Nationalist Party (Australia)

A majority of his party, most notably Roman Catholics and trade union representatives, was opposed to this, especially given the British government's reprisals against the Irish Easter Rising of 1916.

The remaining 43 members of the caucus then passed a motion of no confidence in the leadership, effectively expelling Hughes and his allies.

With the war dragging on, Hughes began negotiations with Cook to turn their confidence-and-supply agreement into formal party unity.

In May 1917, the Nationalists won a huge electoral victory, and formed what was at the time the biggest majority government since Federation.

The size of the landslide was magnified by the large number of Labor MPs who followed Hughes into the Nationalist Party.

They governed on their own until the elections of 1922, when the newly emerged Country Party gained the balance of power in the House of Representatives.

Former treasurer Stanley Bruce was chosen as leader, and quickly entered into a coalition with the Country Party.

The price, however, was high: five seats for the Country Party in cabinet (out of 11), with Page as treasurer and number-two man in the government.

Despite initial concerns that Australians wouldn't readily support the aloof Bruce, the Nationalist-Country Coalition won a great victory in the federal election of 1925.

However, only a year later, Hughes led a group of backbenchers to cross the floor on a vote on Bruce's plans to reform the industrial arbitration system.

Around 1929, Robert Menzies, then a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, joined with Wilfrid Kent Hughes to form the Young Nationalists Organisation.

Later, when Menzies founded the Liberal Party of Australia, he invited delegates from the Young Nationalists to attend.