The Asquith coalition ministry was the Government of the United Kingdom under the Liberal prime minister H. H. Asquith from May 1915 to December 1916. It was formed as a multi-party war-time coalition nine months after the beginning of the First World War but collapsed when the Conservative Party withdrew.
History
The new Cabinet included nine Conservatives and one Labour minister, but the Liberals continued to hold most of the important posts; the Conservatives had demanded Cabinet seats, but they only received lesser positions. Not at all satisfied, Conservative Party leader Bonar Law continued the verbal attacks.
The ministry collapsed on 5 December 1916 as a result of Conservative resignations, who refused to serve under Asquith's leadership. Asquith and most of the Liberals then moved into opposition, while the Conservatives formed a new coalition with a minority of Liberals, under the leadership of Liberal David Lloyd George, the next day.
Cabinet
List of ministers
OfficeName DatePartyH. H. AsquithChancellor of the ExchequerReginald McKennaJohn GullandLord Edmund TalbotFinancial Secretary to the TreasuryEdwin MontaguThomas McKinnon WoodJunior Lords of the TreasuryGeoffrey HowardGeorge RobertsWilliam BridgemanWalter ReaLord ChancellorStanley Buckmaster, 1st Viscount BuckmasterRobert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of CreweLord Privy SealGeorge Curzon, 1st Earl Curzon of KedlestonSecretary of State for the Home DepartmentSir John SimonHerbert SamuelUnder-Secretary of State for the Home DepartmentWilliam BraceSecretary of State for Foreign AffairsSir Edward Grey, 3rd BaronetParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsLord Robert CecilSecretary of State for the ColoniesBonar LawUnder-Secretary of State for the ColoniesArthur Steel-MaitlandSecretary of State for WarHerbert Kitchener, 1st Earl KitchenerDavid Lloyd GeorgeUnder-Secretary of State for WarHarold TennantEdward Stanley, 17th Earl of DerbyFinancial Secretary to the War OfficeHenry ForsterSecretary of State for IndiaAusten ChamberlainUnder-Secretary of State for IndiaJohn Dickson-Poynder, 1st Baron IslingtonFirst Lord of the AdmiraltyArthur BalfourParliamentary and Financial Secretary to the AdmiraltyThomas MacnamaraCivil Lord of the AdmiraltyVictor Cavendish, 9th Duke of DevonshireVictor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of LyttonPresident of the Board of Agriculture and FisheriesWilliam Palmer, 2nd Earl of SelborneDavid Lindsay, 27th Earl of CrawfordParliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture and FisheriesFrancis Dyke AclandMinister of BlockadeLord Robert CecilPresident of the Board of EducationArthur HendersonRobert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of CreweParliamentary Secretary to the Board of EducationHerbert LewisPresident of the Local Government BoardWalter LongParliamentary Secretary to the Local Government BoardWilliam Hayes FisherChief Secretary for IrelandAugustine BirrellHenry DukeVice President of the Department of Agriculture for IrelandThomas RussellChancellor of the Duchy of LancasterWinston ChurchillHerbert SamuelEdwin MontaguThomas McKinnon WoodMinister of MunitionsDavid Lloyd GeorgeEdwin MontaguParliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of MunitionsChristopher AddisonArthur LeePaymaster GeneralThomas Legh, 2nd Baron NewtonArthur HendersonMinister without PortfolioHenry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of LansdownePostmaster GeneralHerbert SamuelJoseph PeaseAssistant Postmaster-GeneralHerbert PeaseSecretary for ScotlandThomas McKinnon WoodHarold TennantPresident of the Board of TradeWalter RuncimanParliamentary Secretary to the Board of TradeE. G. PretymanFirst Commissioner of WorksLewis HarcourtAttorney GeneralSir Edward CarsonSir F. E. SmithSolicitor GeneralSir F. E. SmithSir George CaveLord AdvocateRobert MunroSolicitor General for ScotlandThomas Brash MorisonAttorney-General for IrelandJohn GordonJames CampbellSolicitor-General for IrelandJames O'ConnorLord Steward of the HouseholdHorace Farquhar, 1st Baron FarquharLord Chamberlain of the HouseholdWilliam Mansfield, 2nd Baron SandhurstVice-Chamberlain of the HouseholdCecil BeckMaster of the HorseEdwyn Scudamore-Stanhope, 10th Earl of ChesterfieldTreasurer of the HouseholdJames HopeComptroller of the HouseholdCharles RobertsEdward Colebrooke, 1st Baron ColebrookeCaptain of the Yeomen of the GuardCharles Harbord, 6th Baron SuffieldLords-in-WaitingRichard Herschell, 2nd Baron HerschellWentworth Beaumont, 1st Viscount AllendaleGeorge Hamilton-Gordon, 2nd Baron StanmoreJohn Brocklehurst, 1st Baron RanksboroughArthur Annesley, 11th Viscount ValentiaHylton Jolliffe, 3rd Baron Hylton
See also
Notes
References
Morgan, Kenneth O. The Age of Lloyd George: The Liberal Party and British Politics, 1890-1929 (1971)
Smith, Larry Joseph. "Last chance for liberalism: Factionalism and financial chaos in the British Liberal Party, 1916–1926" (PhD dissertation, Texas A&M University, 2003; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2003. 3102506) online.