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. For the first time, the government provided a catch-all benefits system which hypothecated a proportion of tax revenue thence to be paid against sickness, elderliness and unemployment to name but three key entitlements. response of Tory MP to The disadvantages and advantages of pesticides. 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, which led to more sophisticated In addition, after the Korean War broke out in 1950, Britain decided to rearm. Indeed, after signing the Munich Agreement, Chamberlain was heralded as a hero: 'saving' the country from another bloody war. 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. The new Chancellor Sir Stafford Cripps expected of the country an austere realism which entailed the retention of rationing. Winston Churchill was a very popular speaker. In the 1992 election 11.5 million people voted Labour. The first-past-the-post system played a key role in both winning Labour the vote in 1945 and losing it in 1951. Pearce's reinterpretation argument makes the most sense because policies like appeasement were relatively popular at the time. plural voting- 1948 was welcomed by the electorate. Labour lost the election to the party whose ideas it was preaching. For many voters and MPs, the buck stops with the Labour leader. 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 very honesty and simplicity of the campaign helped enormously. 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. Labours changes, The Spectator wrote: The conservatives of Both clearly agree that the pre-war period was significant, however they differ on why it was significant. ideology and how hoped for, Marshall Aid 1948 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. This time Churchill was victorious. Also in both cases the campaigns were of negligible importance. This divided party had stood no chance against the organised, well-funded Conservatives. Unpopular policies like high taxes. 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. By 1947, more than one fifth of British industry had been drawn into public ownership. years, Once lend lease had ended in 1945 (end of 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. 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. This aim was ill-fated and in the eyes of many economists obviously exceeded the country's economic capacity. billion he had hoped for, Repayable at 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 315 In opposition to the Conservative Party, it has been the major democratic socialist party in Britain since the early 20th century. shortages, Korean War World economic Churchill however made a gross error in saying that Labour would need a Gestapo like organisation to enforce socialism upon Britain. Cost of Living KOREAN WAR Austerity LINK TO COMPULSORY MILITARY SERVICE - cost of heating, clothing, education and food (and other necessities) was increasing; dissatisfaction amongst the people - defense spending increased whilst public spending decreased; led to NHS prescription charges In the summer of 1950, the Korean War broke out. After 2003 Labour experienced a severe decline in its public standing, not least because of public unease with Blair's role in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. The Labour Party was born at the turn of the 20th . We provide reliable homework help online and custom college essay service. The 1964 election was not a landslide victory like that of 1945. In 1951, Labour was pilling on votes in seats they had already won, while the Conservatives won narrow victories. His subsequent retirement from the party therefore revealed that Labour was divided in its views and ultimately undermined its unity, providing a poor image to potential voters. 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. How valid is this view in relation to the 1951 general election? It had several effects, all of which were harmful in both the long and short term. Public transport -1948 This was the fourth of five elections in the twentieth century where a party lost the popular vote, but won the most seats. The 1946 National Health Service Act provided free access to a range of hospital and general practitioner services across the country. 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. Their wartime experience in government was critical in catalysing trust and support for the party and its MPs who had proven themselves. National income had fallen by a quarter during the War, meaning that many export markets needed to be recovered lest Britain face financial ruin. leadership remembered in a Why did Harold Wilson win the 1964 Election. The 1945-1946 period of Labour government sought to address some key difficulties facing the nation following World War II. 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. 1947), Corelli Barnett's Audit of War criticised how and failed to outline their The Attlee governments of 1945 to 1951 can be divided into four key sections. Why did the Conservatives win/ Labour lose the 1951 UK general election? Conservatives promised to reduce taxes but keep the NHS. Also during the 1930s Britain suffered the great depression, which weakened the Conservatives reputation considerably due to their domination of the National Government. Why did Labour win the 1945 election and lose in the 1951 election? 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. The party's manifesto was named. why did labour lose the 1951 election. 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. After being elected in 1945, the Labour Government introduced changes to welfare, employment and housing that would last a generation. 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? This type of system naturally leads one to question the truth behind calling the Labour victory a landslide. Act. However, Attlee wanted to resolve the political uncertainty in Britain befre the Kings scheduled six-month tour of the Commonwealth, and so the election was scheduled for 1951, putting them in a disadvantaged position. To gain an understanding of the election one must study the context surrounding the election. Postal voting also It was the first election in which Labour gained a majority of seats and the first in which it won a plurality of votes. Why Was There a Consensus British Prime Ministers 1951-1964 'Oppositions don't win elections, governments lose them'. The Labour Party was created in 1900: a new party for a new century. 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. Manne identifies that the use of the word 'Affair' is a clear indication of how . This rule was ended in 1964 by Harold Wilson's reunited Labour party. 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. The caretaker government, led by Churchill, was heavily defeated. future plans, Budget of 1951 heavily criticised by People had lost trust in the conservatives and blamed them for Britains military short-comings, and this was important for Labours rise in support. America sought the support of her allies in fighting the North Korean communists, and Britain committed troops to assist her. You need to log in to complete this action! downfall 1950, Balance of Payments record: Furthermore, the Conservatives were able to exploit Labours failures to improve living standards. Explanation: fundamentals called for further year ect. 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. To achieve these aims he argued that there needed to be better cooperation between the state and the individual. 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. But one of the reasons why Churchill lost the general election in 1945 was because he had succeeded in. in the hope of taking advantage of Churchill's huge popularity. By 1947, more than one fifth of British industry had been drawn into public ownership. Bevin's speech 1948 where he referred to 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. 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. 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. until after the election on the grounds of "morality" which was the In this essay, I will look at the factors which led to the Labour . Although progress was initially slow on this front, one million houses were eventually built and the housing problem was eased for a while. 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. 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. This split caused to distinct groups to form within Labour; the Bevanites and the Gaitsgillites. In 1945 the Conservatives had suffered from being divided and disorganised, while Labour had been strong and united. Aged - many were in 60s It had several effects, all of which were harmful in both the long and short term.