Versailles #16: OTD 14 Dec 1918 - Coupon Election

ON_THIS_DAY_IN_HISTORY - 14th December 1918 - The Coupon Election secures Lloyd George's Coalition Government.

It had long been expected that Lloyd George would call for an election at the end of the war, to beat off challenges to his position from both sides of the political spectrum, and to secure his mandate for the looming peace conference. Much was said about punishing Germany during the campaign trail, and making her pay what she owed to Britain and everyone else. The British electorate were thus heavy with expectation once their PM left for France in the new year - they anticipated Lloyd George would drive a hard bargain, and wrest concessions from the defeated foe which would vindicate their losses. As Lloyd George discovered, but probably knew already deep down, it wasn't so simple as taking things from Germany.

Lloyd George, whatever his white lies, did managed to secure a mandate from the British electorate with this election. It was the most votes ever cast in any election in British history, and for the first time ever, women were also entitled to vote (so long as they were over 30 and were connected to someone with at least £5 of property that is...). The Coupon Election - so called for the curious way with which the incumbent government represented itself, with a coupon that indicated the loyalty of several varied candidates - was a success for the PM, but dark clouds were on the horizon.

In Ireland, the old Irish Parliamentary Party had been wiped out by a new force called Sinn Fein, which refused to take its seats at Westminster. Within a month, a guerrilla war would erupt in Ireland, instigated by the decision of those Irish MPs to set up their own Parliament in Dublin. Still though, for the moment, Lloyd George could be happy. It was the result which Woodrow Wilson would have died for, because it granted a mandate for everything he did later, and demonstrated the faith and gratitude which the British people wished to express in their wartime leader.

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