Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Reform & the Depression
By the second half of the 19th century, coal had superseded iron, and the population of
Wales exploded. In 1867 industrial workers and small tenant farmers were given the right
to vote, and elections in 1868 were a turning point for Wales. Henry Richard was elected as
Liberal MP for Merthyr Tydfil, and brought ideas of land reform and native language to
parliament for the first time.
The Secret Ballot Act of 1872 and the Reform Act of 1884 broadened suffrage and gave
a voice to the rising tide of resentment over the hardships of the valleys and the payment of
tithes (taxes) to the church. In 1900 Merthyr Tydfil returned James Keir Hardie as Wales'
first Labour MP.
A quarter of a million people were employed in Wales' coal industry in the 1920s. Remnants of this heyday
can be seen in World Heritage-listed Blaenavon and dozens of other communities in the valleys.
National sentiment grew and education improved substantially. During WWI, Wales
boomed and living standards rose as Welsh coal and agriculture fed the economy.
Between the world wars the country suffered the results of economic depression and
thousands were driven to emigrate in search of employment. The Labour Party weathered
the storm and, as the 20th century progressed, became the dominant political force in
Wales. In 1925 six young champions of Welsh nationalism founded Plaid Cenedlaethol
Cymru (the Welsh Nationalist Party; later shortened to Plaid Cymru) in Pwllhelli and began
a campaign for self-government.
