ABSTRACT
The years between 1911 and 1914 were a period of sharp and continuous industrial unrest. The campaign of the militant suffragists has been stressed as a manifestation of a spirit akin to the labour unrest which was contemporary with it. Both movements were indeed largely the outcome of disappointment after hopes raised high in the Liberal-Labour victory of 1906. The Shops Act, which in its original form had gone a long way towards meeting the Labour demands, was so cut about in the course of the session as to lose most of its value. There was strong objection in Labour circles to the contributory basis proposed for both health and unemployment services, and to the provision whereby the workmen’s contributions were to be deducted from wages by the employers. In addition to the discounting of Labour claims by the Liberals, the Labour Party suffered seriously from internal weaknesses.
