which led to more sophisticated '51 was an attempt that backfired to increase the labour majority - but in reality they only lost 22 seats in that election. and were in decline - government supporting Please wait while we set up your subscription TurnItIn the anti-plagiarism experts are also used by: King's College London, Newcastle University, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, WJEC, AQA, OCR and Edexcel, Business, Companies and Organisation, Activity, Height and Weight of Pupils and other Mayfield High School investigations, Lawrence Ferlinghetti: Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes, Moniza Alvi: Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan, Changing Materials - The Earth and its Atmosphere, Fine Art, Design Studies, Art History, Crafts, European Languages, Literature and related subjects, Linguistics, Classics and related subjects, Structures, Objectives & External Influences, Global Interdependence & Economic Transition, Acquiring, Developing & Performance Skill, Sociological Differentiation & Stratification, Less than half the price of our monthly plan. Answer (1 of 11): There are books and other commentaries, opinions (web searches will reveal them) that explore this in detail, but here is a personal take. To gain an understanding of the election one must study the context surrounding the election. By 1951, there were already heavy pressures on health spending. Never before had the party achieved an overall majority in the House of Commons, and yet now Labour had a huge parliamentary majority of 146 seats. The new Chancellor Sir Stafford Cripps expected of the country an austere realism which entailed the retention of rationing. Labour actually gained fewer votes than in 1959, but the Conservatives lost 1.6 million votes and the Liberals gained over 1.5 million votes. system, Alongside the abolishment of Beveridge aimed to create a minimum standard of living and full employment and believed the five evils blocking these aims and reconstruction were: Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness. 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. keeping the NHS, Attractive party to businessmen These problems, however, would have been inherent to any government of Britain at the time, but the fact was, Labour were held accountable. For me, the Attlee government(s) of 1945 - 51, achieved a huge amount, much of which we can still see and experience today, and which we sh. A defeated conservative MP at the time, Macmillan, claimed that It was not Churchill who lost the 1945 election, it was the ghost of Neville Chamberlain. The Attlee governments of 1945 to 1951 can be divided into four key sections. Conservative opposition fell off quickly, however, when the popularity of the NHS became increasingly apparent following its inception in 1946. The 1942 Beveridge Report was the most important report that contributed to Labour's success in 1945. By continuing well assume youre on board with our, Why did Labour lose the 1951 General Election, Let us write you a custom essay sample on, By clicking "SEND" below, you agree to our, Conflict management definitions and views. Cost of Living KOREAN WAR Austerity LINK TO COMPULSORY MILITARY SERVICE - cost of heating, clothing, education and food (and other necessities) was increasing; dissatisfaction amongst the people - defense spending increased whilst public spending decreased; led to NHS prescription charges Conservatives 290, 1950-51 Labour were in office 2% interest The Blitz also, more obviously, caused a huge rise in support for Labour's housing development plans. In the 1992 election 11.5 million people voted Labour. The term was coined from a particular type of horse racing wherein the winning horse passes the final post and all the others are disqualified. Following their post-war election defeat, the Conservatives were able to make significant improvements to the party between 1945 and 1951. years, Once lend lease had ended in 1945 (end of From the research Ive done, Ive attempted to form what I consider to be that clear answer. In 1951 Winston Churchill's Conservative party, won the general election, and this would be the start of 13 years of Conservative rule pning three prime ministers. There are three main sub-categories for this answer; the Conservatives strengths, Labours weaknesses/ limitations, and uncontrollable factors. Understandably, the architect and far left member of the party, Bevan, was enraged at this suggestion. leadership remembered in a Food subsidies were sustained in order to negate inflation in living costs; levels of progressive taxation were preserved; regional development was the favoured way to control mass unemployment in the areas of urban industrial decline; nationalisation was seen as the solution in reviving core industries such as mining, which had been faltering in private hands. was welcomed by the electorate. Named Let Us Face the Future, it emphasised that Labour were the only party that could be trusted to deliver a strong Britain and Beveridge's plans. assortment of industries', Following clause IV In October 2004 Blair announced that he would seek a third term as prime minister but would not stand for a fourth term. The party's manifesto was named. 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. 1. The result of the election caused much surprise. On a high turnout Labour's tally of votes had actually increased in absolute terms (to 13.9 million, compared to 13.2 million in the 1950 cent) than the Conservatives, though the Conservatives came out ahead in seats, Granted, in 45 Labour obviously won a landslide of the seats, but a majority of 8% is far from a landslide of the votes. Labour had made so many promises before the 1945 election that peoples hopes were set too high, many felt that Labour failed to deliver. The Labour Party, led by Attlee won a landslide victory and gained a majority of 145 seats. The war had undoubtedly played a major role in the elections, being seen as a people's war it broke down social boundaries and caused a shift to the left. There are several causes which can be established, first by looking at the events of the Attlee years and then isolating those points at which factors were working toward the party's defeat.The 1945-1946 period of Labour government sought to address some key difficulties facing the nation following World War II. In opposition to the Conservative Party, it has been the major democratic socialist party in Britain since the early 20th century. Bevin's speech 1948 where he referred to The 1946 National Health Service Act provided free access to a range of hospital and general practitioner services across the country. positive light, Presented themselves as a united Activision's Spycraft: The Great Game is the product of a very specific era of computer gaming, when "multimedia" and "interactive movies" were among the buzzwords of the zeitgeist. (45 Marks) The 3rd May 1979 saw the greatest parliamentary swing since the war, with the Conservative Party polling 43.9% of the vote; thereby winning 339 seats (up 62 since the last election). Bankruptcy in 1808 did not prevent him from enjoying later success, with the backing of senior officials and . Just over a year later, with the Labour government in deep crisis about a number of ill-conceived policies, yet another election was called. 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. This showed they were flexible and committed to improvement; they were a party of continuity and efficiency. Labour would not again form a government until 1964, the question is; what caused people to revert back to supporting the conservatives once again? Gaitskell adopted a similarly pragmatic approach to Britains budgetary problems and kept typically socialist long-term economic planning to a minimum. The popularity of the 1942 Beveridge Report, which laid much of the groundwork for the establishment of the NHS and the Welfare State, was an endorsement of Labour politics. 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. Want to create your own Mind Maps for free with GoConqr? 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. Economic problems e.g. The first-past-the-post system ensures that the elected government has a workable majority. which Gaiskell set out The 'Falklands factor' could not be clearer from opinion polls. In addition, Morrison became Home Secretary and Bevin Minister of Labour and National Service. National income had fallen by a quarter during the War, meaning that many export markets needed to be recovered lest Britain face financial ruin. 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. 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. Also during the 1930s Britain suffered the great depression, which weakened the Conservatives reputation considerably due to their domination of the National Government. The Labour Party was born at the turn of the 20th . 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. For all of my fellow A2 AQA historians out there, I hope this helps! between people of different However by 1945 Labour was a strong, organised and well respected party, whilst the Conservatives were weakened by the war and internal splits. The Conservatives' campaign focused on Churchill and international relationships rather than any major new reforms that the electorate so desperately wanted. 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. 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 After researching the topic thoroughly, I Would argue the main reason Labour lost in 51 was . Americas way of She believed that Social changes should come 419 million in 1951, Increase in defence expenditure by 4.7 billion, Issues rose in This divided party had stood no chance against the organised, well-funded Conservatives. Most significantly, Labour established the NHS in 1948, they also brought about various other reforms pertaining to welfare. Explanation: On Friday morning the. The electorate clearly did not see it this way though, believing that the Labour party had lied to them, this feeling of betrayal saw many voters return to the reliable Conservatives in the 1951 election. 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. Outlined in the report were: all working age people would pay a National Insurance tax, and Benefits would be paid to the sick, unemployed, retired or widowed. spring of 52' due to the Kings tour of Australia it hit the party at a Homefront experiences had also caused a rise in support for Labour: evacuees educated many people to the realities of poverty in Britain's cities and the Blitz brought people together in communal bomb shelters and broke down social barriers. Why Was There a Consensus British Prime Ministers 1951-1964 'Oppositions don't win elections, governments lose them'. Just by losing a core of middle class voters, Labour lost a great many marginal contests and most particularly in the well-to-do constituencies of southern and south-eastern England. Dunkirk triggered many people to blame the conservatives and their previous leaders for appeasement. Labour 295 (48.8%) While it cannot be disputed that Labour kept their campaign simple, it would be ill-advised to declare that it helped enormously. Instead of indroducing new reforms and methods to improve living conditions, Attlee decided to focus on fighting the election based on the partys previous successes, claiming that the Conservatives could not be trusted with the reforms they had introduced. These acts included the reforms set out in the Beveridge plan, various other reforms and nationalisation. Within the Cabinet, Gaitskells decision to expand the defence budget at the expense of domestic spending enraged health minister Nye Bevan in particular, who resigned as a response to the Korean deployment. While it cannot be disputed that Labour kept their campaign simple, it would be ill-advised to declare that it helped enormously. The pre-war period was significant because, during the war, it was reinterpreted. hoped for, Marshall Aid 1948 social reforms were needed. This was an admittedly small majority, but reflected a changing public mood. Senior Labour MP Margaret Hodge described Baroness Boothroyd as "inspirational" and "a trailblazer for women". Sterling crisis 1966, devaluation 1967, tax rises, public spending cuts and rejection of the EEC application 1963. Lord Woolton was also key in the reformation of the party; holding membership dirves, propaganda campaigns and obtaining donations from bug businesses who were threatened by Labours nationalisation. That was three million less than the number of summonses, warrants and benefit deduction orders issued for poll tax non-payment. The Conservatives voted against the creation of a centralised health service in 1946, preferring rather the idea of state provision of healthcare administered at local level. Just by losing a core of middle class voters, Labour lost a great many marginal contests and most particularly in the well-to-do constituencies of southern and south-eastern England. Less than half the price of our monthly plan. 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. Pre-war Conservatives were labelled Guilty Men by Labour, this was very influential in winning over public opinion for Labour who presented themselves as the only party able to prevent another war. However Pearce concludes that The pre-war period was significant because, during the war, it was reinterpreted. Ultimately, the Conservatives profited from the decreased presence of Liberal candidates as they were able to win their votes through appealing to middle class needs, more so than Labour, who was affliated with the continuation of rationing, high taxes, wage freezes and unfulfilled promises for housing. 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. Labour to the Conservatives - was enough to tip Labour out of office in the general election held in October 1951. The first years, between 1945 and 1946, saw fervour for rapid reform in many areas of government. Developments during the war made a considerable contribution towards the shift to the left, with more support for collectivism and rationing. he knew so little about Act. Yet, despite this they won 26 more seats than Labour, this seems somewhat disproportionate and illogical and can once again be traced back to the first-past-the-post system. One of the major issues Labour had to face was how to rebuild Britain following the end of the Second World War, it also had to face the decolonisation of the British Empire and the loss of key figures within the party due to age and illness by 1951. But it was not. Georges Dufaud (1777-1852) was one of those ironmasters who benefited from the changes introduced by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire (Figure 1.1). Evidently, the Conservatives were punished in 1945, when they were lucky to not have been in 1935 and, arguably, if elections had taken place in 1940, Labour may have won. Britains involvement in the Korean War also enabled the Conservatives to play on Churchills war hero status. His subsequent retirement from the party therefore revealed that Labour was divided in its views and ultimately undermined its unity, providing a poor image to potential voters. 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 . protecting against the 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. They suggested the election should take place the following year, in 1952, hoping the government would be able to make enough progress towards economic improvement to win the election. Developments during the war made a considerable contribution towards the shift to the left, with more support for collectivism and rationing. 4.86: $1 to 2.80:$1, Rationing increasingly unpopular with middle classes, Eg. 9% swing against Labour. The Conservatives, on the other hand, met the report with lukewarm support, disliking Nationalisation and the Welfare State. Both clearly agree that the pre-war period was significant, however they differ on why it was significant. The 1959 General Election gave the Conservatives their third successive victory, the first time that a party had won three successive general elections since Napoleonic times. 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. In the 1950 election, the Liberals put up 475 candidates and secured 2.6 million votes (9.1% of the entire vote). How valid is this view in relation to the 1951 general election? 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. Why didn't Labour win the election 1948 Representation of the People Act What was the name of the 1948 law which changed constituency boundaries Liberal Party What party saw their vote fall from 2.6 million to 730,556 Sets with similar terms POLS 315 Exam 3 67 terms Leiigit_Kae American Gov Unit 4 Exam 91 terms Alexis_Martyn45 We have detected that Javascript is not enabled in your browser. 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. The question as to why Labour won the 1945 election has been the source of much in depth study since the period. 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. This aim was ill-fated and in the eyes of many economists obviously exceeded the country's economic capacity. The new Chancellor Sir Stafford Cripps expected of the country an austere realism which entailed the retention of rationing. As Prime Minister, he enlarged and improved social services and the public sector in post-war Britain, creating the National Health Service and nationalising major industries and public utilities. Thirdly, it brought about a further drop in voter confidence as external signs of infighting brought into question the competence and clarity of direction Labour could offer. authority, 1950-1951 labelled as an priorities, Coal mining-1947 The Conservatives were back in power once more, but they did little to. Why did Labour win the 1945 election and lose in the 1951 election? Both clearly agree that the pre-war period was significant, however they differ on why it was significant. Divisions over appeasement, foreign policy and rearmament deeply weakened Labour. While the more right-wing Gaitsgillites wanted more concentration on an aggressive foreign policy on issues like the cold war. He beat the Zeitgeist, the vibe and the emotional appeals while leaving Clive Palmer and the Greens failing to live up to expectations. As a response to the housing problem, Dalton committed to building one million new homes, 80% of which were council houses to be rented cheaply to those who most needed them. Hardly surprisingly. In February 1957, Labour won the seat of North Lewisham in what was their first by-election gain from the Tories in almost twenty years. Morisson, the Deputy Prime Minister, believed that The very honesty and simplicity of the campaign helped enormously. Majority of party Following the 1966 General Election, the Labour Party's Home Policy Committee observed that the party had, "for the first time, obtained a majority of the female vote" and remarked, "it would be very satisfactory if we could retain it." After his 1945 defeat, Churchill remained party leader and led the Conservatives into the following general election in February 1950. With an inadequate sense of self-renewal, the Attlee era party had little further to put before voters after 1947. Conservative pre-war blunders played a key role in Labour's victory due to the electorate remembering these mistakes. Although progress was initially slow on this front, one million houses were eventually built and the housing problem was eased for a while. The disadvantages and advantages of pesticides. Extremely cold weather met with insufficient stockpiles of coal, and much industry ground to a halt as a result. This brought about a little unrest within working class support but it was the effect on middle class attitudes and the cracks opening among the Parliamentary partys support which began to harm electoral credibility. members, Alongside this was the memory from Labours answer focused on working class interests. until after the election on the grounds of "morality" which was the Why did the Conservatives win elections from 1951-64 1945-1951 The 1951 General Election 419 million defecit was yet again in the surplus, Disagreements over Labour - 295 seats, Conservatives - 321 seats, Liberals - 6 seats In 1951 the Liberals put up 109 candidates, in 1945 they had put up 475. Their wartime experience in government was critical in catalysing trust and support for the party and its MPs who had proven themselves. This aim was ill-fated and in the eyes of many economists , obviously exceeded the country's economic capacity, . 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. socialist the party Positions like these allowed the Labour MPs to prove that they were, in fact, very skilled and also gave them invaluable experience. The Labour party had suffered after 10 years in government, and their MPs had begun falling ill, some even dying. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. As a response to the housing problem, Dalton committed to building one million new homes, 80% of which were council houses to be rented cheaply to those who most needed them. Before the war, Labour were all too often seen as inexperienced and even unpatriotic due to their left wing ideologies. Sarah from CollectifbdpHi there, would you like to get such a paper?