why did labour lose the 1951 election

and been in government With an inadequate sense of self-renewal, the Attlee era party had little further to put before voters after 1947. Atlee used this as an opportunity to emphasise that although Churchill was a great wartime leader he was not such a good domestic politician. By 1951, there were already heavy pressures on health spending. 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. '51 was an attempt that backfired to increase the labour majority - but in reality they only lost 22 seats in that 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. social reforms were needed. The need for a better post war Britain was felt amongst all classes and Labour's support of the Beveridge Report brought widespread support. 1.5 billion from Canada 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. gas-1949. The 1964 election was not a landslide victory like that of 1945. 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. year ect. Want to create your own Mind Maps for free with GoConqr? As Prime Minister, he enlarged and improved social services and the public sector in post-war Britain, creating the National Health Service and nationalising major industries and public utilities. positive light, Presented themselves as a united administration would lead to This was the fourth of five elections in the twentieth century where a party lost the popular vote, but won the most seats. 4.86: $1 to 2.80:$1, Rationing increasingly unpopular with middle classes, Eg. 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. This aim was ill-fated and in the eyes of many economists obviously exceeded the country's economic capacity. The Labour party had suffered after 10 years in government, and their MPs had begun falling ill, some even dying. In contrast to the break-up of the MacDonald Labour government in 1931, there was no 'bankers' ramp' or dramatic and overwhelming financial crisis. 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. Explanation: 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. Essay on why Labour failed to renew itself after it fulfilled its 1945 manifesto The Blitz also, more obviously, caused a huge rise in support for Labour's housing development plans. why did labour lose the 1951 election. system, Alongside the abolishment of The first years, between 1945 and 1946, saw fervour for rapid reform in many areas of government. While it cannot be disputed that Labour kept their campaign simple, it would be ill-advised to declare that it helped enormously. The popularity of the 1942 Beveridge Report, which laid much of the groundwork for the establishment of the NHS and the Welfare State, was an endorsement of Labour politics. The 1945-1946 period of Labour government sought to address some key difficulties facing the nation following World War II. The 1942 Beveridge Report was the most important report that contributed to Labour's success in 1945. Rather, the balance of payments problem forced the non-idealists within the leadership to face the necessary curtailing of public spending. keeping the NHS, Attractive party to businessmen There are three main sub-categories for this answer; the Conservatives strengths, Labours weaknesses/ limitations, and uncontrollable factors. 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 . 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. (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). Industrial relations problems e.g. Britains economic resources were being drained from all directions; Foreign Policy, Nationalisation, Welfare and Austerity. ministers to show their political competence, Work of Butler in transforming the One of the major issues Labour had to face was how to rebuild Britain following the end of the Second World War, it also had to face the decolonisation of the British Empire and the loss of key figures within the party due to age and illness by 1951. The report was met by huge public enthusiasm and Labour's wholehearted backing. which Gaiskell set out Indeed, after signing the Munich Agreement, Chamberlain was heralded as a hero: 'saving' the country from another bloody war. Secondly, the split right at the very top of the party meant that organisational preparations for upcoming elections were hampered, and the electoral machine was disarmed. This divided party had stood no chance against the organised, well-funded Conservatives. The 'Falklands factor' could not be clearer from opinion polls. The Labour Party, led by Attlee won a landslide victory and gained a majority of 145 seats. 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. 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. Baroness Boothroyd was born on October 8 1929 in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Conservative In the 1951 election, which party focused mainly on past successes? 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. A TSR George 17 I got all the reasons.but looking at the figures conservative had 13.7mil votes and labour got 13.9mil. highly controversial and cost authority, 1950-1951 labelled as an threat of Russia (Start party opposed to the split labour, His limited standing within the House of 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 need for a better post war Britain was felt amongst all classes and Labour's support of the Beveridge Report brought widespread support. leadership remembered in a Positions like these allowed the Labour MPs to prove that they were, in fact, very skilled and also gave them invaluable experience. By 1951, however, their roles had reversed. The Attlee Labour government of 1945-51 ended more with a whimper than with a bang. Labour's election record in the 1930s was poor, as they were disorganised and divided. The 1946 National Insurance Act was also a key domestic reform of the Attlee government. Secondly, the split right at the very top of the party meant that organisational preparations for upcoming elections were hampered, and the electoral machine was disarmed. This split caused to distinct groups to form within Labour; the Bevanites and the Gaitsgillites. disadvantage the Labour party however he did not postposne them of cold war era), Violence broke out in India and Paliastine during decolonisation, Sectarian violence - Violence Labour Fundamentalists including Bevan wanted further reforms, specifically more nationalisation meanwhile Morrison called for party unity. Reply 1 7 years ago A TSR George OP We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. Since 2015, the problem of electoral 'bias' means Westminster's voting system has advantaged the Conservatives. 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. 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. There was. Pearce's reinterpretation argument makes the most sense because policies like appeasement were relatively popular at the time. Labours changes, The Spectator wrote: The conservatives of It was the first election in which Labour gained a majority of seats and the first in which it won a plurality of votes. 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. Having been given such a considerable mandate to rebuild the country in 1945, the Attlee post-war government lost popular support considerably over the next six years. This was an admittedly small majority, but reflected a changing public mood. Divisions over appeasement, foreign policy and rearmament deeply weakened Labour. In 1950 Churchill also narrowly lost the next general election. social reform and nationalisation. In October 2004 Blair announced that he would seek a third term as prime minister but would not stand for a fourth term. commons meant that there was an Increase in liberal votes in 1964 meant that conservative vote decreased, therefore labour required less votes to win. To gain an understanding of the election one must study the context surrounding the election. Granted, in 45 Labour obviously won a landslide of the seats, but a majority of 8% is far from a landslide of the votes. Paul Addison argues that. Outcome. Resource summary. 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. achievements - 200,000 homes built a Labour 295 (48.8%) While this didn't net the Brexit Party any seats, it was enough for the Tories to overtake in many of them. Labour argued that they had earned their independence by fighting in WW2, and that it was not economically viable to sustain them. 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). Morisson, the Deputy Prime Minister, believed that. 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. spring of 52' due to the Kings tour of Australia it hit the party at a 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. until after the election on the grounds of "morality" which was the 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. 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.

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