In fact, Dennis Shanahan wrote in The Australian: Morrison didn't just beat Labor in this election. 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. UNHAPPY PARLIAMENT, Labour majority Atlee used this as an opportunity to emphasise that although Churchill was a great wartime leader he was not such a good domestic politician. The newly recruited young members dramatically contrasted with the aging Labour cabinet and presented the Conservatives as a rising party fit to govern. The question as to why Labour won the 1945 election has been the source of much in depth study since the period. Understandably, the architect and far left member of the party, Bevan, was enraged at this suggestion. and were in decline - government supporting 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. Morisson, the Deputy Prime Minister, believed that The very honesty and simplicity of the campaign helped enormously. We provide reliable homework help online and custom college essay service. Their election campaign was heavily based off the idea that, if voted into power, there would be a period of consolidation after the previous years of innovation. In addition, Morrison became Home Secretary and Bevin Minister of Labour and National Service. Why Did Labour Lose Power in 1951 | PDF | Labour Party (Uk) | National Health Service Why did Labour lose power in 1951 - Free download as Word Doc (.doc / .docx), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. How Did The Petrov Affair Affect Australia. 1. Sterling crisis 1966, devaluation 1967, tax rises, public spending cuts and rejection of the EEC application 1963. priorities, Coal mining-1947 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. 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. The poor timing of the 1951 election can also be claimed to have weakened Labour's position. why did labour lose the 1951 election. 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. 'I think we've got 20 years of power ahead of us,' mused the newly-elected Labour MP for Smethwick. Assess the Validity of This View. Hugh Dalton's administration of the '51 was an attempt that backfired to increase the labour majority - but in reality they only lost 22 seats in that election. 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. The consequences of entering the Korean War in June 1950 also contributed to Labours downfall. prescription charges by Hugh This people's war was very beneficial to Labour in warming people to socialist ideologies, and their belief on the war being not just a fight against the fascist Germany, but a struggle for a prosperous post-war Britain was welcomed by the electorate. The weeks leading up to the Feb. 28 election were pretty messy but what's so jarring is how different the 2019 campaign played out an open race after two-term Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel . There was nothing like the self-destructive trade union protests and strikes of the 1979 'Winter of . Before the war, Labour were all too often seen as inexperienced and even unpatriotic due to their left wing ideologies. members, Alongside this was the memory from 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. 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. This massive reform of the 1945-1946 period was dealt a blow in February 1947, when the government faced a fuel crisis. Atlee used this as an opportunity to emphasise that although Churchill was a great wartime leader he was not such a good domestic politician. While it cannot be disputed that Labour kept their campaign simple, it would be ill-advised to declare that it helped enormously. Want to create your own Mind Maps for free with GoConqr? To achieve these aims he argued that there needed to be better cooperation between the state and the individual. Labour was re-elected in 1950 but lost 80 seats in the process. The Attlee Labour government of 1945-51 ended more with a whimper than with a bang. opportunity for the other Conservative hoped for, Marshall Aid 1948 social reform and nationalisation. Mainly because the Brexit Party split off some of their voters. For the first time, the government provided a catch-all benefits system which hypothecated a proportion of tax revenue thence to be paid against sickness, elderliness and unemployment to name but three key entitlements. regards to labours In Place of Strife, prices and incomes policy etc. The Attlee governments of 1945 to 1951 can be divided into four key sections. The need for a better post war Britain was felt amongst all classes and Labour's support of the Beveridge Report brought widespread support. These party reforms and the reorganisation proved worthwhile, as can be seen in the 8% boost in votes. 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. 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. The Road Manifesto 1950 accepted Churchill however made a gross error in saying that Labour would need a Gestapo like organisation to enforce socialism upon Britain. 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. Their wartime experience in government was critical in catalysing trust and support for the party and its MPs who had proven themselves. The need for a better post war Britain was felt amongst all classes and Labour's support of the Beveridge Report brought widespread support. Act. Labour's popularity was also dented by their foreign policy, in granting sovereignty to some of Britain's most successful colonies Labour were seen as dissembling an empire that had taken hundreds of years to attain. Who was the worst prime Concerns about the permissive society e.g. After gaining such a large majority in 1945, most Labour politicians felt relatively assured that they had at least 10 years in office secured. Britains economic resources were being drained from all directions; Foreign Policy, Nationalisation, Welfare and Austerity. 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 showed they were flexible and committed to improvement; they were a party of continuity and efficiency. The Labour party had suffered after 10 years in government, and their MPs had begun falling ill, some even dying. Labours answer focused on working class interests. 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. Rather, the balance of payments problem forced the non-idealists within the leadership to face the necessary curtailing of public spending. The 1946 National Insurance Act was also a key domestic reform of the Attlee government. Americas way of reduces to just 7 In 1950 Churchill also narrowly lost the next general election. The 1951 election ended the post-war Labour governments, put Labour into opposition for 13 years and marked the start of a decade of bitter internecine warfare in the party. 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. was welcomed by the electorate. Conservatives 290, 1950-51 Labour were in office Labour weaknesses. Dunkirk triggered many people to blame the conservatives and their previous leaders for appeasement. Paul Addison argues that 1940 was the year when the foundations of political power shifted decisively leftwards for a decade By the autumn of 1942 a major upheaval in public opinion had taken place. People had lost trust in the conservatives and blamed them for Britains military short-comings, and this was important for Labours rise in support. Labour lost the election to the party whose ideas it was preaching. The Conservatives reluctance to accept this report was hugely beneficial to Labour who capitalised on the huge of public support behind it. Under the head "Peace", the Labour manifesto said: "The Tory (Conservative) still thinks in terms of Victorian imperialism and colonial exploitation. Little did Provow know at the time, but "Castle Bravo" and the five other tests he witnessed would have a direct effect on his health and the health of his friends he was serving on the . We have detected that Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Its formation was the result of many years of struggle by working class people, trade unionists and socialists, united by the goal of working class voices represented in British Parliament. The Conservative Party made some political headway by attacking the governments credentials with regard to the 1948 devaluation of the pound, which was designed to bring about the much needed rise in exports. 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. Labour 295 (48.8%) The first years, between 1945 and 1946, saw fervour for rapid reform in many areas of government. leadership remembered in a Labour had 13, 948, 605 votes Conservatives had 13, 717, 538 votes Liberals had 730, 556 votes Why did the Conservatives win if Labour had more votes? Conservative opposition fell off quickly, however, when the popularity of the NHS became increasingly apparent following its inception in 1946. Increase in liberal votes in 1964 meant that conservative vote decreased, therefore labour required less votes to win. The campaign is all too often seen as the most important factor in Labour's landslide victory in 1945, however it is of less importance than the war or their policies, for example. 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. 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. favoured His reaction in a crisis is to threaten force. the Tories as 'lower than vermin' alienated How many seats did the Conservatives win in 1951, What policies were Labour associated with, What was one area the Labour party were divided on, How did Lord Woolton help the Tories reform, How many houses did the Tories promise to build each year, What did they promise to show rationing had ended, What was the name of the 1948 law which changed constituency boundaries, What party saw their vote fall from 2.6 million to 730,556, Christina Dejong, Christopher E. Smith, George F Cole, Government in America: Elections and Updates Edition, George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, Robert L. Lineberry. human beings", Tarnished image by the end of time in administration, Devaluation of from my could least handle it, and Labour was blamed by a weary public in 1951. Developments during the war made a considerable contribution towards the shift to the left, with more support for collectivism and rationing. Labour's election record in the 1930s was poor, as they were disorganised and divided. called for 25 October 1951 The ageing Conservative leader Winston Churchill won the 1951 election with a comfortable majority. These problems, however, would have been inherent to any government of Britain at the time, but the fact was, Labour were held accountable. The new Chancellor Sir Stafford Cripps expected of the country an austere realism which entailed the retention of rationing. socialist the party The party had achieved many of the reforms put forward in their 1945 manifesto, most noteably the implementation of the welfare state, and now lacked new policy ideas. 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 <p>The NHS had been established by the post-war Labour government in 1948. Labour Fundamentalists including Bevan wanted further reforms, specifically more nationalisation meanwhile Morrison called for party unity. Pearce's reinterpretation argument makes the most sense because policies like appeasement were relatively popular at the time. Labour would not again form a government until 1964, the question is; what caused people to revert back to supporting the conservatives once again? 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 ). 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). drugs. second - 1986. conservatives into a modern party, fundamentals he based his politics. Winston Churchill was a very popular speaker. While this didn't net the Brexit Party any seats, it was enough for the Tories to overtake in many of them. Pearce's reinterpretation argument makes the most sense because policies like appeasement were relatively popular at the time. Resource summary. billion he had hoped for, Repayable at 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. The Labour Party was created in 1900: a new party for a new century. 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. which led to more sophisticated 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. 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. Politicians are often rejected by voters because they have failed in office. While Labour managed to retain much working class support largely because of the role class identification was playing in determining partisan support at this time the middle class had quickly become disaffected. These problems, however, would have been inherent to any government of Britain at the time, but the fact was, Labour were held accountable. Why did labor lose the 1951 election? however not the 6 Maybe not the most important factor, but definitely worth noting, is the fact that the UK employs a first-past-the-post electoral system. support for the party. Morisson, the Deputy Prime Minister, believed that. Each party's history had a role in both 1951 and 45, the conservative led National Government of the 1930s were blamed for the depression, appeasement and delayed rearmament in 1945. 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. For all of my fellow A2 AQA historians out there, I hope this helps! Labours answer focused on working class interests. His frugality extended to his welfare policies, which involved the further tightening of benefit payments. 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. 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. In October 2004 Blair announced that he would seek a third term as prime minister but would not stand for a fourth term. The Blitz also, more obviously, caused a huge rise in support for Labour's housing development plans. Labour argued that they had earned their independence by fighting in WW2, and that it was not economically viable to sustain them. How this translates to an election is that only the votes for the winning candidate in each constituency are counted towards seats in parliament. Although interesting they had little to do with shifting the electorate's opinions, indeed in 1945 both parties' campaigns were largely improvised. million if some charged could be made on The population was also swelling, not to mention the return of service men and women from abroad, and the total number of properties in Britain had fallen by over 700,000 due to bomb damage. 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. How Labour Governments Fall: From Ramsey MacDonald to Gordon Brown, Aspects of British Political History 1914- 1995, The Lessons of 19451951 Tories in Opposition. WW2) needed loans to sustain economy, Keynes 1945 secures The first-past-the-post system emphasised each election's result. 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. Mind Map on Why did Labour lose the 1951 election?, created by alinam on 05/24/2015. This people's war was very beneficial to Labour in warming people to socialist ideologies, and their belief on the war being, not just a fight against the fascist Germany, but a struggle for a prosperous post-war Britain. Public transport -1948 between people of different By 1951, however, their roles had reversed. The changes appear to have been hugely beneficial to the majority of the population.