Why Did the Conservatives Lose the General Election in 1906 (12 Marks)

Why did the Conservatives lose the general election in 1906?

There are several factors which lead to the conservatives political defeat in the 1906 election, one example of an event which leads to their downfall would be the Boer war (1899-1902). The Boer war contributed greatly towards their downfall due to the Conservatives poor handling of the situation, firstly the war was more costly in lives and money than it should have been, moreover the parties concentration on the war allowed the Liberals to expose the poor living conditions in town and convince the public the Conservatives were neglecting social reforms, this in turn lead to the Conservatives receding lack of support and contributing to their loss in 1906. Another factor which lead to the Conservatives loss in 1906 was the 1902 education act, this piece of legislation meant that Anglican and Catholic schools would now be funded by local taxes instead of the Church, this antagonized non- conformists as it meant that their taxes would be funding schools which they strongly rejected. The Conservatives leader during this time is arguably the greatest factor towards their loss, A.J Balfour was the Conservative Prime minister in 1902, although he was intellectual and ambitious, he was a poor speaker and could not effectively persuade or convey his ideas, moreover he made several miscalculations such as the number of voters they needed, he resigned in 1910 after his own backbenchers all theses combined contributed to the Conservatives defeat. On the other hand one may argue that the Liberals successful campaign movements was a preeminent factor which leads to the Conservatives downfall, rather than the Conservatives own mistakes; one such factor would be Henry Campbell- Bannerman, he was the leader of the Liberal party from 1898-1908, not only was he an influential public speaker which was a contrast of Balfour, but he also reunited Liberal party after it became disconnected when some supported the Irish home...