Why did the Labour party rise so rapidly from having only 29 Mps in 1906 to forming a government in 1924?.
Many people have argued that it is important to acknowledge early influences in order to understand the birth of Labour's rise to power. The rise of Labour stemmed, fundamentally, from the harsh working and living conditions of late nineteenth century Britain. For example in 1884 intellectuals formed the Social Democratic Federation, the Socialist League and the Fabian Society, which varied in character from the revolutionary to the reformist. Also, the workers formed trade unions, not only the old exclusive craft unions, but also the inclusive new unions' formed in the late-1880s and composed of unskilled workers. These early influences would grow and play a key role in the growth of Labour up until 1924.
For example Paul Johnson illustrates the growth of trade union membership from 1.5 million in 1893 to 4.1 million in 1914. After the war, membership increased by over 50%, so it can be argued that the early influences in setting up these types of groups were important in their later growth.
Before the outbreak of war in 1914, there were also a number of important acts and changes that were extremely important in the Labour Party's rise. The 1906 Trade Disputes Act effectively reversed the Taff Vale judgement of 1901, thus offering trade unions protection from civil actions. Seven years later in 1913, the Trade Union Act reversed the Osbourne Judgement of 1909 that had banned the use of union funds for political purposes. The Osbourne Judgement had seriously weakened Labour's ability to fight the two 1910 elections and also the fact that no salaries were paid to MPs at the time, therefore placed several Labour MPs in financial difficulties. So the 1913 Act removed these problems and meant that Labours income and chances were multiplied overnight.
Other acts that contributed to Labour's rise was the 1908 Coal Mines Act which limited the miner's working day to eight hours and also the introduction of a Right to Work Bill in response to the high rates of unemployment in 1908 and 1909.
