In the Shadow of Empire: Rethinking local agency in Tower Hamlets at the fin de siècle Joseph Oliver Turner MA by Research University of York History May, 2018 Abstract Through an examination of how local politicians developed, cultivated and maintained relationships with their constituents and national parties, this thesis will explore the ways that the contingent and contested nature of popular politics impacted on the daily lives of the working classes in Tower Hamlets, from 1895 to 1906. Through a synthesis of election material, local newspapers and recollections this thesis will explore popular political and economic practices and their articulation at ground level, using the Boer War, 1899 - 1902, and The Tariff Reform Campaign, 1903 – 1906, as case studies to highlight the uncertainty of politics at this time. These studies will highlight how individual agency within political parties negotiated and asked for power from the communities they represented. Simultaneously, it will analyse the agentic political culture which was inherent within working-class constituencies in Tower Hamlets, to highlight how local politicians reconstructed a popular image based on their local networks and relationships. The thesis will conclude by arguing that the interaction between politicians and their constituents were more complicated than some historians have argued, as national and imperial politics were mediated through the prism of working-class aspirations and concerns. The aim of this thesis is to paint a picture of a more vibrant political scene, where national and imperial politics were constructed from ground level, and working-class agentic political culture had a larger impact on the course of British history. Examining the interaction between political rhetoric and working-class aspiration, and concerns, this thesis will shed light on how discourses shaped patterns of allegiance within a constituency, and thus altered national politics from the ground. 2 Acknowledgments I would like to express my appreciation for the indefatigable patience, guidance and support of my supervisor, Dr Amanda Behm, without whose insight and direction this work would not have been possible to accomplish. In addition, I would also like to extend my gratitude to the support and feedback I have received from Dr Geraint Thomas, whose enthusiasm to review my work, in spite of an ever present work load, has been hugely beneficial. I would also like to thank Dr David Clayton for his interest and guidance in helping me prepare my proposal and the reassurance this gave me. Over the past year I have received support and advice from staff at York, and in particular the excellent team in the Department of history, and would like to thank Caroline Meade, Caroline Edwards and Gem Kirk for their support. Whilst conducting research for this thesis it has been my fortune to have been assisted by the dedicated staff of libraries and archives the length and breadth of the country. In particular I would like to thank Katie Flanagan at Brunel University and Dr Ian Coates at the University of Bristol. Finally, this thesis would not have seen the light of day had it not been for the encouragement, commitment and understanding of my family. I would like to thank my parents, especially my father, Rodney Turner, for his support in acting as my research assistant and travel companion on trips to Bristol, Birmingham and York; my fiancé for pretending to enjoy late night proof reading; to my mother in law for her ongoing support and to Mathew Hamill for his support on the quantative aspects of my research. 3 Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... 3 Contents ................................................................................................................................... 4 List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ 6 List of Illustrations .................................................................................................................... 7 Declaration ............................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 9 Chapter One: Imperial politics of Tower Hamlets ................................................................. 20 Empire and identity ........................................................................................................... 20 Local economy and political agency ................................................................................. 24 Empire and working-class culture ..................................................................................... 34 Consumption patterns in Tower Hamlets ........................................................................ 39 Summation ........................................................................................................................ 44 Chapter Two: Local vs. National politics ................................................................................ 46 The importance of place ................................................................................................... 46 Municipal and national elections ..................................................................................... 52 Summation ........................................................................................................................ 72 Chapter three: Case Study One – The Boer War ................................................................... 74 A crisis of politics ............................................................................................................... 75 The people’s Empire .......................................................................................................... 81 The political response ....................................................................................................... 86 The Boer war’s impact on daily life .................................................................................. 92 Imperial figures in local discourse .................................................................................... 98 Summation ...................................................................................................................... 104 Chapter four: Case Study Two – Tariff Reform .................................................................... 106 4 Chamberlain and the origins of the Tariff debate in Tower Hamlets ............................ 108 Local organisation ........................................................................................................... 114 Elections, 1904 – 06 ......................................................................................................... 122 Summation ...................................................................................................................... 144 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 147 Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 152 Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... 153 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 154 Unpublished Primary Sources ......................................................................................... 154 Newspapers, Journals and periodicals ........................................................................... 155 Official documentation and publications ....................................................................... 156 Referenced works ............................................................................................................ 156 Contemporary Books and articles .................................................................................. 156 Secondary sources ........................................................................................................... 156 Unpublished dissertations .............................................................................................. 163 Further reading ................................................................................................................ 163 5 List of Tables Table 1 - Social issues mentioned in Tower Hamlet's Unionist addresses, 1895 and 1900 .. 69 Table 2 - Number of issues mentioned across ten London Unionist Addresses, 1900 ......... 70 Table 3 - Major issues mentioned in Tower Hamlets, 1906 ................................................ 123 Table 4 - Social issues mentioned in Tower Hamlets, 1906 ................................................ 144 6 List of Illustrations Figure one: Tariff Refrom League Poster. “Tariff Reform Leafue: Each for all and all for each”, c. 1906. London School of Economics Library, Political and Tariff Reform Posters, COLL MISC 0519/80 ...........................................................................................................................