Catalogue Number
NMLH.1995.39.64
Object Name
Poster
Title
'Unemployed Betrayed! The Tory Pledge 1924. 1929 The Facts. Nearly 1,500,000 workers "not wanted". Vote Labour.'
Place
UK
People
Labour Party
Events
Elections, 1929 General Election, Great Depression
Date
1929
Description
An orange poster titled 'Unemployed Betrayed!' with a newspaper called 'Unionist Record' in the centre under the heading 'The Tory Pledge 1924.' A hand holding a magnifying glass zooms in on a paragraph titled 'Unemployment'. The poster says 'This is a photographic reproduction of a paragraph in an official publication issued by the Tory Central Office during the 1924 General Election.' Below the newspaper the poster says '1929 The Facts. Nearly 1,500,000 workers "not wanted". Vote Labour.'
Unemployment was a key election issue in the early 20th century. As this Labour Party poster states, unemployment at the time of the 1929 general election was about 1,500,000. The poster claims that promises to reduce unemployment were featured in the 1924 Conservative Party election manifesto, and highlights unemployment figures which suggest these promises have been broken, as unemployment had increased since the Conservatives took office.
Ramsay MacDonald's Labour Party won the 1929 General Election this poster was produced for. However, they did not manage to reduce unemployment, and following the Wall Street Crash in October 1929, UK unemployment rates doubled from one and a half million to three million.
*On Display*
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