The question as to why Labour won the 1945 election has been the source of much in depth study since the period. In 1951 labour actually polled more votes than the conservatives and in 1945 Labour only polled 8% more than the Conservatives yet gained a landslide of seats. Gaitskell and Morrison (Deputy Prime Minister) both doubted whether Labour would be able to defeat the Conservatives in 1951, owing to their loss of seats in the 1950 election. The government's 1945 lead over the Conservative Party shrank dramatically, and Labour was returned to power but with an overall majority reduced from 146 to just 5. Industrial relations problems e.g. This large Parliamentary shift, in the face of an unremarkable swing in the popular vote, can be attributed partly to Labours loss of the middle class vote. '51 was an attempt that backfired to increase the labour majority - but in reality they only lost 22 seats in that election. WW2 obviously played a large role in the results of both the 1945 and 1951 elections, in 1945 its effects were clear on the homefront as it had acted as a catalyst to socialist ideas and in 1951 it was the economic turmoil that the war had triggered which led to many people to vote for the reliable conservatives. The year 1947 brought an abrupt end to the honeymoon, as the government was forced to shift focus from massive reform to crisis management in response to fuel and trade shortages. Having been given such a considerable mandate to rebuild the country in 1945, the Attlee post-war government lost popular support considerably over the next six years. Both clearly agree that the pre-war period was significant, however they differ on why it was significant. Britains economic resources were being drained from all directions; Foreign Policy, Nationalisation, Welfare and Austerity. Post author: Post published: June 8, 2022; Post category: new construction duplex for sale florida; Post comments: . Working class voters, on the other hand, remained loyal to the Labour Party and the 1951 election saw Labour poll the highest aggregate popular vote ever achieved in Britain. human beings", Tarnished image by the end of time in administration, Devaluation of from Want to create your own Mind Maps for free with GoConqr? In 1945 Labour had won 11.99m (47.8%) of the vote, and went on to attain 13.95m (48.8%) of the vote in 51. The opposite happened in 1974 when the system meant the Conservatives lost out to Labour. Then, as the Cripps years failed to bring an end to food scarcities and food queues, Labours perceived impact upon the national way of life was minimal to voters in the most crucial swinging constituencies. Although it did help to achieve this end, Churchills party was able to lament publicly the humiliation the government had brought upon the British currency, and at the same time place blame on the government for the continuing food scarcities and long queues. It called for a reelection the next year. Sarah from CollectifbdpHi there, would you like to get such a paper? America sought the support of her allies in fighting the North Korean communists, and Britain committed troops to assist her. Although it was hoped that Daltons resignation might offset some of the decline in public confidence in Labours economic policy, the government were never again endorsed by mass popularity as in the previous two years. Chamberlain's actions before the war had indeed lost the Conservatives much respect and had made them look weak to many people who saw Labour as the only reliable alternative. Having been given such a considerable mandate to rebuild the country in 1945, the Attlee post-war government lost popular support considerably over the next six years. In fact, Dennis Shanahan wrote in The Australian: Morrison didn't just beat Labor in this election. Why did the Conservatives win elections from 1951-64 1945-1951 The 1951 General Election 'Labour Lost the 1979 Uk General Election Due to the Strength of the Conservative Opposition'. Britain's involvement in the Korean War had not been a popular decision. National income had fallen by a quarter during the War, meaning that many export markets needed to be recovered lest Britain face financial ruin. however without power or Firstly, the party enacted most of its initial 1945 manifesto pledges in establishing the NHS, founding the Welfare State, and building one million new homes. keeping the NHS, Attractive party to businessmen As Labour struggled to legislate effectively, and following another badly-handled balance of payments crisis in the summer of 1951, Attlee dissolved Parliament in September and Labour subsequently lost - albeit narrowly - the October election. Extremely cold weather met with insufficient stockpiles of coal, and much industry ground to a halt as a result. Secondly, the split right at the very top of the party meant that organisational preparations for upcoming elections were hampered, and the electoral machine was disarmed. The financial strain of rearming subsequently led Gaitskell, who at this point was Chancellor of the Exchequer, threatening the idea of introducing prescription charges to the NHS (although it was not implemented until the Conservtives gained power in 1951 ). There are three main sub-categories for this answer; the Conservatives strengths, Labours weaknesses/ limitations, and uncontrollable factors. His frugality extended to his welfare policies, which involved the further tightening of benefit payments. They had beaten the Conservatives by a clear 8% however in 51 they only had a 0.8% lead on the votes, as to why they didn't win after getting more votes one has to examine the first past the post system. Just over a year later, with the Labour government in deep internal crisis and running out of steam, yet another election was called. seats 1950, By changing the timing of the election to be in 1951 rather than Appeasement wasn't, at the time, a hugely contentious issue however after the war many people believed this was a large reason for the war and the Conservatives were blamed. until after the election on the grounds of "morality" which was the Indeed, Robert Pearce claims it seems very unlikely indeed that the campaign was crucial, Paul Addison, however, argues that the campaign was important because . Furthermore, an apparently humiliating trade policy including subservience to US demands was particularly discrediting in the eyes of post-colonialists who identified this as betrayal rather than pragmatism. Concerns about the permissive society e.g. Conservative pre-war blunders played a key role in Labour's victory due to the electorate remembering these mistakes. After the First World War, the Lloyd George Coalition had made many empty promises concerning reconstruction. The economy's recovery was further hindered by the short-sighted need to remain a world power. The shock the election caused was comparable to the results of the 1906 and 1979 elections, and would have a profound impact on how the country was rebuilt in the post-war period. response of Tory MP to In the summer of 1950, the Korean War broke out. for over 10 years Home building promised to be expanded, from the Labour 200,000 homes per year to 300,000 year, Nostalgia from wartime These party reforms and the reorganisation proved worthwhile, as can be seen in the 8% boost in votes. The Labour party had suffered after 10 years in government, and their MPs had begun falling ill, some even dying. Economically the Labour government of 45-51 struggled, with the electorate all too aware of he post-war shortages, the continuing rationing, increased taxes, and the general dislike of austerity the feeling of being under the thumb of the Americans. Then, in the summer of 1947, problems arose with the US war loan to be paid to the British government, in the form of the convertibility clause. This massive reform of the 1945-1946 period was dealt a blow in February 1947, when the government faced a fuel crisis. Since 2015, the problem of electoral 'bias' means Westminster's voting system has advantaged the Conservatives. spectacles and dentures. Labour Party, British political party whose historic links with trade unions have led it to promote an active role for the state in the creation of economic prosperity and in the provision of social services. This was espoused in George Dangerfield's amorphous study The Strange Death of Liberal England (1934) and by Henry Pelling's more factually based The Origins of the . The 1942 Beveridge Report was the most important report that contributed to Labour's success in 1945. Both of these policies were unpopular amongst the mass electorate, and rationing caused consternation most notably the middle class, to whom the need for wartime prudence was no longer apparent. This is especially so when one considers the crises they faced in that year, making the 1945 blue-skies, New Jerusalem thinking incredibly difficult to sustain. After 2003 Labour experienced a severe decline in its public standing, not least because of public unease with Blair's role in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. In the 1950 election, the Liberals put up 475 candidates and secured 2.6 million votes (9.1% of the entire vote). Instead, this 1947 balance of payments crisis compounded by the fuel shortage and the convertibility clause forced Labour to rein in spending. This is especially so when one considers the crises they faced in that year, making the 1945 blue-skies, New Jerusalem thinking incredibly difficult to sustain. These problems, however, would have been inherent to any government of Britain at the time, but the fact was, Labour were held accountable. In 1945 Labour had won 11.99m (47.8%) of the vote, and went on to attain 13.95m (48.8%) of the vote in 51. commons meant that there was an my could least handle it, and Labour was blamed by a weary public in 1951. leadership remembered in a The 1945-1946 period of Labour government sought to address some key difficulties facing the nation following World War II. Bankruptcy in 1808 did not prevent him from enjoying later success, with the backing of senior officials and . The report was met by huge public enthusiasm and Labour's wholehearted backing. Politicians are often rejected by voters because they have failed in office. People had lost trust in the conservatives and blamed them for Britains military short-comings, and this was important for Labours rise in support. We have detected that Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Gaitskell, would gut defence expenditure by 400 From the research Ive done, Ive attempted to form what I consider to be that clear answer. The changes appear to have been hugely beneficial to the majority of the population. Paul Addison, however, argues that the campaign was important because Attlee's reputation rose during the 1945 electoral campaign. Although this was not much in terms of the popular vote, Labour lost 78 seats and the Conservatives gained 101; Labour were left with a majority of just five seats. Working class voters, on the other hand, remained loyal to the Labour Party and the 1951 election saw Labour poll the highest aggregate popular vote ever achieved in Britain. This divided party had stood no chance against the organised, well-funded Conservatives. Then, the second ministry saw a fractious Parliamentary party being further divided over the Korean War and the advancement of the National Health Service, leading up to a comfortable Tory win in the October 1951 election. As he struggled to justify his November emergency budget tightening spending and committing to an exchange rate policy subservient to US demands, Dalton resigned as Chancellor. Also the Conservatives were much better funded in 1951, by business men afraid of further nationalisation the only major labour reform that the Conservatives dared to take a firm stance against. As he struggled to justify his November emergency budget tightening spending and committing to an exchange rate policy subservient to US demands, Dalton resigned as Chancellor. In 2011, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began a billion-dollar project to replace the vertical ropes connecting the cables to the deck, but the deck itself remained in place.. St. John's Bridge (Oregon)opened in 1931.A redecking project was completed in 2005. While this didn't net the Brexit Party any seats, it was enough for the Tories to overtake in many of them. Mind Map on Why did Labour lose the 1951 election?, created by alinam on 05/24/2015. <p>The NHS had been established by the post-war Labour government in 1948. Then, the second ministry saw a fractious Parliamentary party being further divided over the Korean War and the advancement of the National Health Service, leading up to a comfortable Tory win in the October 1951 election. Although progress was initially slow on this front, one million houses were eventually built and the housing problem was eased for a while. Thus, it may have Dunkirk triggered many people to blame the conservatives and their previous leaders for appeasement. Attlee's downfall: why did Labour lose the 1951 General Election? protecting against the In 1951, Labour was pilling on votes in seats they had already won, while the Conservatives won narrow victories. Labour's achievements, or rather what they did not achieve, can be linked as to why they lost: they had arguably successfully set up a welfare state but had also induced an economic crisis. Labours answer focused on working class interests. Before the war, Labour were all too often seen as inexperienced and even unpatriotic due to their left wing ideologies. After the shock of the 1945 election, Labour appointed Lord Woolton as their party chairman: he was central to the revitalisation of the Conservatives and reorganised the conservative party effectively. The Road Manifesto 1950 accepted Furthermore, an apparently humiliating trade policy including subservience to US demands was particularly discrediting in the eyes of post-colonialists who identified this as betrayal rather than pragmatism. This was the fourth of five elections in the twentieth century where a party lost the popular vote, but won the most seats. National income had fallen by a quarter during the War, meaning that many export markets needed to be recovered lest Britain face financial ruin. support for the party. Labour's promises of social reforms won them many votes, however it was these promises which led to their failure in 1951, when many people believed that the promises hadn't been delivered. Whilst in 1951 the Labour government was punished for its unrealistic promises made in 1945. The Labour government called a snap election for Thursday 25 October 1951 in the hope of increasing its parliamentary majority. Positions like these allowed the Labour MPs to prove that they were, in fact, very skilled and also gave them invaluable experience. In addition, Morrison became Home Secretary and Bevin Minister of Labour and National Service. Why then, did Labour go on to lose so many seats in 1950 before losing the General Election in 1951? Nowhere was there any challenge to the basic Tory idea that workers should pay the price for the economic crisis, and if they refused, their basic rights should be attacked. The 1946 National Insurance Act was also a key domestic reform of the Attlee government. It had several effects, all of which were harmful in both the long and short term. To achieve these aims he argued that there needed to be better cooperation between the state and the individual. He set in motion key reforms to wipe out the image of the Conservative party being upper class elitists who do not understand the people that had been so prevalent in the last election. Although Labours promises had brought about hopes and expectations that were simply unachievable, whilst in government Labour had brought about serious change and a number of reforms. Firstly, the Parliamentary party was split in its loyalties to the party leadership, and cohesion within the legislature was less assured. between people of different Divisions over appeasement, foreign policy and rearmament deeply weakened Labour. However, in 1950, Labour won by a tiny majority of 5 seats and in 1951 the Conservatives won by a majority of 17. Assess the Validity of This View. Firstly, the Parliamentary party was split in its loyalties to the party leadership, and cohesion within the legislature was less assured. Also in both cases the campaigns were of negligible importance. Conservative (48.0%) Also during the 1930s Britain suffered the great depression, which weakened the Conservatives reputation considerably due to their domination of the National Government. This is considered an important factor in Labour's victory by many historians , Support for Labour in 1945 represented above all a reaction against pre-war Conservatism, argues Adelman. The split ran deep within the Labour party and consequently it was deeply weakened, so when it came to the 1951 election, Labour found it much harder to fight against the now united Conservatives who had been re-organisation under a new leader. Following Cripps resignation on grounds of ill health, Hugh Gaitskell took over as Chancellor during Attlees second government. They also caused higher taxes, and the unstable economy caused many voters to demonise labour in 1951. Overall, it was the first-past-the-post system that won Labour their 'landslide' victory in 1945 and in 1951 allowed the Conservatives to win despite polling less votes. a8a56820-44a0-4a9a-8187-fafb017abb00 (image/jpg), 8f36ad5d-3853-456a-9ff6-bdaabf691996 (image/jpg), c55c2574-fee6-48c9-ba8e-44fc34928bdf (image/jpg), e49a14d7-993b-49bd-9e9f-d594e2a70129 (image/jpg), 513b94d5-0e2d-4180-b58e-d389eb13cc5f (image/jpg), dd237af4-9d8e-494a-8b1e-c60544884a89.gif (image/gif), 40b0897e-0340-4b7e-af81-65768eaa4fb8 (image/jpg), 0ae72221-e96f-4b35-ad23-e78e4f949912 (image/png), Daily Express: "while he knew Rather, the balance of payments problem forced the non-idealists within the leadership to face the necessary curtailing of public spending. In 1950 Churchill also narrowly lost the next general election. The outcome was widely credited to the deft materialism of Harold Macmillan, and the slogan `You've never had it so good', which the Conservatives, in fact, did not use. of cold war era), Violence broke out in India and Paliastine during decolonisation, Sectarian violence - Violence Labour's manifesto was based around the Beveridge report and the Nationalisation of industries, ideas that had been tested during the war and were found to work. Then, as the Cripps years failed to bring an end to food scarcities and food queues, Labours perceived impact upon the national way of life was minimal to voters in the most crucial swinging constituencies. Dunkirk triggered many people to blame the conservatives and their previous leaders for appeasement.