What was the Protectionist Party?
Q: What was the Protectionist Party?
A: The Protectionist Party was an Australian political party from 1889 until 1909. Its policies were based on protectionism, which argued that Australia needed protective tariffs to allow Australian industry to grow and provide employment.
Q: Where did the Protectionist Party have its greatest strength?
A: The Protectionist Party had its greatest strength in Victoria and in the rural areas of New South Wales.
Q: Who were some of the most important leaders of the Protectionist Party?
A: Some of the most important leaders of the Protectionist Party were Sir Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin, who were both prime ministers of Australia.
Q: How did Labor's program often differ from that of the Protectionists?
A: Labor's program was often too radical for the Protectionists, so compromises had to be made between them.
Q: Why did many people believe an anti-socialist group was needed to oppose Labor?
A: Many people believed an anti-socialist group was needed to oppose Labor because they wanted a party with more conservative views than those held by Labor.
Q: What happened when Joseph Cook and Alfred Deakin began talks about merging their parties together?
A: When Joseph Cook and Alfred Deakin began talks about merging their parties together, it caused a split within the Protectionists as some members like Isaac Isaacs and H. B Higgins opposed it while others supported it. This ultimately led to what became known as "the Fusion," where most members joined with Anti-Socialists to form a new Commonwealth Liberal Party while more liberal members supported Labor instead.
Q: What happened at Australia's 1910 election?
A: At Australia's 1910 election, Andrew Fisher and his Labor party achieved Australia's first federal majority government as well as its first Senate majority.
