Why did Lloyd George fall from power in 1922?
Lloyd George won overwhelmingly in 1918 as "the man who won the war". How is it that he fell from power in 1922 never to return to the premiership? A multitude of problems struck both Lloyd George and his government some were his own faults others were political circumstances beyond his control. These problems progressively mounted up so high they obscured Lloyd George's successes and toppled him from power.
Lloyd George's post as primeminister was in a way doomed from the beginning. He came to power at the head of a coalition party making enemies along the way. Most notably Asquith and many other Liberal MPs people whom should have been supporters. Instead he became a prisoner of the Conservative Party the main bulk of the coalition. Lloyd George's policies of reform and views on the Irish question were incompatible with many conservatives.
David Lloyd George, former Prime Minister of the U...
English: David Lloyd George in 1908, Chancellor of...
David Lloyd GeorgeWhom when it came to 1922 would abandon him. This incompatibility stifled the coalition's progress. The high hopes of a "land fit for heroes" meant this lack of progress especially hurt his reputation in office.
This lack of progress was also due to a general downturn in the economy: caused by WW1 and the growth of competition abroad. A policy of retrenchment was introduced after a short boom. Retrenchment did not allow the kind of reform people wanted. Lloyd George earned the anger of workers wanting reforms by refusing to nationalize mines and using heavy-handed tactics dealing with a strike in Glasgow. Had Lloyd George not been part of the coalition would he have adopted this policy and lost the sizeable support of the miners? Or was nationalization not practical and fear of revolution justified? Lloyd George's stance and Liberals in general also were...