsmiths College and biographer of Hugh Dalton) and Dr David Dutton (biographer of Sir John Simon) reviewed relations between Liberals and Labour during the key per...
Liberal-Tory Pacts: Partnership of principle or struggle for survival?
Saturday 1 March 1997
Michael Kandiah, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Contemporary British History, spoke on Liberal-Conservative relations in the 1940s and 1950s. He looked at both the national negotiations which conc...
We Can Conquer Unemployment
Sunday 18 September 1994
The subject of the meeting was the influence of Keynes's and Lloyd George's Yellow Book on the problems of conquering unemployment in the 1920s and 1930s. With one of the major policy paper...
Survival in the Balance: The Liberal Party after 1945
Monday 17 September 1990
Dr Stevenson examined the history of the Liberal Party after 1945, and its attempt to carve out an identity for itself in a hostile political world. He explored the historical dimension of the contin...
Archives: libraries
BLPES
Liberal Party Archives at the London School of Economics (BLPES) ...
archive url: http://www.lse.ac.uk/library/archive/
Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
Archive Collections relating to Liberal history at the Bodleian Library ...
archive url: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/bodley/library/specialcollections
Bristol University Library
The Liberal Party collections at the University of Bristol Library originate from the acquisition in 1976 of the Gladstone Library of the National Liberal Club ...
archive url: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/is/
Coventry History Centre
Liberal Collections in the Archives ...
archive url: http://www.theherbert.org/index.php/home/history-centre
Dundee City Archives
Liberal Collections at the Archives ...
Hull University Archives
The University of Hull's Brynmor Jones Library (BJL) has been collecting political archives and manuscripts ever since the foundation of the university, initially ...
archive url: http://www.hull.ac.uk/arc/
London Metropolitan Archives
The London Liberal Foundation and London Liberal Party records ...
archive url: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lma
Manchester Archives and Local Studies
Liberal History Archives at Manchester Archives and Local Studies ...
archive url: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/libraries/arls/
National Library of Scotland
Sources in the Manuscripts Division of the National Library of Scotland for the study of the Liberals and Liberal Democrats ...
archive url: http://www.nls.uk/
National Library of Wales
Liberal Party Archives at the National Library of Wales ...
archive url: http://www.llgc.org.uk/
Archives: individuals
Beveridge, William
Beveridge's papers at London School of Economics ...
archive url: http://www.lse.ac.uk/library/archives
Sinclair, Archibald (Viscount Thurso)
Thurso Papers at the Churchill Archives ...
archive url: http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/archives/
PhD theses
An analysis of the reform of the House of Lords, 1911-2000
Supervisor: Professor Vernon B. Bogdanor
Oxford University , 2006
Citation form:
D.Phil
Clement Davies M.P. and the Liberal Party
Wales M.A. , 1976
Conservatives, Liberals and Labour in Yorkshire, 1918-29
Sheffield M.A. , 1976
Lloyd George in British politics, 1922-1931
Edinburgh Ph.D.
Seat-votes relationships in British general elections, 1955-97
Oxford, D.Phil , 2002
The British general election of 1929
Supervisor - Professor Peter F. Clarke
Cambridge, Ph.D , 1999
The decline of the Liberal Party in parliament and in the constituencies, 1914-1931
Oxford D.Phil. , 1982
The disintegration of the Liberal Party, 1931-3
Wales M.A. , 1980
The electoral strategy and tactics of the British Liberal Party, 1945-70
London Ph.D , 1990
The grass-roots organization of the Liberal party, 1945-64
Supervisor - Dr. Michael W. Hart
Oxford, D.Phil , 2001
The Liberal mind, 1914-1929
Cambridge Ph.D. , 1975
The Liberal Party in Cornwall, 1918-39
Exeter M.Phil. , 1991
The Liberal Party in S.W. England, 1929-59
Exeter Ph.D. , 1995
The making of Liberal Party policy, 1945-80
Reading Ph.D. , 1983
The North of England Newspaper Company, 1903-1939: the declining political importance of a Liberal newspaper company
Newcastle upon Tyne Ph.D. , 2000
The political and military career of Major-General J.E.B. Seely, 1868-1947
Southampton M.Phil. , 2001
http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Resources/Theses/tc02.html
The political career of Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford 1870-1949
Newcastle upon Tyne Ph.D. , 1995
The political dynamics of N.E. Wales, with special reference to the Liberal party, 1918-35
Supervisors - Professor Duncan M. Tanner and Dr. William P. Griffith
Wales, Ph.D , 2003
The response of the British Liberal Party and its supporters to Nazi Germany, 1935-8
Oxford B.Litt. , 1977
The Samuelites and the National Government: a study in Liberal survival, August 1931 - November 1933
Lancaster M.A. , 1986
The strange death of Labour England: collective provision and social cohesion in Southwark, 1950-2000
Supervisor - Professor Avner Offer
Oxford, M.Phil , 2002
Research
Recruitment of Liberals into the Conservative Party, 1906-35
Aims to suggest reasons for defections of individuals and develop an understanding of changes in electoral alignment. Sources include personal papers and newspapers; suggestions about how to get hold of the papers of more obscure Liberal defectors welcome.
Nick Cott
Contact: 1a Henry Street, Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE3 1DQ; N.M.Cott@ncl.ac.uk.
The Liberal Party's political communication, 1945-2002
Research on the Liberal party and Lib Dems' political communication. Any information welcome (including testimonies) about electoral campaigns and strategies.
Cynthia Messeleka-Boyer
Contact: 12 bis chemin Vaysse, 81150 Terssac,
France; +33 6 10 09 72 46; cynthia.boyer@univ-jfc.fr
Audio sources
Lloyd George speaking in 1929
