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The Growth of Political Consciousness
Lloyd George, a Welsh-speaker and future prime minister, questioned if the mass of the Welsh nation was willing to be dominated by a coalition of English capitalists who had made their fortunes in Wales. He was howled down at the meeting. Worse yet, even for the few who supported him, his motives were often regarded with suspicion as being entirely self-serving.
It wasn't too long before the ambitions of Lloyd George, who had worked so tirelessly on behalf of home rule for Wales, would give way to a more grandiose imperial vision. Even patriot T.E. Ellis thought that faithfulness to the Liberal Party should take preference over the desire to serve Wales, though there were others who reviled him for grasping "Saxon gold." As an integral part of the United Kingdom, however, the needs of the Welsh people could not be entirely ignored by Westminster.
In 1881, the Aberdare Commission's report showed that provisions for intermediate and higher education in Wales lagged behind those in the other parts of Britain; it suggested that there should be two new Welsh universities, Cardiff and Bangor. It was found, that there was a lack of adequately trained students for these new colleges. Thus, in 1899 the Welsh Intermediate Act came into being that gave the new county councils the power to raise a levy (to be matched by the Government) for the provision of secondary schools. In 1896 came the Central Welsh Board to oversee these Schools.
The result was that thousands of Welsh children from all levels of society were able to continue their education at a secondary level. Another result, however, was the continued decline of the status accorded the Welsh language, for the new secondary schools were thoroughly English, only very few even bothering to offer Welsh lessons. An educated class of Welsh people was thus created that fostered the cultural traditions of their country in the language of England. In many parts of Wales, children grew up knowing nothing of the ancient language of their country. Then, when the struggle seemed almost lost for good, as they had in the past so many times, the forces of religion once more came to the rescue.
In 1904, a most remarkable event that helped shape the character of modern Wales began -- the Great Revival. Starting in Cardiganshire, and quickly spreading throughout Wales, the revival, under the leadership of Evan Roberts and others, had international repercussions, for from it sprang the Apostolic Church and the Elim Movement, both of which soon found themselves established in many countries in Europe as well as the Americas.
The revival also boosted the Temperance Movement and the campaign for disestablishment. It meant a temporary reprieve for the language, for much of the new wave of preaching in the nonconformist chapels was in Welsh. The daily newspapers kept the population in touch with the happenings that swept many thousands along in a fervent spirit. In some areas, the revival meant the closure of many social clubs, the further loss of many of the old, secular folk songs, and led to that emphasis on public hymn-singing begun in the earlier Methodist Movement that has so often characterized groups of Welsh men and women ever since.
In addition to its other disastrous effects upon the United Kingdom, World War I brought the entire national revival of Wales to an end. Welsh manpower losses in the armed services were incalculable; they were never replaced as whole communities suffered greatly. In addition, the disillusionment in the efficacy of religion to relieve suffering caused a rapid decline in chapel membership.
The status of the Anglican Church in Wales as the State Church was also in serious trouble. Though the Anglican Church, by virtue of its long history and traditions had remained the largest denomination in Wales, its leaders were by and large out of touch with their parishioners.
Before 1920, not a single bishop able to speak Welsh had been appointed to a Welsh see. Michael D. Jones's college at Bala was the only one in Wales that honoured the use of Welsh. Even at St. David's Theological College in Lampeter, (Llanbedr Pont Steffan) founded as a training school for Welsh clergy, there was no requirement to be able to read, speak, or write one single line in the language of the parishioners they would eventually come to counsel. Author R. J. Derfel believed that the greatest oppression for a conquered nation "is to set foreigners who do not understand its language as spiritual pastors to it," yet future clergymen studying at Lampeter Theological College ridiculed the idea of learning any Welsh.
In 1920, the Anglican Church was eventually and inevitably disestablished. By that time, however, there was not too much interest in the matter. The ups and downs of the economy, with the onset of the Depression were far more important matters to worry about. The appeal of socialism was proving more attractive than that of the chapel, especially in the industrial areas: the working man's club and the pub were now dominating life in the Valleys. A new force was about to enter the political arena that was to dominate much of Wales for the rest of the century.
Chapter 20: Growth of Labour
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