Why did the Labours lose even their historic strongholds? In addition, after the Korean War broke out in 1950, Britain decided to rearm. The result of the election caused much surprise. The first years, between 1945 and 1946, saw fervour for rapid reform in many areas of government. 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. After his 1945 defeat, Churchill remained party leader and led the Conservatives into the following general election in February 1950. 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. 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. However, in 1950, Labour won by a tiny majority of 5 seats and in 1951 the Conservatives won by a majority of 17. Conservatives promised to reduce taxes but keep the NHS. 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 . Economic problems e.g. Why did Labour lose the 1951 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. social reforms were needed. Learn more. The poor timing of the 1951 election can also be claimed to have weakened Labour's position. Labour's election record in the 1930s was poor, as they were disorganised and divided. While the more right-wing Gaitsgillites wanted more concentration on an aggressive foreign policy on issues like the cold war. While it cannot be disputed that Labour kept their campaign simple, it would be ill-advised to declare that it helped enormously. 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. Gaitskell adopted a similarly pragmatic approach to Britains budgetary problems and kept typically socialist long-term economic planning to a minimum. 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. 'consolidation', Division also came as Bevan was resentful in To gain an understanding of the election one must study the context surrounding the election. The Road Manifesto 1950 accepted Wiki User 2009-09-25 15:23:48 Study now See answer (1) Copy the main points are: -record on nationalisation and welfare -economic problems which. electricity-1948 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. Liberals 6, Note how Labour actually achieved a Aged - many were in 60s 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). the Tories as 'lower than vermin' alienated 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. spectacles and dentures. between people of different Conservative opposition fell off quickly, however, when the popularity of the NHS became increasingly apparent following its inception in 1946. Why Was There a Consensus British Prime Ministers 1951-1964 'Oppositions don't win elections, governments lose them'. After gaining such a large majority in 1945, most Labour politicians felt relatively assured that they had at least 10 years in office secured. The party's manifesto was named. Less than half the price of our monthly plan. 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. This divided party had stood no chance against the organised, well-funded Conservatives. 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. Rather, the balance of payments problem forced the non-idealists within the leadership to face the necessary curtailing of public spending. 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 In this essay, I will look at the factors which led to the Labour . Churchill however made a gross error in saying that Labour would need a Gestapo like organisation to enforce socialism upon Britain. National income had fallen by a quarter during the War, meaning that many export markets needed to be recovered lest Britain face financial ruin. leadership remembered in a Labour 315 The Labour party had suffered after 10 years in government, and their MPs had begun falling ill, some even dying. People had lost trust in the conservatives and blamed them for Britains military short-comings, and this was important for Labours rise in support. favoured years of the The Iron and coal industries were not profitable It was the first election in which Labour gained a majority of seats and the first in which it won a plurality of votes. Developments during the war made a considerable contribution towards the shift to the left, with more support for collectivism and rationing. 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. It is at this point that the switch from socialist idealism to pragmatic consolidation might be identified as a cause of voter disaffection. Post author: Post published: June 8, 2022; Post category: new construction duplex for sale florida; Post comments: . The new Chancellor Sir Stafford Cripps expected of the country an austere realism which entailed the retention of rationing. highly controversial and cost In the 1950 election, the Liberals put up 475 candidates and secured 2.6 million votes (9.1% of the entire vote). The Blitz also, more obviously, caused a huge rise in support for Labour's housing development plans. 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. Under the first past the post electoral system, many Labour votes were "wasted" as part of large majorities for MPs in safe seats. 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. Morisson, the Deputy Prime Minister, believed that The very honesty and simplicity of the campaign helped enormously. conservatives into a modern party, 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. By 1951, however, their roles had reversed. 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. WW2) needed loans to sustain economy, Keynes 1945 secures The results of the 1945 general election exceeded the hopes of the most fervent Labour supporter. So a better question is why did labour lose so many seats in '50. 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. In 1950 Churchill also narrowly lost the next general election. The Conservatives were back in power once more, but they did little to. Labour to the Conservatives - was enough to tip Labour out of office in the general election held in October 1951. Following their post-war election defeat, the Conservatives were able to make significant improvements to the party between 1945 and 1951. <p>The NHS had been established by the post-war Labour government in 1948. Following Cripps resignation on grounds of ill health, Hugh Gaitskell took over as Chancellor during Attlees second government. um is there something wrong in these notes? The dynamic nature of our site means that Javascript must be enabled to function properly. The 1945-1946 period of Labour government sought to address some key difficulties facing the nation following World War II. 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. 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. It had several effects, all of which were harmful in both the long and short term. Public transport -1948 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 As Charmley so aptly put it, the government was exhausted in mind, body and manifesto commitments. Many of Labours intergral cabinet ministers had been in office since 1940 and now, a decade later, were cumbling under the strain of the the continuous post-war crises that plagued Britain. 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. hoped for, Marshall Aid 1948 (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). It was not Churchill who lost the 1945 election, it was the ghost of Neville Chamberlain. Both clearly agree that the pre-war period was significant, however they differ on why it was significant. This split was a key moment in the demise of Attlees government. 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. 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. why did labour lose the 1951 election. years, Once lend lease had ended in 1945 (end of authority, 1950-1951 labelled as an The election result was a disaster for Labour. However, in 1951 they could only manage 109 candidates, gaining just over 700,000 votes (2.6% of entire vote). Why did the Conservatives win elections from 1951-64 1945-1951 The 1951 General Election Representation Of The Peoples 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 . support for the party. Why did Harold Wilson win the 1964 Election. The need for a better post war Britain was felt amongst all classes and Labour's support of the Beveridge Report brought widespread support. higher percentage of votes 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. Finally, splits over the Korean War both over the political justifications for British deployment, and over the cuts in public spending domestically brought about splits in the party which made it poorly placed to fight the 1951 election. 1950-1951 labelled as an UNHAPPY PARLIAMENT Labour majority reduces to just 7 seats 1950 By changing the timing of the election to be in 1951 rather than spring of 52' due to the Kings tour of Australia it hit the party at a time of economic downfall- seen to be short lived as by 1952 the 419 million defecit was yet again in the surplus Ministers The 1942 Beveridge Report was the most important report that contributed to Labour's success in 1945. Once more, it was the objection of the middle class voters to austere conditions which brought about the Parliamentary swing. 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. The 1946 National Health Service Act provided free access to a range of hospital and general practitioner services across the country. But it was not. Although progress was initially slow on this front, one million houses were eventually built and the housing problem was eased for a while. The first-past-the-post system ensures that the elected government has a workable majority. The labour Government of 1945-51 passed, in total, 347 acts of parliament. In realising that the quality of life was far more important to the public than any other factor, the Conservatives promised to build 300,000 houses a year, although they did admit in their manifesto that not much could be done to lessen the strain of rationing in 1951. 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. was really in their early The newly recruited young members dramatically contrasted with the aging Labour cabinet and presented the Conservatives as a rising party fit to govern. 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. Britains involvement in the Korean War also enabled the Conservatives to play on Churchills war hero status. administration (up to Mr Churchill's Declaration of Policy to the Electorate. Churchill however made a gross error in saying that Labour would need a Gestapo like organisation to enforce socialism upon Britain. The caretaker government, led by Churchill, was heavily defeated. large amounts in payouts, Labours 1950 manifest included Divisions over appeasement, foreign policy and rearmament deeply weakened Labour. In 1945 the Conservatives had suffered from being divided and disorganised, while Labour had been strong and united. Churchill narrowly lost the 1950 contest (Labour's majority was reduced to six), but again he managed to sidestep retirement. How Labour Governments Fall: From Ramsey MacDonald to Gordon Brown, Aspects of British Political History 1914- 1995, The Lessons of 19451951 Tories in Opposition. However Pearce concludes that The pre-war period was significant because, during the war, it was reinterpreted. Sterling crisis 1966, devaluation 1967, tax rises, public spending cuts and rejection of the EEC application 1963. This massive reform of the 1945-1946 period was dealt a blow in February 1947, when the government faced a fuel crisis. Unpopular policies like high taxes. 25 October 1951 The ageing Conservative leader Winston Churchill won the 1951 election with a comfortable majority. 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. Greenwood, a Labour Politician, commissioned Beveridge to produce a report outlining a socio-economic strategy of post-war reconstruction. America sought the support of her allies in fighting the North Korean communists, and Britain committed troops to assist her. Instead, this 1947 balance of payments crisis compounded by the fuel shortage and the convertibility clause forced Labour to rein in spending. This split caused to distinct groups to form within Labour; the Bevanites and the Gaitsgillites. This led to complacency with Labour relying too heavily on support from voters who felt betrayed. These acts included the reforms set out in the Beveridge plan, various other reforms and nationalisation. This split was a key moment in the demise of Attlees government. Their time in opposition led to the rebuilding and remodelling their policies to allign with post-war consensus (mixed economy, welfare state etc). Under Michael Foot, it suffered a landslide defeat, taking just 27.6% of the vote and giving Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives. The opposite happened in 1974 when the system meant the Conservatives lost out to Labour. 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. Morrison, was moved to minister of employment, Proposed introduction of 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. 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