Why did Labour lose the 1951 election? This was an admittedly small majority, but reflected a changing public mood. These party reforms and the reorganisation proved worthwhile, as can be seen in the 8% boost in votes. They also caused higher taxes, and the unstable economy caused many voters to demonise labour in 1951. The disadvantages and advantages of pesticides. higher percentage of votes Mr Churchill's Declaration of Policy to the Electorate. years, Once lend lease had ended in 1945 (end of The 1946 National Insurance Act was also a key domestic reform of the Attlee government. Paul Addison argues that. 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 ). As the Labour Party emerged to replace the Liberal Party in the 1920s, G.D.H. The 1945-1946 period of Labour government sought to address some key difficulties facing the nation following World War II. 1950 Surplus 297 million fell to Understandably, the architect and far left member of the party, Bevan, was enraged at this suggestion. 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. 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. priorities, Coal mining-1947 In this respect, although Labout lost the 1951 election, it can be claimed that they only marginally lost popular support meaning, in my opinion, the most significant factor contributing to their loss was the mistiming of the election. 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. Hi there, would you like to get such a paper? Just over a year later, with the Labour government in deep internal crisis and running out of steam, yet another election was called. By 1951, there were already heavy pressures on health spending. In Place of Strife, prices and incomes policy etc. 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. Labour 315 The report was met by huge public enthusiasm and Labour's wholehearted backing. But it was not. 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. It was not Churchill who lost the 1945 election, it was the ghost of Neville Chamberlain. While it cannot be disputed that Labour kept their campaign simple, it would be ill-advised to declare that it helped enormously. This aim was ill-fated and in the eyes of many economists obviously exceeded the country's economic capacity. This led to complacency with Labour relying too heavily on support from voters who felt betrayed. The first years, between 1945 and 1946, saw fervour for rapid reform in many areas of government. gas-1949. 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. hoped for, Marshall Aid 1948 From the research Ive done, Ive attempted to form what I consider to be that clear answer. Developments during the war made a considerable contribution towards the shift to the left, with more support for collectivism and rationing. This showed they were flexible and committed to improvement; they were a party of continuity and efficiency. Labour Fundamentalists including Bevan wanted further reforms, specifically more nationalisation meanwhile Morrison called for party unity. however without power or These acts included the reforms set out in the Beveridge plan, various other reforms and nationalisation. 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. 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. Here you can order essay online, research paper help, assignment writing, technical writing, help with lab reports and case studies. 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. Voters associated labour with Austerity. Also during the 1930s Britain suffered the great depression, which weakened the Conservatives reputation considerably due to their domination of the National Government. To gain an understanding of the election one must study the context surrounding the election. 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. 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. The first-past-the-post system ensures that the elected government has a workable majority. 1950 are not the Conservatives of 1935, No one shoots Santa Clause - Postal voting also authority, 1950-1951 labelled as an was really in their early 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. 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 had made so many promises before the 1945 election that peoples hopes were set too high, many felt that Labour failed to deliver. The new Chancellor Sir Stafford Cripps expected of the country an austere realism which entailed the retention of rationing. 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. An Overlooked Reason Why Labour Lost In 1983 Ask almost anyone about the June 1983 general election and you will get standard replies as to why the Conservatives won a landslide and Labour did so badly: The Falklands war Michael Foot's leadership of Labour The Bennite left The Gang of Four splitting away By 1947, more than one fifth of British industry had been drawn into public ownership. 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. 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. Britains economic resources were being drained from all directions; Foreign Policy, Nationalisation, Welfare and Austerity. Why Was There a Consensus British Prime Ministers 1951-1964 'Oppositions don't win elections, governments lose them'. 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. Thus, it may have 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. positive light, Presented themselves as a united So, at the 1950 election there was a 2.9% swing against Labour. This was at a time when the economy could least handle it, and Labour was blamed by a weary public in 1951. There was nothing like the self-destructive trade union protests and strikes of the 1979 'Winter of . The economy's recovery was further hindered by the short-sighted need to remain a world power. These problems, however, would have been inherent to any government of Britain at the time, but the fact was, Labour were held accountable. 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. America sought the support of her allies in fighting the North Korean communists, and Britain committed troops to assist her. Sarah from CollectifbdpHi there, would you like to get such a paper? The very honesty and simplicity of the campaign helped enormously. he knew so little about 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. WW2) needed loans to sustain economy, Keynes 1945 secures While the more right-wing Gaitsgillites wanted more concentration on an aggressive foreign policy on issues like the cold war. Attlee was aware that these changes to the voting system may Gaitskell, would gut defence expenditure by 400 spectacles and dentures. 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 . Positions like these allowed the Labour MPs to prove that they were, in fact, very skilled and also gave them invaluable experience. human beings", Tarnished image by the end of time in administration, Devaluation of from 9% swing against Labour. While it cannot be disputed that Labour kept their campaign simple, it would be ill-advised to declare that it helped enormously. 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. 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. 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. However, the electorate did not empathise with this view, many now believing that the Conservatives were a more trustworthy option. Firstly, the Parliamentary party was split in its loyalties to the party leadership, and cohesion within the legislature was less assured. However by 1945 Labour was a strong, organised and well respected party, whilst the Conservatives were weakened by the war and internal splits. Bankruptcy in 1808 did not prevent him from enjoying later success, with the backing of senior officials and . achievements - 200,000 homes built a 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. 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. why did labour lose the 1951 election. The labour Government of 1945-51 passed, in total, 347 acts of parliament. The Blitz also, more obviously, caused a huge rise in support for Labour's housing development plans. Mainly because the Brexit Party split off some of their voters. In 1950 Churchill also narrowly lost the next general election. favoured 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. Technicalities. Majority of party Britains involvement in the Korean War also enabled the Conservatives to play on Churchills war hero status. Evidently, the Conservatives were punished in 1945, when they were lucky to not have been in 1935 and, arguably, if elections had taken place in 1940, Labour may have won. Although progress was initially slow on this front, one million houses were eventually built and the housing problem was eased for a while. The Conservatives, on the other hand, met the report with lukewarm support, disliking Nationalisation and the Welfare State. But Labour didn't lose in 1983 because it was too left wing; rather, Thatcher won because of the Falklands War. He lost again, but was given one more opportunity in 1951 . Essay on why Labour failed to renew itself after it fulfilled its 1945 manifesto The Labour government called a snap election for Thursday 25 October 1951 in the hope of increasing its parliamentary majority. future plans, Budget of 1951 heavily criticised by 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. Why then, did Labour go on to lose so many seats in 1950 before losing the General Election in 1951? 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. Conservatives 1 to 10, Election of 1950 shortages, Korean War World economic We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. Conservatives 290, 1950-51 Labour were in office Paul Addison, however, argues that the campaign was important because Attlee's reputation rose during the 1945 electoral campaign. Divisions over appeasement, foreign policy and rearmament deeply weakened Labour. administration would lead to In the summer of 1950, the Korean War broke out. rather than 0% History-UK-BK1-Labour-1951 election. In the years prior to 1959, many had expected Labour to win the next election. 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. how the radical Labour However Pearce concludes that. 20thcentury British politics had been dominated by the conservatives, and Labour had never formed a workable majority before 1945. This time Churchill was victorious. 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. In February 1957, Labour won the seat of North Lewisham in what was their first by-election gain from the Tories in almost twenty years. Reply 1 7 years ago A TSR George OP Politicians are often rejected by voters because they have failed in office. 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. league at peak had 100,000 In 2011, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began a billion-dollar project to replace the vertical ropes connecting the cables to the deck, but the deck itself remained in place.. St. John's Bridge (Oregon)opened in 1931.A redecking project was completed in 2005. Labour gave independence to India, Pakistan, Ceylon and Burma, and pulled out of Palestine. The 1964 election was not a landslide victory like that of 1945. um is there something wrong in these notes? Whilst in 1951 the Labour government was punished for its unrealistic promises made in 1945. which led to more sophisticated Also in both cases the campaigns were of negligible importance. British housewives 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. seats 1950, By changing the timing of the election to be in 1951 rather than 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. The war had played a crucial role in Labours 1945 victory, by bringing them into the public eye - they were left effectively to their own devices to rule the homefront as Churchill struggled on with the war effort. National income had fallen by a quarter during the War, meaning that many export markets needed to be recovered lest Britain face financial ruin. The 1946 National Insurance Act was also a key domestic reform of the Attlee government. ideology and how While ill health may have played its part in weakening the Labour party, the lack of enthusiasm put into manifesto commintments was by far more significant. Sterling crisis 1966, devaluation 1967, tax rises, public spending cuts and rejection of the EEC application 1963. social reform and nationalisation. These problems, however, would have been inherent to any government of Britain at the time, but the fact was, Labour were held accountable. 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. The Conservative victory in 1951 is typically attributed either to the failures of Attlee's government - devaluation, the Bevanite revolt - or to the achievements of Churchill's opposition, including Lord Woolton's reforms and the acceptance of the "post-war consensus". time of economic downfall- seen to be short lived as by 1952 the CONSERVATISM, The industrial charter of 1947 & This Is Resource summary. 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. 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. The result of the election caused much surprise. Dunkirk triggered many people to blame the conservatives and their previous leaders for appeasement. To achieve these aims he argued that there needed to be better cooperation between the state and the individual. Britain's involvement in the Korean War had not been a popular decision. Conservative pre-war blunders played a key role in Labour's victory due to the electorate remembering these mistakes. 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. It called for a reelection the next year. The Conservatives' campaign focused on Churchill and international relationships rather than any major new reforms that the electorate so desperately wanted. In 1951, Labour was pilling on votes in seats they had already won, while the Conservatives won narrow victories. The 1946 National Health Service Act provided free access to a range of hospital and general practitioner services across the country. 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. 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. She believed that Social changes should come Their living standards had not radically altered since 1945, and the significance of many of these voters is that they voted in marginal constituencies. Prior to the war of April-June 1982, the Conservative Party was slumped at a consistent 27 per cent throughout late 1981, with a slight recovery in early 1982. so much about economics, Hardly surprisingly. As the night drew . The Labour Party was born at the turn of the 20th . 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. By continuing well assume youre on board with our, Why did Labour lose the 1951 General Election, Let us write you a custom essay sample on, By clicking "SEND" below, you agree to our, Conflict management definitions and views. 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. Extremely cold weather met with insufficient stockpiles of coal, and much industry ground to a halt as a result. 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. 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. 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 Bevanites, being more left-wing, wanted to focus Britains resources on further nationalisation of industry. Americas way of 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. But one of the reasons why Churchill lost the general election in 1945 was because he had succeeded in. 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. Atlee used this as an opportunity to emphasise that although Churchill was a great wartime leader he was not such a good domestic politician. 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. Hugh Dalton's administration of the The need for a better post war Britain was felt amongst all classes and Labour's support of the Beveridge Report brought widespread support. Under the first past the post electoral system, many Labour votes were "wasted" as part of large majorities for MPs in safe seats. however we spent the time on social reform. 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. How Did The Petrov Affair Affect Australia. Atlee became the deputy Prime Minister during the war. Labours changes, The Spectator wrote: The conservatives of 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. Labour to the Conservatives - was enough to tip Labour out of office in the general election held in October 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. In the election, Labour suffered considerable losses, but was able to retain a slim majority. The new Chancellor Sir Stafford Cripps expected of the country an austere realism which entailed the retention of rationing. there had been limited industrial reform and It was the first election in which Labour gained a majority of seats and the first in which it won a plurality of votes. Baroness Boothroyd was born on October 8 1929 in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. After gaining such a large majority in 1945, most Labour politicians felt relatively assured that they had at least 10 years in office secured. - NEW The Labour Party was created in 1900: a new party for a new century. Outlined in the report were: all working age people would pay a National Insurance tax, and Benefits would be paid to the sick, unemployed, retired or widowed. Churchill narrowly lost the 1950 contest (Labour's majority was reduced to six), but again he managed to sidestep retirement. Gaitskell 1950, Bevan failed to accept compromised proposed by By 1951, however, their roles had reversed. We provide reliable homework help online and custom college essay service. 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.