ABSTRACT
The British crisis of 1931 had run its course to the accompaniment of crises all over the world. It was indeed a part of the world crisis; for the British financial and economic difficulties, though they had existed before, had been immensely aggravated by the worldwide economic collapse, which was itself due mainly to the withdrawal of support for the European economy from the United States. The Labour Party, for its part, was engaged all through 1932 in a battle on two fronts. On the one hand it was seeking to reorganise its forces in face of the MacDonaldite secessions; and on the other it was continuing the dispute with the I.L.P. which had begun during the Labour Government’s term of office and had led to the I.L.P.’s appearance in the 1931 Election as a separate party, though it was still nominally affiliated to the Labour Party.
