The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held twenty months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats. Looking at the Labour government in these four sections of reform, of crisis, of consolidation and of division helps us to see where the party lost its huge majority. disadvantaged by 1st Past post conservatives into a modern party, Once more, it was the objection of the middle class voters to austere conditions which brought about the Parliamentary swing. 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. Before the war, Labour were all too often seen as inexperienced and even unpatriotic due to their left wing ideologies. Increase in liberal votes in 1964 meant that conservative vote decreased, therefore labour required less votes to win. While it cannot be disputed that Labour kept their campaign simple, it would be ill-advised to declare that it helped enormously. This was an admittedly small majority, but reflected a changing public mood. But it was not. Atlee became the deputy Prime Minister during the war. We have detected that Javascript is not enabled in your browser. So, while Labour won the popular vote, gaining large majorities in their constituencies, the Conservatives won the majority of seats, gaining narrow victories, but in more constituencies. keeping the NHS, Attractive party to businessmen Here i looks at the reasons behind Labour's worst defeat in an election campaign since 1935. Labour entered the 1950 election confidently, while the conservatives were uncertain of themselves, effectively a role reversal from 1945. Labour 315 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. In addition, after the Korean War broke out in 1950, Britain decided to rearm. of cold war era), Violence broke out in India and Paliastine during decolonisation, Sectarian violence - Violence 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. 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. 1 He belonged to the first intake of students at the Ecole polytechnique in 1794 and went on to become an iron engineer. Although progress was initially slow on this front, one million houses were eventually built and the housing problem was eased for a while. 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 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. Want to create your own Mind Maps for free with GoConqr? in the hope of taking advantage of Churchill's huge popularity. which led to more sophisticated 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 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. 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. For all of my fellow A2 AQA historians out there, I hope this helps! The party's manifesto was named. The first-past-the-post system emphasised each election's result. Senior Labour MP Margaret Hodge described Baroness Boothroyd as "inspirational" and "a trailblazer for women". 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. Once more, it was the objection of the middle class voters to austere conditions which brought about the Parliamentary swing. From the research Ive done, Ive attempted to form what I consider to be that clear answer. This split caused to distinct groups to form within Labour; th. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. The Conservatives were back in power once more, but they did little to. 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. However by 1945 Labour was a strong, organised and well respected party, whilst the Conservatives were weakened by the war and internal splits. It had several effects, all of which were harmful in both the long and short term. In fact, Dennis Shanahan wrote in The Australian: Morrison didn't just beat Labor in this election. 1951 General Election Why did the Conservatives win the 1951 General Election? authority, 1950-1951 labelled as an Why did Labour win the 1945 election and lose in the 1951 election? While the more right-wing Gaitsgillites wanted more concentration on an aggressive foreign policy on issues like the cold war. Politicians are often rejected by voters because they have failed in office. 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. Under Labour, rationing continued, with further dried egg and bread rationing introduced in 1946. The Road Manifesto 1950 accepted The disadvantages and advantages of pesticides. 4.86: $1 to 2.80:$1, Rationing increasingly unpopular with middle classes, Eg. 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. Why did Labour lose the 1951 General Election? 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. The need for a better post war Britain was felt amongst all classes and Labour's support of the Beveridge Report brought widespread support. 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. was welcomed by the electorate. 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 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. 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. In Place of Strife, prices and incomes policy etc. The Attlee governments of 1945 to 1951 can be divided into four key sections. 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. Labour's campaign, although not crucial to their success, was better organised, funded and planned than the Conservatives' and, as such, made Labour look strong - in contrast with the Conservatives. The caretaker government, led by Churchill, was heavily defeated. 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 . Resource summary. The 1946 National Health Service Act provided free access to a range of hospital and general practitioner services across the country. Morrison, was moved to minister of employment, Proposed introduction of 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. 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. The 1964 election was not a landslide victory like that of 1945. The election result was a disaster for Labour. 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. 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. um is there something wrong in these notes? To gain an understanding of the election one must study the context surrounding the election. How Did The Petrov Affair Affect Australia. failing industries. To gain an understanding of the election one must study the context surrounding the election. By 1947, more than one fifth of British industry had been drawn into public ownership. 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. 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. Gaitskell adopted a similarly pragmatic approach to Britains budgetary problems and kept typically socialist long-term economic planning to a minimum. Clement Attlee was leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955, and served as Britain's Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951. 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. Following Cripps resignation on grounds of ill health, Hugh Gaitskell took over as Chancellor during Attlees second government. To the most left-wing Labour MPs and enthusiasts, this was a betrayal of socialist solidarity; on the other hand, to many more involved with the party this represented subservience to US demands. 3.7 billion loans US & the Tories as 'lower than vermin' alienated Labour was re-elected in 1950 but lost 80 seats in the process. 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. In spite of some successes during 1948, including good export figures, participation in the Berlin Airlift and regardless of middle class perceptions generous relaxations in rationing, the publics faith in the Attlee government to manage the rebuilding of Britain had dropped off considerably. The question as to why Labour won the 1945 election has been the source of much in depth study since the period. Pearce's reinterpretation argument makes the most sense because policies like appeasement were relatively popular at the time. The Conservatives' campaign focused on Churchill and international relationships rather than any major new reforms that the electorate so desperately wanted. In spite of some successes during 1948, including good export figures, participation in the Berlin Airlift and regardless of middle class perceptions generous relaxations in rationing, the publics faith in the Attlee government to manage the rebuilding of Britain had dropped off considerably.