The British General Election of 1931

The British general election of 1931 marked the culmination of a period of political and economic crisis, and has long been regarded as a watershed in twentieth-century British history. In the summer of 1931, a struggling Labour government collapsed: its leader, Ramsay MacDonald, stayed on to form a National government supported mainly by Conservatives and Liberals. Within six weeks, the decision to call an election was taken, and in the ensuing contest the Nationals won an overwhelming victory. Thorpe argues that while 1931 changed much, the general trends towards conservative hegemony and two-party politics were little disturbed by the crisis. He traces the background to the events of 1931, and examines their implications in detail.