Cole suggested that its success was the inevitable consequence of the emergence of class politics. Granted, in 45 Labour obviously won a landslide of the seats, but a majority of 8% is far from a landslide of the votes. The newly recruited young members dramatically contrasted with the aging Labour cabinet and presented the Conservatives as a rising party fit to govern. Before the war, Labour were all too often seen as inexperienced and even unpatriotic due to their left wing ideologies. The Blitz also, more obviously, caused a huge rise in support for Labour's housing development plans. 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. 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. 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. Buter was key to this; promising that the Conservatives would not reverse the reforms introduced by Labour. 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. The pre-war period was significant because, during the war, it was reinterpreted. Why Did Labour Lose Power in 1951 | PDF | Labour Party (Uk) | National Health Service Why did Labour lose power in 1951 - Free download as Word Doc (.doc / .docx), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. While this gave them a temporary boost in the polls, it did nothing but hinder them in the long term. Conservative (48.0%) To achieve these aims he argued that there needed to be better cooperation between the state and the individual. To gain an understanding of the election one must study the context surrounding the 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. The Road Manifesto 1950 accepted 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. Their living standards had not radically altered since 1945, and the significance of many of these voters is that they voted in marginal constituencies. The Iron and coal industries were not profitable system, Alongside the abolishment of Extremely cold weather met with insufficient stockpiles of coal, and much industry ground to a halt as a result. years, Once lend lease had ended in 1945 (end of 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. Assess the Validity of This View. to change in later Labour 295 (48.8%) 5 Labour and Conservative Governments, 1964-79 Why did the Conservatives lose the election of 1964? 1950 Surplus 297 million fell to This was an admittedly small majority, but reflected a changing public mood. The outcome was widely credited to the deft materialism of Harold Macmillan, and the slogan `You've never had it so good', which the Conservatives, in fact, did not use. Why did the Conservatives win/ Labour lose the 1951 UK general election? hoped for, Marshall Aid 1948 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. 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. In 1951, Labour was pilling on votes in seats they had already won, while the Conservatives won narrow victories. So, at the 1950 election there was a 2.9% swing against Labour. 'consolidation', Division also came as Bevan was resentful in WW2) needed loans to sustain economy, Keynes 1945 secures The economy's recovery was further hindered by the short-sighted need to remain a world power. The Attlee governments of 1945 to 1951 can be divided into four key sections. It called for a reelection the next year. 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. Labour weaknesses. The Labour Party was created in 1900: a new party for a new century. In 1951 Labour attained 48.8% of the vote, and the Conservatives only got 48% of the vote. 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'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. Unpopular policies like high taxes. 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. '51 was an attempt that backfired to increase the labour majority - but in reality they only lost 22 seats in that election. seats 1950, By changing the timing of the election to be in 1951 rather than The need for a better post war Britain was felt amongst all classes and Labour's support of the Beveridge Report brought widespread support. Following Cripps resignation on grounds of ill health, Hugh Gaitskell took over as Chancellor during Attlees second government. ideology and how spectacles and dentures. 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. 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. After being elected in 1945, the Labour Government introduced changes to welfare, employment and housing that would last a generation. For me, the Attlee government(s) of 1945 - 51, achieved a huge amount, much of which we can still see and experience today, and which we sh. 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. 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. This was the fourth of five elections in the twentieth century where a party lost the popular vote, but won the most seats. year ect. Conservatives promised to reduce taxes but keep the NHS. Activision's Spycraft: The Great Game is the product of a very specific era of computer gaming, when "multimedia" and "interactive movies" were among the buzzwords of the zeitgeist. 25 October 1951 The ageing Conservative leader Winston Churchill won the 1951 election with a comfortable majority. 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. called for Most obviously, because the campaigns importance is overshadowed by the larger, more influential issues. there had been limited industrial reform and <p>The NHS had been established by the post-war Labour government in 1948. Indeed, after signing the Munich Agreement, Chamberlain was heralded as a hero: 'saving' the country from another bloody war. response of Tory MP to 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. In October 2004 Blair announced that he would seek a third term as prime minister but would not stand for a fourth term. years of the Under Labour, rationing continued, with further dried egg and bread rationing introduced 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. 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. There was nothing like the self-destructive trade union protests and strikes of the 1979 'Winter of . that there was a missed opportuinty for 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. 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. disadvantaged by 1st Past post Since 2015, the problem of electoral 'bias' means Westminster's voting system has advantaged the Conservatives. 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. 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. 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 Conservatives, on the other hand, met the report with lukewarm support, disliking Nationalisation and the Welfare State. It is at this point that the switch from socialist idealism to pragmatic consolidation might be identified as a cause of voter disaffection. They also caused higher taxes, and the unstable economy caused many voters to demonise labour in 1951. 1951. How Labour Governments Fall: From Ramsey MacDonald to Gordon Brown, Aspects of British Political History 1914- 1995, The Lessons of 19451951 Tories in Opposition. Sarah from CollectifbdpHi there, would you like to get such a paper? my could least handle it, and Labour was blamed by a weary public in 1951. By 1947, more than one fifth of British industry had been drawn into public ownership. How this translates to an election is that only the votes for the winning candidate in each constituency are counted towards seats in parliament. and were in decline - government supporting The 1946 National Insurance Act was also a key domestic reform of the Attlee government. The 1945-1946 period of Labour government sought to address some key difficulties facing the nation following World War II. In the 1992 election 11.5 million people voted Labour. in the hope of taking advantage of Churchill's huge popularity. 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. Why did Labour lose the 1951 General Election? Hi there, would you like to get such a paper? Labour gave independence to India, Pakistan, Ceylon and Burma, and pulled out of Palestine. 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 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. 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. UNHAPPY PARLIAMENT, Labour majority 'I think we've got 20 years of power ahead of us,' mused the newly-elected Labour MP for Smethwick. However, in 1951 they could only manage 109 candidates, gaining just over 700,000 votes (2.6% of entire vote). The 1945-1946 period of Labour government sought to address some key difficulties facing the nation following World War II. Aged - many were in 60s By 1951, however, their roles had reversed. 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. 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. The 1983 general election marked a low point for the Labour Party. Senior Labour MP Margaret Hodge described Baroness Boothroyd as "inspirational" and "a trailblazer for women". 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. between people of different Attlee's reputation rose during the 1945 electoral campaign. and failed to outline their million if some charged could be made on On average in these 'red wall' constituencies, Labour lost about 2% to the Tories and about 7% to the Brexit Party. Similarly, Labour simply made too many promises that were out of their reach, however they did fulfil most of their promises. The question as to why Labour won the 1945 election has been the source of much in depth study since the period. Labour paper the Tribune, Paul Adleman points out In the election, Labour suffered considerable losses, but was able to retain a slim majority. Why did the Conservatives win elections from 1951-64 1945-1951 The 1951 General Election Firstly, the Parliamentary party was split in its loyalties to the party leadership, and cohesion within the legislature was less assured. It was the first election in which Labour gained a majority of seats and the first in which it won a plurality of votes. league at peak had 100,000 The 1964 election was not a landslide victory like that of 1945. 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. 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 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. Developments during the war made a considerable contribution towards the shift to the left, with more support for collectivism and rationing. Paul Addison argues that 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. People had lost trust in the conservatives and blamed them for Britains military short-comings, and this was important for Labours rise in support. Following Cripps resignation on grounds of ill health, Hugh Gaitskell took over as Chancellor during Attlees second government. downfall 1950, Balance of Payments record: His reaction in a crisis is to threaten force. The first-past-the-post system played a key role in both winning Labour the vote in 1945 and losing it in 1951. 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. Although interesting they had little to do with shifting the electorate's opinions, indeed in 1945 both parties' campaigns were largely improvised. 9% swing against Labour. He lost again, but was given one more opportunity in 1951 . 'Iron Curtain' and the The election was held on Thursday 23 February 1950, and was the first held following the abolition of plural voting and university constituencies. Its formation was the result of many years of struggle by working class people, trade unionists and socialists, united by the goal of working class voices represented in British Parliament. 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. 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. This showed they were flexible and committed to improvement; they were a party of continuity and efficiency. While it cannot be disputed that Labour kept their campaign simple, it would be ill-advised to declare that it helped enormously. Britain to become a world exporting power, e Bevanites and the Gaitsgillites. The 'Falklands factor' could not be clearer from opinion polls. 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. Voters associated labour with Austerity. achievements - 200,000 homes built a The caretaker government, led by Churchill, was heavily defeated. Pearce's reinterpretation argument makes the most sense because policies like appeasement were relatively popular at the time. The first years, between 1945 and 1946, saw fervour for rapid reform in many areas of government. um is there something wrong in these notes? This split caused to distinct groups to form within Labour; the Bevanites and the Gaitsgillites. 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. Paul Addison, however, argues that the campaign was important because Attlee's reputation rose during the 1945 electoral campaign. Also during the 1930s Britain suffered the great depression, which weakened the Conservatives reputation considerably due to their domination of the National Government. The Labour Party, led by Attlee won a landslide victory and gained a majority of 145 seats. 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. however we spent the time on social reform. 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. spring of 52' due to the Kings tour of Australia it hit the party at a 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. History-UK-BK1-Labour-1951 election. This massive reform of the 1945-1946 period was dealt a blow in February 1947, when the government faced a fuel crisis. Attlee's downfall: why did Labour lose the 1951 General Election? The dynamic nature of our site means that Javascript must be enabled to function properly. why did labour lose the 1951 election. 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. There are three main sub-categories for this answer; the Conservatives strengths, Labours weaknesses/ limitations, and uncontrollable factors. authority, 1950-1951 labelled as an 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 . Conservatives 290, 1950-51 Labour were in office In 1945 the Conservatives had suffered from being divided and disorganised, while Labour had been strong and united. 419 million in 1951, Increase in defence expenditure by 4.7 billion, Issues rose in Technicalities. Most obviously, because the campaigns importance is overshadowed by the larger, more influential issues. administration would lead to Gaitskell 1950, Bevan failed to accept compromised proposed by so much about economics, The Attlee Labour government of 1945-51 ended more with a whimper than with a bang. However by 1945 Labour was a strong, organised and well respected party, whilst the Conservatives were weakened by the war and internal splits. How about receiving a customized one? Churchill however made a gross error in saying that Labour would need a Gestapo like organisation to enforce socialism upon Britain. I feel as though Ive spent days aimlessly searching the internet for a clear answer to this question. Bill Shorten's political career ended last night but Morrison's is just beginning. Extremely cold weather met with insufficient stockpiles of coal, and much industry ground to a halt as a result. Although it did help to achieve this end, Churchills party was able to lament publicly the humiliation the government had brought upon the British currency, and at the same time place blame on the government for the continuing food scarcities and long queues. 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. The party's manifesto was named. 4.86: $1 to 2.80:$1, Rationing increasingly unpopular with middle classes, Eg. - NEW Labour's election record in the 1930s was poor, as they were disorganised and divided. commons meant that there was an was welcomed by the electorate. Hugh Dalton's administration of the 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. 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. Bevin's speech 1948 where he referred to Labour Fundamentalists including Bevan wanted further reforms, specifically more nationalisation meanwhile Morrison called for party unity. By 1951, there were already heavy pressures on health spending. For all of my fellow A2 AQA historians out there, I hope this helps! Between 1948 and the election year 1950, Labour was committed to a period of tighter spending and more austere demands placed upon citizens. Developments during the war made a considerable contribution towards the shift to the left, with more support for collectivism and rationing. 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. 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. National income had fallen by a quarter during the War, meaning that many export markets needed to be recovered lest Britain face financial ruin. 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. With an inadequate sense of self-renewal, the Attlee era party had little further to put before voters after 1947. How many seats did the Conservatives win in 1951, What policies were Labour associated with, What was one area the Labour party were divided on, How did Lord Woolton help the Tories reform, How many houses did the Tories promise to build each year, What did they promise to show rationing had ended, What was the name of the 1948 law which changed constituency boundaries, What party saw their vote fall from 2.6 million to 730,556, Christina Dejong, Christopher E. Smith, George F Cole, Government in America: Elections and Updates Edition, George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, Robert L. Lineberry. On a high turnout Labour's tally of votes had actually increased in absolute terms (to 13.9 million, compared to 13.2 million in the 1950 cent) than the Conservatives, though the Conservatives came out ahead in seats, Labour Public transport -1948 Labour had made so many promises before the 1945 election that peoples hopes were set too high, many felt that Labour failed to deliver. Representation Of The Peoples 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. which Gaiskell set out The Bevanites, being more left-wing, wanted to focus Britains resources on further nationalisation of industry. Once more, it was the objection of the middle class voters to austere conditions which brought about the Parliamentary swing. Morisson, the Deputy Prime Minister, believed that The very honesty and simplicity of the campaign helped enormously. A TSR George 17 I got all the reasons.but looking at the figures conservative had 13.7mil votes and labour got 13.9mil. 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. 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. 2% interest It is at this point that the switch from socialist idealism to pragmatic consolidation might be identified as a cause of voter disaffection. After gaining such a large majority in 1945, most Labour politicians felt relatively assured that they had at least 10 years in office secured. Concerns about the permissive society e.g. Why did labor lose the 1951 election? 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. Bankruptcy in 1808 did not prevent him from enjoying later success, with the backing of senior officials and . Statisticians calculated that should it be repeated, Labour would secure a majority of 85 seats at the next election. 'Labour Lost the 1979 Uk General Election Due to the Strength of the Conservative Opposition'.