The state and the challenge of labour in Britain 1917–20

In Britain, during the latter part of the First World War and the two years after it, the propertied classes felt very threatened by the new strength of organised labour. Such concern was reinforced by an awareness of breakdowns of the social order in other parts of Europe. Lloyd George’s coalition government was adroit in taking short-term measures to cope with specific crises. It also adapted the powers and practices of the British state in order to be prepared to deal with more serious challenges.