How Did Lloyd George Fall From Power

‘Lloyd George fell from power in 1922 because of his style of government after 1918.’ To what extent do you agree with this view?

Lloyd George was dominant in politics in 1918. The First World War resulted in an increase in his popularity and in the coalition he was a valuable asset to the conservative party. Various factors, his style of government and its effect on the conservatives, the conservative attitude towards him and finally his poor decisions in policymaking brought about his downfall. These factors collectively led to his downfall, however in the end, the conservatives decided to abandon him because he had outlived his usefulness due to his tarnished reputation and growing unpopularity.

Lloyd George’s
Due to this Lloyd George had to concede to the conservatives at times as he did when they demanded that cuts be made and that Lloyd George agree to the Geddes axe. This was a mistake as it led to him earning a reputation of not fulfilling promises of reconstruction and led to a decline in popularity. The conservatives only needed Lloyd George as long as he was popular with the people and therefore an asset to them, his gradual decline in popularity led to the conservatives questioning his worth. His policies also went against what they stood for the most part and even though they remained loyal to the coalition due to Bonar Law, cracks appeared when Austen Chamberlain replaced him as leader of conservatives. However, it can argued that the conservatives were being pragmatic in letting Lloyd George introduce some social reform, especially since working class had received the vote. This did not deter backbenchers and die hards who grew in number and in criticism of Lloyd George’s policies, which culminated in the formation of the anti-waste league who won two by-elections, evidence that they held influence. As Lloyd George’s unpopularity grew so did the conservative attitude change towards him except in the senior members, which also led to the fear that a split may emerge over loyalty to the coalition.
The conservatives vastly supported his policy at first but due to his presidential style of government all the mistakes were blamed on him with the conservatives barely receiving any criticism. The conservatives and unionists resented his policy on Ireland. It also in the short term led to violence and damaged his credibility in the eyes of the public. There was mass unemployment and threat of strikes as the trade unions grew, causing further disruption. Lloyd George also kept taxation at wartime level, which was unpopular with lower classes, which consequently led to the working class electorate to support Labour in big cities like Sheffield. It can be argued that his policies and decision making led to a decrease in his popularity and worsening of relations with the conservatives. Even though his policies were successful at first the poor economy ensured that they could not be implemented fully leading to frustration in the public who expected Lloyd George to deliver on his promises. Britain had lost most of its export markets after the war and therefore it had a reduced income, policies such as the insurance act only put further strain on the economy. Early success with housing and industrial relations were overshadowed by economic problems, which Lloyd George failed to address.