The 1931 General Election was fought against the backdrop of a huge economic crisis. Two years earlier the Wall Street Crash in the U.S. had shattered economic confidence leading to a depression. Factories closed and by the end of 1930 the unemployment rate in Britain had doubled to two and a half million.
The Labour Government struggled to cope with attempting to maintain a balanced budget while providing assistance to the poor and unemployed.
In an effort to reconcile the contradiction they appointed a committee to review public spending which recommended public sector wage cuts and large reductions in public spending, including payments to the unemployed.
The majority of the Labour Party disagreed and in the subsequent deadlock there was a flight of finance out of the country. Ramsay MacDonald the Labour Prime Minister offered to form a National Government with the Conservatives and Liberals.
Just a few Labour MPs joined him and a little later he called a General Election fought on the issue of the need to introduce public spending cuts in the interests of the country.
Picture; Sacrifice, 1931
I also love this poste its message is as true and relevant today as when it was first published!
ReplyDeleteThis poster is one of my favourites too and is as poignant now as when it was first published in the 1930's
ReplyDelete