David Lloyd George

17 January 1863-26 March 1945. He was British liberal statesman, and is considered as the most succesful Welsh politician of the twentiest century. He was famous for his oratory qualities, his sense of humor and his extravagance.

Family and childhood:

His father, William George, came from a rather wealthy family of farmers from the Wales. As he became a teacher, a moved to Manchester where he married Miss George, with whom he had two children. David was the elder one. As David was still a young boy, the family moved back to the Welsh contryside to take care of the farm. William George died from pneumonia when David was only three. His mother couldn't carry the farm alone, so she asked her brother for help. David grew up in the countryside with his mother, uncle and brother. He was a brilliant child at school and showed up pretty early interest for politics. He visited the House of Commons when he was 17, and claimed that he was "very much desappointed with them". As he was still a schoolboy at the Welsh contryside, he led a micro-revolution against the Anglican headteacher. He was already self-confident and had independentist ideas. He became advocate as he was 21, and became early very popular in the Welsh contryside because of his virulence and his strong personality. In 1888, he married Maggie Owen.

His beginnig as a politician:

He joined the Liberal Party in his twenties and triumphed against the Conservative Party at the General elections in 1890. He became a Welsh MP and was nicknamed "the boy politician". He soon claimed that he was for the home rule "to Ireland but to Scotland as well, and to Wales" (of course). He was rather independant and nonconformist in his own Party, and defended his own ideas, even if they were not those of every Liberal statesmen.

A prominent politician:

When the Liberal Party won the general elections in 1906 (in coalition with 30 Labour members), Lloyd George became a cabinet minister : First President of the Board of Trade, he was chosen by Asquish in 1908 to be the new Chancellor of the Exchequer. On the 29th of April 1909, he presented his first Budget to the Parliament and the citizens. It was based on a new social system : increasing the taxes (an impost on income, a super tax on rich people and a tax on land) in order to raise the money and finance social insurance. Lloyd George also wanted to create a "War Budget" to defend the country. These reforms were seen as brilliant or were strongly criticized. After a lot of debates and the veto of the House of Lords, the Bduget was finally voted on April 28, 1910. However, Lloyd George tried to brake the power of the House of Lords as a revenge, and got satisfaction in August 1911, when the Parliament Act which instaured the supremacy of the House of Commons.

Lloyd George during the Great War: