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MacDonald, Henderson, and the Outbreak of War, 1914

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Christopher Howard
Christopher Howard
Affiliation:
Peterhouse, Cambridge
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Extract

The mutual antipathy which arose between Ramsay MacDonald and Arthur Henderson during the First World War is often acknowledged to the point of exaggeration. Historians have however done little more than to note its presence and attempt to minimize its importance to the party's development; they have rarely sought to investigate its causes. During the war the strains in their relationship lay not in any long-standing personal mistrust and cannot be explained by Henderson's acceptance of office in the Asquith and Lloyd George coalitions or MacDonald's unremitting opposition to government policy. They lay in the fact that both men believed the other to have abandoned the Labour party in its hour of crisis. That crisis occurred between August and October 1914 in the first instance and this article will argue that the debate over the future of the Labour party and of the trade union movement which occurred during that period, rather than concern for the fate of the nation, determined the decisions taken by MacDonald and Henderson, by the parliamentary Labour party (P.L.P.), and by the wider Labour movement in the first months of war.

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Articles
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The Historical Journal , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , December 1977, pp. 871 - 891
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1977

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References

1 MacDonald to Algie Simon, 25 April 1916, Hyndman to Simon, 12 Aug. 1917, A. Simon papers. (Locations of MS sources are given in Appendix 1.)

2 For the amicability of their working relationship in the immediate pre-war years, McKibbin, Ross, Evolution of the Labour party, 1910–1984 (Oxford, 1974), pp. 3–4, 20–71 passim.Google Scholar

3 Wedgwood to MacDonald, 12 June 1913, MacDonald papers (hereafter JRM), 5/23; copy in Wedgwood papers.

4 Pease diary, 4 March 1914, MS Gainford; Asquith at Ladybank, April 1914, and Lloyd George to Criccieth, June 1914, both quoted in Petter, Martin, ‘The Progressive Alliance’, History, LVIH (1973), 57Google Scholar; memo, by Elibank, 8 Nov. 1911, P.R.O. CAB 37/108/148.

5 Memo, by MacDonald, 3 March 1914, Lloyd George to MacDonald, 3 March 1914; cf. Violet Asquith to MacDonald, 16 March 1914, JRM 8/1, 5/24.

6 NEC minutes, 21, 22 April, 6, 7 May, 30 June 1914.

7 For the claim that rank and file opposition, prompted by Hardie, was decisive, Brockway, Fenner, Inside the Left (London, 1942), pp. 36–8Google Scholar and my interview with Lord Brockway, 11 Feb. 1975; Henderson to MacDonald, 29 May 1914, L(abour) P(arty)/MAC/09/1/73; Blunt, W. S., My diaries, II (London, 1920), 445–6.Google Scholar For an alternative interpretation of this episode, Marquand, David, Ramsay MacDonald (London, 1977), pp. 159–63.Google Scholar

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9 McKibbin, , Evolution of the Labour party, pp. 52–3.Google Scholar For a regional example see Morgan, K. O., ‘The New Liberalism and the challenge of Labour; the Welsh experience, 1885–1929’ in Welsh History Review, vi (1973), pp. 298, 303–4.Google ScholarGregory, Roy, The miners in British politics, 1906–1914 (Oxford, 1968), passimGoogle Scholar, contains numerous examples of this in various coalfields. The best account of the 1903 agreement is still to be found in Bealey, F. and Pelling, H., Labour and politics, 1906–1914 (London, 1958), pp. 125–60, 298–9.Google Scholar

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14 This conclusion is based on extensive examination of available Liberal and Unionist papers and memoirs, particularly those of Asquith, Law, Balfour, Austen Chamberlain, and Lord Robert Cecil.

15 The truce was renewable at the end of the year. Copies of the agreement and its subsequent extensions can be found in MS Asquith, 26.

16 Fisher to Pamela McKenna, 16 Sept. 1914, McKenna papers, 6/7.

17 Estimates of the numbers vary for the simple reason that none of the ‘waverers’ would readily admit to being so, but see Hazlehurst, Cameron, Politicians at war (London, 1971), pp. 54–5Google Scholar; Crewe to Spender, n.d. (May 1929), McKenna to Spender, 7 May 1929, Spender papers B.L. Add. MSS 46386; Samuel to his wife, 2 Aug. 1914, Samuel papers A/157/697.

18 Runciman to Trevelyan, 4 Aug. 1914, Trevelyan papers (hereafter CPT), 33.

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24 Daily Citizen, 28 Aug. 1914. The average number of disputes per month fell remarkably between Aug. and Dec. 1914 as compared with the average of the previous seven months. Labour Year Book (London, 1919), p. 245.Google Scholar

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26 Daily Citizen, 29 Aug. 1914; cf. Leach, W., ‘Wool and the War’, Socialist Review, xv (1918), 19–30.Google Scholar One-sixth of the Lanes, cotton operatives were reported to be without work and many others to be on short time.

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30 Labour Leader, 10, 17 Sept. 1914. Henderson's involvement with the Workers' National Committee is dealt with below.

31 McKibbin, , Evolution of the Labour party, p. 89.Google Scholar

32 MacDonald to Trevelyan, 10 Sept. 1914, CPT 159.

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34 He was soon to change his opinion of the German SPD: ‘Mr. MacDonald also thinks the German Social Democrats are very much to blame for the way they have failed to use their power to avert the outbreak of war during the last eight or nine years’, memo, by MacDonald, n.d. (autumn 1914), JRM 5/98.

35 MacDonald to Morel, 24 Sept. 1914, Morel papers, F8; copy in JRM 5/98.

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43 H. C. Deb., 5, Ixv, col. 1830.Google Scholar

44 But for an indication that his reputation cut little ice with Liberal backbenchers, P. Morrell to Ponsonby, 1 Sept. 1914, Ponsonby papers, c. 661.

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56 MacDonald to Henderson, 21 Aug. 1914, JRM 5/98.

57 H. C. Deb., 5, lxv, cols. 1949–50.

58 WNC 35/6/3, circular of 8 Aug. 1914; N.E.C. minutes, 5 Aug. 1914.

59 WNC 4/1/2, Labour party memo., 4 Aug. 1914; Henderson to N.E.C. members, 4 Aug. 1914, WNC 4/1/3; N.E.C. minutes, 5 Aug. 1914. The work of the W.N.C. is covered by Harrison, Royden, ‘The War Emergency Workers’ National Committee, 1914–1920', in Briggs, Asa and Saville, John (eds.), Essays in Labour history (London, 1971), II, 211–59Google Scholar, and by Winter, J. M., Socialism and the challenge of war (London, 1974), pp. 184–233.Google Scholar

60 MacDonald was one of the first six additions to the original Committee, WNC 35/7/8, executive meeting of 6 Aug. 1914.

61 WNC 35/6/9, executive minutes, Mar. 1916, incorporating report on W.N.C. activity Aug. 1914-Mar. 1916.

62 N.E.C. minutes, 5 Aug. 1914; WNC 35/6/3.

63 WNC 35/6/9, report on W.N.C. activity Aug. 1914-Mar. 1916.

64 WNC 35/6/2, 3, n.d. (autumn 1914), ‘Preliminary draft programme’. For Webb's authorship of the draft, which was eventually printed, see WNC 35/6/6, ‘Points on the Committee and its work: 5 Aug.-2 Nov. 1914’.

65 Henderson to MacDonald, 19 Oct. 1914, JRM 5/98.

66 M MacDonald to Henderson, 21 Aug. 1914, JRM 5/98.

67 MacDonald to Henderson, 21 Aug. 1914, JRM 5/98.

68 MacDonald to Henderson, 24 Aug. 1914, JRM 5/98.

69 Appleton to MacDonald, 27 Aug. 1914, JRM 5/98.

70 I.L.P. National Council manifesto, 11 Aug. 1914, in Labour Leader, 13 Aug. 1914.

71 MacDonald to Williams, 26 Aug. 1914, JRM 5/98.

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74 C. P. Scott diary, 3/4 Sept. 1914, Scott papers, B.L. Add. MSS 50901. For Morrell, Wallas, Raffen, B. Russell, and others, see below.

75 MacDonald to Morel, 4 Sept. 1914, Morel papers, F8.

76 MacDonald to Morel, 4 Sept. 1914, Morel to Ponsonby, 9 Sept. 1914, Morel papers, F8.

77 MacDonald to Trevelyan, 10 Sept. 1914, CPT 159.

78 Morel to Scott, 11 Sept. 1914, Trevelyan to Scott, 13 Sept. 1914. Scott papers, B.M. Add. MSS 50908; Scott to MacDonald, 14 Sept. 1914, JRM 5/98.

79 Morel to Trevelyan, 16 Sept. 1914, Morel papers F6; Trevelyan, ‘Personal account’, entry for 16 Sept. 1914, CPT 159.

80 MacDonald to Scott, 24 Sept. 1914, Scott papers, B.M. Add. MSS 50908.

81 Raffan, Byles to Trevelyan, both 21 Oct. 1914, E. T. John to Trevelyan, n.d. (?9 Nov. 1914), CPT 159; G. M. Trevelyan to his brother, 14 Aug. 1914, CPT 60; B. Russell, T. E. Harvey and F. W. Hirst wrote similarly, CPT 159.

82 Wallas to Trevelyan, 29 Aug. 1914, CPT 159.

83 France to Trevelyan, 27 Sept. 1914, CPT 159; P. Morrell to Ponsonby, 1 Sept. 1914, Ponsonby papers, c. 661.

84 MacDonald to Algie Simon, 28 Sept. 1914, A. Simon papers.

85 Text of letter in Daily Citizen, 12 Sept. 1914 and in Leicester Pioneer, 18 Sept. 1914; a draft can be found in the MacDonald papers, 5/98; cf. MacDonald's, ‘Socialism during the War’, Socialist Review, xii (1914), 347–8Google Scholar for a more explicit statement intended for the eyes of ILP members.

88 Henderson to MacDonald, 14 Sept. 1914, JRM 5/98.

87 Daily Citizen, 15 Oct. 1914; Wardle to MacDonald, 14 Oct. 1914, JRM 5/98.

88 MacDonald to Wardle, 16 Oct. 1914, MacDonald to Henderson, 2oOct. 1914, JRM 5/98.

88 Henderson to MacDonald, 19 Oct. 1914, JRM 5/98.

90 Henderson to MacDonald, 19 Oct. 1914, JRM 5/98; Clynes, , Memoirs, i, 180.Google Scholar

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92 Morel to Courtenay, 3 Oct. 1914, Morel papers, F6. It remained expedient for the U.D.C. to retain MacDonald's name at the head of each of its publications, Swartz, , Union of Democratic Control, pp. 58–9.Google Scholar

93 Leicester Pioneer, 16 Oct. 1914; MacDonald diary, 1 Oct. 1914, JRM 8/1.

94 MacDonald, Malcolm, Titans and others (London, 1972), p. 28.Google Scholar

95 Benson to MacDonald, 2 Oct. 1914, JRM 5/98.

96 Hardie to A. Simon, 24 Sept. 1914, A. Simon papers.

97 Cf. Lineham to Ponsonby, 22 Aug. 1914, Ponsonby papers, c. 660 and MacDonald to A. Simon, 7 Oct. 1914, A. Simon papers.

98 Runciman to Chalmers, 7 Feb. 1915, Runciman papers, 136.

99 I am grateful to Mr Malcolm MacDonald who has allowed me to quote from his father's papers, and also to Mrs H. B. Pease for permitting me to consult and quote from the papers of her father, Lord Wedgwood. I owe additional thanks to Mrs Pease and to Mr David Marquand for their considerable hospitality in opening their homes as places of study; that this work differs from the interpretation in Mr Marquand's own Ramsay MacDonald is testimony to his generosity.