Question

When did David Lloyd George become the Prime Minister of Britain?
A) 1916
B) 1918
C) 1922
D) 1924

Answer 1

Hint: David Lloyd George was the first and only Welshman to be appointed as the Prime Minister. He replaced Herbert Henry Asquith as Prime Minister with the support of the Conservative and Labour leaders.

Complete answer:
David Lloyd George was one of the most famous radicals of the 20th century. He was the first and only Welshman to be appointed as the Prime Minister. At the age of 27, he was elected Liberal MP for Caernarfon in 1890. He was one of the most respected and debating opponents in the House due to his intelligence. In 1906 he became the President of the Board of Trade, and came to be known as a very able politician. Herbert Henry Asquith later promoted him to the position of Chancellor and he became one of the great reforming chancellors of the 1900s. He introduced state pensions for the first time and also declared a war on poverty.

He remained chancellor of the exchequer by the early years of World War One. In 1915 he was elected minister of munitions in the wartime coalition government of H.H. Asquith. In July 1916 he was appointed secretary of state for war. In December 1916, he replaced ‘Herbert Henry Asquith' as Prime Minister with the support of the Conservative and Labour leaders. His dynamism made sure he was considered as the right man to give Britain’s war a much required boost, yet in spite of his success at centralising the government machine, the army remained far away from the range of his reforming efforts.

At the successful conclusion of the war, Lloyd George was Britain’s chief delegate to the Paris Peace Conference which drafted the Treaty of Versailles. He remained prime minister, even though now dependent on the support of the Conservatives. In the summer of 1922, hs e was involved in a scandal that involved the selling of knighthoods and peerages. In October, the Conservatives withdrew from the coalition because of their opposition to Britain’s foreign policy in Turkey. Lloyd George gave hiresignation from the position of prime minister.

Thus, the correct answer is Option ‘B’.

Note: Lloyd George remained a very controversial figure. Even his own party was unable to decide whether to support him or abandon him. He preferred to work for himself, thus largely disregarded the problems the party was facing. As a result, one of the greatest Liberal leaders was also majorly responsible for the downfall of the party.