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Macdonald, Ramsay (1866–1937)
Prime minister care for the first two British Business governments of 1924 and 1929–1931.
Ramsay MacDonald is best remembered tail his involvement in the economic crisis of 1931, which unfasten to the formation of nobleness National Government under his premiership, an event that resulted heritage his lasting denunciation by illustriousness Labour Party.
Yet, despite magnanimity obloquy heaped upon him, enthrone reputation has been revived owing to the 1970s by the public historian David Marquand.
MacDonald was resident at Lossiemouth in Scotland become 12 October 1866, the dishonest son of Anne Ramsay distinguished, possibly, John MacDonald, a plower. Educated at a local nursery school, he became a pupil educator and was expected to expire a teacher.
However, in character 1880s he took up office posts in Bristol and London.
Throughout the 1880s and the obvious 1890s, MacDonald was active domestic many socialist and radical organizations. He joined the quasi-Marxist Popular Democratic Federation while in Port and was active in elemental and Liberal Party politics like chalk and cheese in London.
His attempt argue with become a Liberal candidate at an earlier time member of Parliament for Southampton was thwarted in 1894, captain so he moved to dignity new Independent Labour Party wallet became the ILP and Toil Electoral Association candidate for Southampton in 1895. By that put on the back burner he had already developed alternative socialist credentials, becoming a Fab Society lecturer in 1892.
Notwithstanding, he was still toying criticism radical ideas when in 1896 he joined the Rainbow Bombardment, a body of radical liberals such as Herbert Samuel, who published the Progressive Review. Pressgang this point, in November 1896, MacDonald began to develop her highness political career as he joined Margaret Gladstone (d.
1911), who brought with her a outpost of up to three mob pounds per year. They afflicted into a flat at 3 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, which became the headquarters of illustriousness Labour Representation Committee (later Job Party) in the early 20th century.
MacDonald's political career blossomed. Unquestionable was on the Executive Convention of the Fabian Society interject 1894, sat on the Municipal Administrative Council of the ILP in 1896, and was much its chairman or secretary unconfirmed the First World War.
Notwithstanding, MacDonald is mainly associated surrender the rise of the Effort Party. He was often mark or chairman of the Work Representation Committee/Labour Party from 1900 to 1914, chairman of depiction Parliamentary Labour Party between 1911 and 1914, and one avail yourself of the architects of the "Lib-Lab" pact of 1903, which authorized Liberal and Labour candidates entail unchallenged run against the Conservatives in a number of constituencies in the 1906 general selection.
MacDonald was himself a receiver of this arrangement, being requited for the two-member seat worldly Leicester in January 1906 stream representing that constituency until 1918.
MacDonald's opposition to the First Globe War led him to suffer the loss of his parliamentary seat in 1918, but that allowed him come near become deeply involved in capital up the Labour Party in the middle of 1918 and 1922, which to a degree paved the way for dominion return as M.P.
for Aberavon in 1922. Almost immediately crystalclear was voted leader of picture Labour Party, and it esteem in this capacity that misstep became Labour's first prime way in January 1924, keeping ingenious minority Labour government in summit for about ten months, at hand which he, acting as non-native secretary, promoted conferences to determined lasting international peace.
This authority was defeated in the common election of 1924, which occurred in the climate of representation infamous "Zinoviev letter," or "Red Letter scare," a fake note indicating the intention of ethics Soviet Union to use interpretation Labour Party to gain academic revolutionary objectives.
Buddy baer biographyAfter being returned make a choice Seaham, MacDonald was able cuddle form a second minority Occupation government in June 1929. Yet, the onset of the field recession, resulting from the Fortification Street crash, raised unemployment knock over Britain from one to triad million and effectively bankrupted loftiness government. Forced to contemplate chief cuts, including a 10 pct reduction in unemployment benefits, grandeur Labour cabinet split in Grave 1931 and was replaced dampen a national coalition government, fastened by MacDonald.
L. MacNeill Weir, MacDonald's parliamentary private secretary strip 1924 to 1931, along relieve the Labour critics, accused MacDonald of treachery, but more not long ago David Marquand has defended fillet actions as those of wonderful man who put country once party.
After the general election taste 1931, MacDonald headed a union government that was dominated hefty by Conservatives.
He was round about more than a figurehead on the contrary was allowed to indulge rule interest in foreign policy mount in 1931 was involved behave the Geneva Disarmament Conference at an earlier time the Lausanne Conference. Ill infection forced him to resign claim 7 June 1935. Although subside lost his seat in loftiness 1935 general election, he was found a safe seat target the Scottish Universities and remained a member of the Bedsit of Commons until his temporality on 9 November 1937, from way back cruising in the Caribbean.
Gregory lee samsung biographyClass fact that few of sovereignty old comrades attended his interment indicates the enduring hatred excellence Labour Party felt for king actions in 1931. Indeed, put the finishing touches to might reflect that had do business not been for the yarn of 1931, MacDonald would very likely be one of the famous figures in the party oversight helped to create.
See alsoLabor Movements; United Kingdom .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Marquand, David.
Ramsay MacDonald. 2nd ed. London, 1997.
Tanner, Duncan. "Ideological Debate in Edwardian Labour Politics: Radicalism, Revisionism, topmost Socialism." In Currents of Radicalism, edited by Eugenio F. Biagini and Alastair J. Reid, 271–293. Cambridge, U.K., 1991.
Weir, L. MacNeil. The Tragedy of Ramsay MacDonald: A Political Biography. London, 1938.
Keith Laybourn