the Tories as 'lower than vermin' alienated By 1951, however, their roles had reversed. The 1946 National Insurance Act was also a key domestic reform of the Attlee government. The Road Manifesto 1950 accepted In Place of Strife, prices and incomes policy etc. They also caused higher taxes, and the unstable economy caused many voters to demonise labour in 1951. 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? Labour gave independence to India, Pakistan, Ceylon and Burma, and pulled out of Palestine. The impact of the Petrov Affair will be seen to significantly alter the political landscape of Australia and providing the liberal government under Menzies an opportunity to reconfirm their anti-communist sentiment. 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. should remain, Bevan an Labour How Labour Governments Fall: From Ramsey MacDonald to Gordon Brown, Aspects of British Political History 1914- 1995, The Lessons of 19451951 Tories in Opposition. Resource summary. opportunity for the other Conservative 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. British housewives 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. These problems, however, would have been inherent to any government of Britain at the time, but the fact was, Labour were held accountable. Between 1948 and the election year 1950, Labour was committed to a period of tighter spending and more austere demands placed upon citizens. However Pearce concludes that The pre-war period was significant because, during the war, it was reinterpreted. It called for a reelection the next year. Also during the 1930s Britain suffered the great depression, which weakened the Conservatives reputation considerably due to their domination of the National Government. Why did Harold Wilson win the 1964 Election. response of Tory MP to 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. 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. To achieve these aims he argued that there needed to be better cooperation between the state and the individual. Churchill however made a gross error in saying that Labour would need a Gestapo like organisation to enforce socialism upon Britain. Following Cripps resignation on grounds of ill health, Hugh Gaitskell took over as Chancellor during Attlees second government. 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. 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. prescription charges by Hugh 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. Since 2015, the problem of electoral 'bias' means Westminster's voting system has advantaged the Conservatives. Best Answer Copy Labour lost to various reasons, the main ones being: The Winter of Discontent, the miscalculations that James Callaghan made and the appeal of Thatcher to voters. Senior Labour MP Margaret Hodge described Baroness Boothroyd as "inspirational" and "a trailblazer for women". 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 partys defeat. 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. This was at a time when the economy could least handle it, and Labour was blamed by a weary public in 1951. The first-past-the-post system emphasised each election's result. 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. um is there something wrong in these notes? These reforms had a deep effect on Britain, however the electorate evidently felt not enough was done to fulfil the promises of a near utopian post-war Britain. The newly recruited young members dramatically contrasted with the aging Labour cabinet and presented the Conservatives as a rising party fit to govern. Understandably, the architect and far left member of the party, Bevan, was enraged at this suggestion. She believed that Social changes should come 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. This was at a time when the econo. 1947), Corelli Barnett's Audit of War criticised how Post author: Post published: June 8, 2022; Post category: new construction duplex for sale florida; Post comments: . why did labour lose the 1951 election. - NEW The results of the 1945 general election exceeded the hopes of the most fervent Labour supporter. 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. he knew so little about Between 1948 and the election year 1950, Labour was committed to a period of tighter spending and more austere demands placed upon citizens. 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. 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. The thought of being involved in another war, let alone one happening thousands of miles away with no real impact on Britain, was not very palatable to the British public, who were still dealing with the . 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. This aim was ill-fated and in the eyes of many economists obviously exceeded the country's economic capacity. Positions like these allowed the Labour MPs to prove that they were, in fact, very skilled and also gave them invaluable experience. 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. Britains economic resources were being drained from all directions; Foreign Policy, Nationalisation, Welfare and Austerity. Why did the Labours lose even their historic strongholds? drugs. It was not Churchill who lost the 1945 election, it was the ghost of Neville Chamberlain. In the 1992 election 11.5 million people voted Labour. This type of system naturally leads one to question the truth behind calling the Labour victory a landslide. accepting the ideas of NHS and that 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. 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. 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. By 1947, more than one fifth of British industry had been drawn into public ownership. Sterling crisis 1966, devaluation 1967, tax rises, public spending cuts and rejection of the EEC application 1963. 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 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. why did Labour lose the 1951 election? 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. 1951 Give an example of a prominent cabinet minister that Labour had lost by 1951 due to old age Ernest Bevin Which party looked fresh and orchestrated in 1951, had fresh MPs, and ran an efficient campaign? Unpopular policies like high taxes. electricity-1948 It is at this point that the switch from socialist idealism to pragmatic consolidation might be identified as a cause of voter disaffection. (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). These party reforms and the reorganisation proved worthwhile, as can be seen in the 8% boost in votes. Britains economic resources were being drained from all directions; Foreign Policy, Nationalisation, Welfare and Austerity. 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. The Labour party had suffered after 10 years in government, and their MPs had begun falling ill, some even dying. Jeremy Corbyn. 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. Their time in opposition led to the rebuilding and remodelling their policies to allign with post-war consensus (mixed economy, welfare state etc). In this essay, I will look at the factors which led to the Labour . America sought the support of her allies in fighting the North Korean communists, and Britain committed troops to assist her. Bevin's speech 1948 where he referred to Two cabinet ministers resigned in protest &ndash . The 1945-1946 period of Labour government sought to address some key difficulties facing the nation following World War II. 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. 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 Under Michael Foot, it suffered a landslide defeat, taking just 27.6% of the vote and giving Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives. The disadvantages and advantages of pesticides. 1950 Surplus 297 million fell to Americas way of The Iron and coal industries were not profitable conservatives into a modern party, Sarah from CollectifbdpHi there, would you like to get such a paper? Gaitskell adopted a similarly pragmatic approach to Britains budgetary problems and kept typically socialist long-term economic planning to a minimum. This divided party had stood no chance against the organised, well-funded Conservatives. However, in 1951 they could only manage 109 candidates, gaining just over 700,000 votes (2.6% of entire vote). 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. Technicalities. However, in 1950, Labour won by a tiny majority of 5 seats and in 1951 the Conservatives won by a majority of 17. This was the fourth of five elections in the twentieth century where a party lost the popular vote, but won the most seats. 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