An age of contrasts
The Edwardian Age, associated with the reign of Edward VII, combined imperial confidence and conspicuous upper-class wealth with severe poverty and social inequality. Its elegant surface concealed growing tensions, including labour unrest and the threat of wider conflict. The Entente Cordiale, signed with France in 1904, settled colonial disputes and helped lay the ground for later cooperation.
Reform and unrest
After the Liberal Party won the 1906 election, its government introduced social measures that helped establish the beginnings of the Welfare State. These included free school meals, old-age pensions for people over 70, and insurance provisions for workers. However, strikes continued amid rising prices and wages that failed to keep pace, while the Irish Question added to political instability.
The campaign for women’s votes
- Founded by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903, the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) became known for its militant Suffragettes and the motto Deeds, not words. Their disruptive tactics included demonstrations, property damage, and hunger strikes in prison, where force-feeding was used. During the First World War, the movement suspended protests as women took on work in factories, agriculture, and transport. The Representation of the People Act in 1918 extended voting rights to women over 30; in 1928, the voting age for women was lowered to 21.