Labour and the monarchy: patriotism and republicanism during the Great War

Abstract

This article examines the impact made by the extraordinary political conditions of the Great War on the evolving relationship between the Labour Party, the broader labour movement and the monarchy. It establishes the historical context by summarizing labour's ideological inheritance from nineteenth-century radicalism, the reasons behind the limited appeal of republicanism and recent political events involving the monarchy which had affected labour's attitude towards it. During the war, the monarchy became the object of even greater attention than usual, as the King was the head of a state at war, a symbol for national unity and patriotism, and a member of a family with German connections. The powers of the Crown were employed in a way which caused concern in some quarters. Finally, the latter years of the war witnessed a revival of republicanism, inspired by events abroad. All of these developments are considered, as are the range of responses elicited from labour. An attempt is made to assess the extent and character of anti-monarchical sentiment within labour, and to determine why the monarchy emerged from the war stronger than ever and more favourably regarded by labour than it had been in 1914.