AQA · A-Level · History

    Course version: 7042 · Version from Sept 2017

    Britain, c1851–1964 – The Great War and its impact, 1914–1939 (A-level…

    Full specification wording

    1G Challenge and transformation: Britain, c1851–1964 – The Great War and its impact, 1914–1939 (A-level only): Political developments in the interwar years: electoral reform; Conservative and Labour governments; National governments; the abdication crisis and emergence of radical political movements, including the BUF and Communism

    Interwar politics saw democratic expansion alongside economic crises.

    Checked against the AQA 7042 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 2 of 6
    • 4 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    Interwar politics saw democratic expansion alongside economic crises. The 1928 Equal Franchise Act granted women voting parity. The era featured Conservative dominance and brief minority Labour governments, confirming Labour as the official opposition. The 1931 financial crisis triggered the National Government, a Conservative-dominated coalition providing stability during the Depression. This stability helped Britain weather the 1936 Abdication Crisis of Edward VIII with minimal damage. Despite economic hardship, radical movements like Mosley's British Union of Fascists (BUF) and the Communist Party failed to achieve mainstream success, constrained by the entrenched two-party system and the moderate consensus of the National Government.

    What earns the marks

    • Evaluate the reasons for the formation of the National Government in 1931 and its subsequent electoral dominance.
    • Assess the achievements and limitations of the first two minority Labour governments (1924 and 1929-1931).
    • Analyse the reasons why radical political movements, specifically the BUF and the Communist Party, failed to gain significant electoral traction in Britain.
    • Explain the political significance of the 1928 Equal Franchise Act in completing the democratic reforms of the era.
    • Evaluate Stanley Baldwin's handling of the 1936 Abdication Crisis and its impact on the monarchy and government stability.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Stating that the National Government was a balanced coalition of all parties.

      Put it right: Emphasise that while it contained members of Labour and the Liberals, it was overwhelmingly dominated by the Conservative Party.

    • Overstating the threat of the BUF and Communism to the British state.

      Put it right: Acknowledge their visibility (e.g., Cable Street) but highlight their marginal electoral impact and the resilience of mainstream British political institutions.

    • Confusing the 1918 and 1928 franchise acts.

      Put it right: Specify that 1918 gave the vote to women over 30 with property qualifications, whereas 1928 equalised the franchise for all adults over 21.

    Exam tips

    • Use the 1931 crisis to demonstrate the transition from traditional party politics to the National Government consensus.
    • When evaluating the failure of extremism, contrast Britain's political stability and economic recovery policies with the situations in Germany or Italy.
    • Discuss the Abdication Crisis not just as a royal scandal, but as a test of constitutional monarchy and prime ministerial authority under Baldwin.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the 1G Challenge and transformation: Britain, c1851–1964 – The Great War and its impact, 1914–1939 (A-level only): Political developments in the interwar years: electoral reform; Conservative and Labour governments; National governments; the abdication crisis and emergence of radical political movements, including the BUF and Communism lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    Which significant electoral reform was introduced by the Conservative government in 1928?

    Listen

    Interwar politics saw democratic expansion alongside economic crises. The 1928 Equal Franchise Act granted women voting parity. The era featured Conservative dominance and brief minority Labour governments, confirming Labour as the official opposition. The 1931 financial crisis triggered the National Government, a Conservative-dominated coalition providing stability during the Depression. This stability helped Britain weather the 1936 Abdication Crisis of Edward VIII with minimal damage. Despite economic hardship, radical movements like Mosley's British Union of Fascists (BUF) and the Communist Party failed to achieve mainstream success, constrained by the entrenched two-party system and the moderate consensus of the National Government. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Evaluate the reasons for the formation of the National Government in 1931 and its subsequent electoral dominance. Assess the achievements and limitations of the first two minority Labour governments (1924 and 1929-1931). Analyse the reasons why radical political movements, specifically the BUF and the Communist Party, failed to gain significant electoral traction in Britain. Explain the political significance of the 1928 Equal Franchise Act in completing the democratic reforms of the era. A common slip: Stating that the National Government was a balanced coalition of all parties. Instead, Emphasise that while it contained members of Labour and the Liberals, it was overwhelmingly dominated by the Conservative Party. Exam tip: Use the 1931 crisis to demonstrate the transition from traditional party politics to the National Government consensus.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart. The top node, Interwar politics, branches into five nodes: Electoral reform; Conservative and Labour governments; National governments; Abdication crisis; and Radical political movements. The Radical political movements node splits into two further nodes: BUF and Communism. An arrow also runs from Conservative and Labour governments to National governments, and another from National governments to Abdication crisis.
    It shows the interwar political developments named in the teaching note, with the National Government linked to the abdication crisis and radical movements split into the BUF and Communism.

    Put the events in order

    Put these events in the order they happened, earliest first.

    1. 1. Equal Franchise Act granted women voting parity
    2. 2. First minority Labour government took office
    3. 3. Abdication Crisis of Edward VIII
    4. 4. Second minority Labour government began
    5. 5. Financial crisis triggered the National Government

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    Democratic expansion

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Economic crisis and consensus

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Political extremism

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Constitutional stability

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    Democratic expansion
    Interwar politics saw this alongside economic crises, with the 1928 Equal Franchise Act granting women voting parity.
    Economic crisis and consensus
    The 1931 financial crisis triggered the National Government, a Conservative-dominated coalition providing stability during the Depression.
    Political extremism
    Radical movements like Mosley's British Union of Fascists and the Communist Party failed to achieve mainstream success, constrained by the entrenched two-party system and moderate consensus.
    Constitutional stability
    This helped Britain weather the 1936 Abdication Crisis of Edward VIII with minimal damage.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart. The top node, Interwar politics, branches into five nodes: Electoral reform; Conservative and Labour governments; National governments; Abdication crisis; and Radical political movements. The Radical political movements node splits into two further nodes: BUF and Communism. An arrow also runs from Conservative and Labour governments to National governments, and another from National governments to Abdication crisis.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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