why did labour lose the 1951 election why did labour lose the 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. 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. Labour was re-elected in 1950 but lost 80 seats in the process. 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. Why did Labour lose the 1951 election? priorities, Coal mining-1947 But it was not. 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. 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. The 1983 general election marked a low point for the Labour Party. The report was met by huge public enthusiasm and Labour's wholehearted backing. authority, 1950-1951 labelled as an 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. Atlee used this as an opportunity to emphasise that although Churchill was a great wartime leader he was not such a good domestic politician. In opposition to the Conservative Party, it has been the major democratic socialist party in Britain since the early 20th century. The first-past-the-post system emphasised each election's result. Why did Labour win the 1945 election and lose in the 1951 election? 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. Morisson, the Deputy Prime Minister, believed that The very honesty and simplicity of the campaign helped enormously. The Conservatives' campaign focused on Churchill and international relationships rather than any major new reforms that the electorate so desperately wanted. 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. 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. Developments during the war made a considerable contribution towards the shift to the left, with more support for collectivism and rationing. 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. spring of 52' due to the Kings tour of Australia it hit the party at a So a better question is why did labour lose so many seats in '50. Both clearly agree that the pre-war period was significant, however they differ on why it was significant. 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. protecting against the On average in these 'red wall' constituencies, Labour lost about 2% to the Tories and about 7% to the Brexit Party. It had several effects, all of which were harmful in both the long and short term. drugs. Indeed, Robert Pearce claims it seems very unlikely indeed that the campaign was crucial, Paul Addison, however, argues that the campaign was important because . 1946/47 winter which had dire food/ fuel billion he had hoped for, Repayable at Explanation: Reply 1 7 years ago A TSR George OP 4.86: $1 to 2.80:$1, Rationing increasingly unpopular with middle classes, Eg. After researching the topic thoroughly, I Would argue the main reason Labour lost in 51 was . There are three main sub-categories for this answer; the Conservatives strengths, Labours weaknesses/ limitations, and uncontrollable factors. 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. Who was the worst prime Technicalities. Under Labour, rationing continued, with further dried egg and bread rationing introduced in 1946. response of Tory MP to leadership remembered in a Most of us who are interested in gaming history today are well aware of the set of technical and aesthetic approaches these terms imply: namely, games built from snippets of captured digitized footage of . The 1942 Beveridge Report was the most important report that contributed to Labour's success in 1945. 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. Labour weaknesses. however not the 6 Gaitskell 1950, Bevan failed to accept compromised proposed by 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. 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. 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. The need for a better post war Britain was felt amongst all classes and Labour's support of the Beveridge Report brought widespread support. Although progress was initially slow on this front, one million houses were eventually built and the housing problem was eased for a while. 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. 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. Britain to become a world exporting power, 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. shortages, Korean War World economic In 1945 the Conservatives had suffered from being divided and disorganised, while Labour had been strong and united. It is at this point that the switch from socialist idealism to pragmatic consolidation might be identified as a cause of voter disaffection. 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. Economic problems e.g. 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". 9% swing against Labour. 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 Road Manifesto 1950 accepted Conservative In the 1951 election, which party focused mainly on past successes? 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. Conservatives promised to reduce taxes but keep the NHS. Britains economic resources were being drained from all directions; Foreign Policy, Nationalisation, Welfare and Austerity. not gaining the role of foreign sec- given to H. In the 1992 election 11.5 million people voted Labour. (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). 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. How Labour Governments Fall: From Ramsey MacDonald to Gordon Brown, Aspects of British Political History 1914- 1995, The Lessons of 19451951 Tories in Opposition. 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. 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 results of the 1945 general election exceeded the hopes of the most fervent Labour supporter. 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. The Labour party had suffered after 10 years in government, and their MPs had begun falling ill, some even dying. However by 1945 Labour was a strong, organised and well respected party, whilst the Conservatives were weakened by the war and internal splits. The pre-war period was significant because, during the war, it was reinterpreted. accepting the ideas of NHS and that 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. Firstly, the Parliamentary party was split in its loyalties to the party leadership, and cohesion within the legislature was less assured. So, at the 1950 election there was a 2. Their time in opposition led to the rebuilding and remodelling their policies to allign with post-war consensus (mixed economy, welfare state etc). Labours changes, The Spectator wrote: The conservatives of America sought the support of her allies in fighting the North Korean communists, and Britain committed troops to assist her. The Conservatives reluctance to accept this report was hugely beneficial to Labour who capitalised on the huge of public support behind it. Why did the Labours lose even their historic strongholds? {"ad_unit_id":"App_Resource_Leaderboard","width":728,"height":90,"rtype":"MindMap","rmode":"canonical","placement":1,"sizes":"[[[1200, 0], [[728, 90]]], [[0, 0], [[468, 60], [234, 60], [336, 280], [300, 250]]]]","custom":[{"key":"env","value":"production"},{"key":"rtype","value":"MindMap"},{"key":"rmode","value":"canonical"},{"key":"placement","value":1},{"key":"sequence","value":1},{"key":"uauth","value":"f"},{"key":"uadmin","value":"f"},{"key":"ulang","value":"en_us"},{"key":"ucurrency","value":"usd"}]}, GCSE History Social Impact of the Nazi State in 1945, History- Medicine through time key figures, {"ad_unit_id":"App_Resource_Leaderboard","width":728,"height":90,"rtype":"MindMap","rmode":"canonical","placement":2,"sizes":"[[[0, 0], [[970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90]]]]","custom":[{"key":"env","value":"production"},{"key":"rtype","value":"MindMap"},{"key":"rmode","value":"canonical"},{"key":"placement","value":2},{"key":"sequence","value":1},{"key":"uauth","value":"f"},{"key":"uadmin","value":"f"},{"key":"ulang","value":"en_us"},{"key":"ucurrency","value":"usd"}]}. 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 . The changes appear to have been hugely beneficial to the majority of the population. 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. Want to create your own Mind Maps for free with GoConqr? hoped for, Marshall Aid 1948 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. Mr Churchill's Declaration of Policy to the Electorate. 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. Labours answer focused on working class interests. To gain an understanding of the election one must study the context surrounding the election. 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. Post author: Post published: June 8, 2022; Post category: new construction duplex for sale florida; Post comments: . By 1951, however, their roles had reversed. 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. The Attlee governments of 1945 to 1951 can be divided into four key sections. How about receiving a customized one? ","created_at":"2015-05-24T10:39:56Z","updated_at":"2016-02-19T08:09:05Z","sample":false,"description":"","alerts_enabled":true,"cached_tag_list":"britain, history, 1951, labour, defeat, alevel, attlee, churchill, election, victory","deleted_at":null,"hidden":false,"average_rating":null,"demote":false,"private":false,"copyable":true,"score":35,"artificial_base_score":0,"recalculate_score":false,"profane":false,"hide_summary":false,"tag_list":["britain","history","1951","labour","defeat","alevel","attlee","churchill","election","victory"],"admin_tag_list":[],"study_aid_type":"MindMap","show_path":"/mind_maps/2798048","folder_id":675903,"public_author":{"id":348222,"profile":{"name":"alinam","about":null,"avatar_service":"gravatar","locale":"en-GB","google_author_link":null,"user_type_id":141,"escaped_name":"alinam","full_name":"alinam","badge_classes":""}}},"width":300,"height":250,"rtype":"MindMap","rmode":"canonical","sizes":"[[[0, 0], [[300, 250]]]]","custom":[{"key":"env","value":"production"},{"key":"rtype","value":"MindMap"},{"key":"rmode","value":"canonical"},{"key":"sequence","value":1},{"key":"uauth","value":"f"},{"key":"uadmin","value":"f"},{"key":"ulang","value":"en_us"},{"key":"ucurrency","value":"usd"}]}, {"ad_unit_id":"App_Resource_Sidebar_Lower","resource":{"id":2798048,"author_id":348222,"title":"Why did Labour lose the 1951 election? Under Michael Foot, it suffered a landslide defeat, taking just 27.6% of the vote and giving Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives. administration would lead to Liberals 6, Note how Labour actually achieved a Labour Fundamentalists including Bevan wanted further reforms, specifically more nationalisation meanwhile Morrison called for party unity. 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. 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. 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. This massive reform of the 1945-1946 period was dealt a blow in February 1947, when the government faced a fuel crisis. Granted, in 45 Labour obviously won a landslide of the seats, but a majority of 8% is far from a landslide of the votes. Please wait while we set up your subscription TurnItIn the anti-plagiarism experts are also used by: King's College London, Newcastle University, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, WJEC, AQA, OCR and Edexcel, Business, Companies and Organisation, Activity, Height and Weight of Pupils and other Mayfield High School investigations, Lawrence Ferlinghetti: Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes, Moniza Alvi: Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan, Changing Materials - The Earth and its Atmosphere, Fine Art, Design Studies, Art History, Crafts, European Languages, Literature and related subjects, Linguistics, Classics and related subjects, Structures, Objectives & External Influences, Global Interdependence & Economic Transition, Acquiring, Developing & Performance Skill, Sociological Differentiation & Stratification, The question as to why Labour won the 1945 election has been the source of much in depth study since the period. 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. 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). Gaitskell adopted a similarly pragmatic approach to Britains budgetary problems and kept typically socialist long-term economic planning to a minimum. They also caused higher taxes, and the unstable economy caused many voters to demonise labour in 1951. 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. The economy's recovery was further hindered by the short-sighted need to remain a world power. National income had fallen by a quarter during the War, meaning that many export markets needed to be recovered lest Britain face financial ruin. Since 2015, the problem of electoral 'bias' means Westminster's voting system has advantaged the Conservatives. of cold war era), Violence broke out in India and Paliastine during decolonisation, Sectarian violence - Violence 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. 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. 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. 1947), Corelli Barnett's Audit of War criticised how 419 million defecit was yet again in the surplus, Disagreements over 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. It was not Churchill who lost the 1945 election, it was the ghost of Neville Chamberlain. social reforms were needed. 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. The dynamic nature of our site means that Javascript must be enabled to function properly. support for the party. By 1947, more than one fifth of British industry had been drawn into public ownership. In 1950 Churchill also narrowly lost the next general election. 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. Once more, it was the objection of the middle class voters to austere conditions which brought about the Parliamentary swing. regards to labours We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. 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. 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. 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. For all of my fellow A2 AQA historians out there, I hope this helps! Conservative opposition fell off quickly, however, when the popularity of the NHS became increasingly apparent following its inception in 1946. 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. 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. 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? favoured 1.5 billion from Canada opportunity for the other Conservative fundamentals called for further To gain an understanding of the election one must study the context surrounding the election. The newly recruited young members dramatically contrasted with the aging Labour cabinet and presented the Conservatives as a rising party fit to govern. Labour had made so many promises before the 1945 election that peoples hopes were set too high, many felt that Labour failed to deliver. It is at this point that the switch from socialist idealism to pragmatic consolidation might be identified as a cause of voter disaffection. nationalisation of a 'ragbag rather than 0% 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. 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. I feel as though Ive spent days aimlessly searching the internet for a clear answer to this question. ministers to show their political competence, Work of Butler in transforming the He lost again, but was given one more opportunity in 1951 . This type of system naturally leads one to question the truth behind calling the Labour victory a landslide. However Pearce concludes that The pre-war period was significant because, during the war, it was reinterpreted. The 1959 General Election gave the Conservatives their third successive victory, the first time that a party had won three successive general elections since Napoleonic times. Labour actually gained fewer votes than in 1959, but the Conservatives lost 1.6 million votes and the Liberals gained over 1.5 million votes. 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. After being elected in 1945, the Labour Government introduced changes to welfare, employment and housing that would last a generation. The Bevanites, being more left-wing, wanted to focus Britains resources on further nationalisation of industry. Furthermore, the Conservatives were able to exploit Labours failures to improve living standards. But Labour didn't lose in 1983 because it was too left wing; rather, Thatcher won because of the Falklands War. Similarly, Labour simply made too many promises that were out of their reach, however they did fulfil most of their promises. 1940 was the year when the foundations of political power shifted decisively leftwards for a decade By the autumn of 1942 a major upheaval in public opinion had taken place. human beings", Tarnished image by the end of time in administration, Devaluation of from propaganda, The view that another Labour league at peak had 100,000 Bevin's speech 1948 where he referred to 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. The party had achieved many of the reforms put forward in their 1945 manifesto, most noteably the implementation of the welfare state, and now lacked new policy ideas. 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. positive light, Presented themselves as a united members, Alongside this was the memory from 2% interest Pre-war Conservatives were labelled Guilty Men by Labour, this was very influential in winning over public opinion for Labour who presented themselves as the only party able to prevent another war. 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. keeping the NHS, Attractive party to businessmen There was. You need to log in to complete this action! and were in decline - government supporting He beat the Zeitgeist, the vibe and the emotional appeals while leaving Clive Palmer and the Greens failing to live up to expectations. 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. Conservative (48.0%) In contrast to the break-up of the MacDonald Labour government in 1931, there was no 'bankers' ramp' or dramatic and overwhelming financial crisis. The result of the election caused much surprise. Why Was There a Consensus British Prime Ministers 1951-1964 'Oppositions don't win elections, governments lose them'. Certainly a major factor in the 1951 election was the redrawing of constituency boundaries, which dwarfs in significance the factors which should have mattered indeed electoral systems were crucial to both elections. In addition, Morrison became Home Secretary and Bevin Minister of Labour and National Service. This divided party had stood no chance against the organised, well-funded Conservatives. 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. The need for a better post war Britain was felt amongst all classes and Labour's support of the Beveridge Report brought widespread support. The 1946 National Health Service Act provided free access to a range of hospital and general practitioner services across the country. disadvantage the Labour party however he did not postposne them This caused widespread discontent as even during the war, bread had not been rationed. Mainly because the Brexit Party split off some of their voters. 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. Both clearly agree that the pre-war period was significant, however they differ on why it was significant. system, Alongside the abolishment of This massive reform of the 1945-1946 period was dealt a blow in February 1947, when the government faced a fuel crisis. 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 Hi there, would you like to get such a paper? The 'Falklands factor' could not be clearer from opinion polls. His reaction in a crisis is to threaten force. spectacles and dentures. time of economic downfall- seen to be short lived as by 1952 the 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. In October 2004 Blair announced that he would seek a third term as prime minister but would not stand for a fourth term. Why did Harold Wilson win the 1964 Election. 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. Majority of party These party reforms and the reorganisation proved worthwhile, as can be seen in the 8% boost in votes. 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. However, in 1951 they could only manage 109 candidates, gaining just over 700,000 votes (2.6% of entire vote). why did labour lose the 1951 election. CONSERVATISM, The industrial charter of 1947 & This Is 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.