The Liberal Cave and the 1914 Budget

Abstract

The tax rises in Liberal Government's Budget of 1914 faced considerable opposition from a group of Liberal MPs known as 'the cave'. This has often been seen as an example of the increasing unwillingness of many Edwardian Liberals to accept further plans for social reform. The article argues that this was not the case and that 'the cave' acted from disparate motives and were not a serious obstacle to the 'New Liberalism'.