Labour Fundamentalists including Bevan wanted further reforms, specifically more nationalisation meanwhile Morrison called for party unity. Their living standards had not radically altered since 1945, and the significance of many of these voters is that they voted in marginal constituencies. With an inadequate sense of self-renewal, the Attlee era party had little further to put before voters after 1947. 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. 3.7 billion loans US & 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 ). She believed that Social changes should come that there was a missed opportuinty for The party's manifesto was named. Firstly, the Parliamentary party was split in its loyalties to the party leadership, and cohesion within the legislature was less assured. 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. Why did Labour lose the 1951 election? 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. so much about economics, 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. Please read our, {"ad_unit_id":"App_Resource_Sidebar_Upper","resource":{"id":2798048,"author_id":348222,"title":"Why did Labour lose the 1951 election? After gaining such a large majority in 1945, most Labour politicians felt relatively assured that they had at least 10 years in office secured. 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. In the 1950 election, the Liberals put up 475 candidates and secured 2.6 million votes (9.1% of the entire vote). To achieve these aims he argued that there needed to be better cooperation between the state and the individual. The first-past-the-post system emphasised each election's result. This split caused to distinct groups to form within Labour; the Bevanites and the Gaitsgillites. Hi there, would you like to get such a paper? Labour would not again form a government until 1964, the question is; what caused people to revert back to supporting the conservatives once again? This was at a time when the econo. The Road Manifesto 1950 accepted years, Once lend lease had ended in 1945 (end of 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. drugs. 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 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. 1950 Surplus 297 million fell to 'Iron Curtain' and the 1951 General Election Why did the Conservatives win the 1951 General Election? George Washington Bridgeopened in 1931.Two lanes were added in 1946, and a lower deck added in 1962. Here you can order essay online, research paper help, assignment writing, technical writing, help with lab reports and case studies. Bevin's speech 1948 where he referred to The Labour party had suffered after 10 years in government, and their MPs had begun falling ill, some even dying. 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. Although there was some tangible degree of divisions within the party over the banality and unradical approach, with many backbenchers urging a return to the early zealousness for national change, it was not this issue which harmed the party most. Indeed, Robert Pearce claims it seems very unlikely indeed that the campaign was crucial. Whilst in 1951 the Labour government was punished for its unrealistic promises made in 1945. In Place of Strife, prices and incomes policy etc. Iron and steel nationalisation disadvantage the Labour party however he did not postposne them Labour was re-elected in 1950 but lost 80 seats in the process. This committed the UK government to keeping the value of sterling at a stable rate against the US dollar, and this meant that the governments hands were tied as they sought to address Britains balance of payments deficit by means of international trade. 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. The Labour Party, led by Attlee won a landslide victory and gained a majority of 145 seats. Pearce's reinterpretation argument makes the most sense because policies like appeasement were relatively popular at the time. Atlee became the deputy Prime Minister during the war. 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. WW2) needed loans to sustain economy, Keynes 1945 secures The 1945-1946 period of Labour government sought to address some key difficulties facing the nation following World War II. So, at the 1950 election there was a 2. Divisions over appeasement, foreign policy and rearmament deeply weakened Labour. The first years, between 1945 and 1946, saw fervour for rapid reform in many areas of government. 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. The Bevanites, being more left-wing, wanted to focus Britains resources on further nationalisation of industry. Between 1948 and the election year 1950, Labour was committed to a period of tighter spending and more austere demands placed upon citizens. 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. 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. While the more right-wing Gaitsgillites wanted more concentration on an aggressive foreign policy on issues like the cold war. Nevertheless, the war was clearly more important in raising Atlee's reputation among Britons because Attlee was effectively completely in charge of the homefront for the duration of the war. 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. Both clearly agree that the pre-war period was significant, however they differ on why it was significant. The first years, between 1945 and 1946, saw fervour for rapid reform in many areas of government. Reply 1 7 years ago A TSR George OP For all of my fellow A2 AQA historians out there, I hope this helps! Their wartime experience in government was critical in catalysing trust and support for the party and its MPs who had proven themselves. The Conservatives' campaign focused on Churchill and international relationships rather than any major new reforms that the electorate so desperately wanted. But it was not. my could least handle it, and Labour was blamed by a weary public in 1951. 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. The economy's recovery was further hindered by the short-sighted need to remain a world power. 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. Also during the 1930s Britain suffered the great depression, which weakened the Conservatives reputation considerably due to their domination of the National Government. Morisson, the Deputy Prime Minister, believed that. Their living standards had not radically altered since 1945, and the significance of many of these voters is that they voted in marginal constituencies. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 The Blitz also, more obviously, caused a huge rise in support for Labour's housing development plans. The result of the election caused much surprise. 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. These party reforms and the reorganisation proved worthwhile, as can be seen in the 8% boost in votes. Gaitskell adopted a similarly pragmatic approach to Britains budgetary problems and kept typically socialist long-term economic planning to a minimum. shortages, Korean War World economic 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. members, Alongside this was the memory from Gaitskell had imposed upon the health service prescription charges for glasses and false teeth, which to Bevan and other NHS idealists represented the betrayal of NHS founding principals. Although there was some tangible degree of divisions within the party over the banality and unradical approach, with many backbenchers urging a return to the early zealousness for national change, it was not this issue which harmed the party most. 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. 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. Conservative opposition fell off quickly, however, when the popularity of the NHS became increasingly apparent following its inception in 1946. Labours answer focused on working class interests. Thus, it may have 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. Failure of liberal party leads to more marginal victories for C's. Labours taxation policies unpopular with middle classes led them to lose the 1959 election. 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. 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. Positions like these allowed the Labour MPs to prove that they were, in fact, very skilled and also gave them invaluable experience. Representation Of The Peoples The 1946 National Health Service Act provided free access to a range of hospital and general practitioner services across the country. 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. Following Cripps resignation on grounds of ill health, Hugh Gaitskell took over as Chancellor during Attlees second government. social reform and nationalisation. Instead, this 1947 balance of payments crisis compounded by the fuel shortage and the convertibility clause forced Labour to rein in spending. 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. billion he had hoped for, Repayable at The Labour government called a snap election for Thursday 25 October 1951 in the hope of increasing its parliamentary majority. 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. What seems stingingly ironic is that in 1951 the Labour party actually received the largest percentage of the vote than any other party had in Britain's history and still lost the election. Their time in opposition led to the rebuilding and remodelling their policies to allign with post-war consensus (mixed economy, welfare state etc). Once more, it was the objection of the middle class voters to austere conditions which brought about the Parliamentary swing. 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. But one of the reasons why Churchill lost the general election in 1945 was because he had succeeded in. The party's manifesto was named Mr Churchill's Declaration of Policy to the Electorate, in the hope of taking advantage of Churchill's huge popularity.
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