Liberal Party (Great Britain) (Vive l'Emperor)

1906 - 1914
In 1906 the liberal party won a landslide victory in the general election, with Henry Campbell - Bannerman becoming prime minister. Campbell - Bannerman's government introduced some far reaching social and political reforms. But in 1908 Bannerman died, and his successor, the much less radical Herbert Asquith, was not accepted well by the public. In the 1910 election the liberal's majority was halved, and in April 1914 a hung parliament occured. Despite Asquith's attempts to form a coalition with Andrew Bonar Law's conservatives, the liberal's were forced to form a minority government.

1914
In the weeks following the election ,europe, and ultimatly the world, was to be shattered by war. On June 10, 1914 Great Britain declared war on France, entering the great war. Asquith personally was against the war, but parliament was not, he was also against forming a coalition with the conservatives (unless he remained prime minister). On June 25 David Lloyd George, the chancellor of the exchequer and Asquith's young political rival, was unofficially nominated by a vast majority of liberal mp's to become the parties leader. The next day an offical ballot was hastily arranged, which Lloyd George won by an even greater landslide.

Despite this Asquith refused to stand down as prime minister, attempting to form a war coalition with the conservatives. Asquith even went as far as to offer all the great offices of state to the conservatives, and the creation of the post of deputy prime minister, which could be held by Bonar Law. But even the conservatives could see that Asquith was no war leader. On July 1st 1914 Asquith's comission was terminated by the king, and Lloyd George was asked to form a coalition government.

Lloyd George kept Asquith's proposal for a position of deputy prime minister, but offered it to Winston Churchill - then a young conservative mp with some liberal sympathies and a personal friend of Lloyd George. Bonar Law refused this proposal, taking the job for himself, but he did acknowledge that Churchill should be given a prominent position. The position was to be home secretary, with Austen Chamberlain becoming foreign secretary. Asquith had been offered the position of chancellor, a position he had held under Cambpell - Bannerman, but he refused to serve under Lloyd George. Former Home secretary and Asquith's ally Reginald McKenna had also been offered the post but he too refused to serve under Lloyd George. After several other candidates refused the position, Lloyd George took the post for himself.