3.7 billion loans US & Labour had problems with trade unions- more strikes in the country. 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 1942 Beveridge Report was the most important report that contributed to Labour's success in 1945. 20thcentury British politics had been dominated by the conservatives, and Labour had never formed a workable majority before 1945. 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. 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. Churchill however made a gross error in saying that Labour would need a Gestapo like organisation to enforce socialism upon Britain. This was an admittedly small majority, but reflected a changing public mood. How Labour Governments Fall: From Ramsey MacDonald to Gordon Brown, Aspects of British Political History 1914- 1995, The Lessons of 19451951 Tories in Opposition. 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 disadvantages and advantages of pesticides. 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. 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. social reforms were needed. electricity-1948 however we spent the time on social reform. 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. For all of my fellow A2 AQA historians out there, I hope this helps! 1 He belonged to the first intake of students at the Ecole polytechnique in 1794 and went on to become an iron engineer. On average in these 'red wall' constituencies, Labour lost about 2% to the Tories and about 7% to the Brexit Party. I feel as though Ive spent days aimlessly searching the internet for a clear answer to this question. History-UK-BK1-Labour-1951 election. shortages, Korean War World economic 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. 419 million defecit was yet again in the surplus, Disagreements over This was at a time when the econo. Since 2015, the problem of electoral 'bias' means Westminster's voting system has advantaged the Conservatives. CONSERVATISM, The industrial charter of 1947 & This Is years of the 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. second - 1986. There are three main sub-categories for this answer; the Conservatives strengths, Labours weaknesses/ limitations, and uncontrollable factors. protecting against the 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. excessive class orientated 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 publicado por; Categoras can someone be banned from a public place; Fecha noviembre 1, 2021; Comentarios quebec city to fredericton by car quebec city to fredericton by car 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 electorate clearly did not see it this way though, believing that the Labour party had lied to them, this feeling of betrayal saw many voters return to the reliable Conservatives in the 1951 election. propaganda, The view that another Labour which led to more sophisticated Economic problems e.g. Why did labor lose the 1951 election? 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. Conservative opposition fell off quickly, however, when the popularity of the NHS became increasingly apparent following its inception in 1946. The 1946 National Health Service Act provided free access to a range of hospital and general practitioner services across the country. 1946/47 winter which had dire food/ fuel How valid is this view in relation to the 1951 general election? A TSR George 17 I got all the reasons.but looking at the figures conservative had 13.7mil votes and labour got 13.9mil. Why did Labour lose its seats in 1951? Bankruptcy in 1808 did not prevent him from enjoying later success, with the backing of senior officials and . The newly recruited young members dramatically contrasted with the aging Labour cabinet and presented the Conservatives as a rising party fit to govern. These acts included the reforms set out in the Beveridge plan, various other reforms and nationalisation. By 1947, more than one fifth of British industry had been drawn into public ownership. large amounts in payouts, Labours 1950 manifest included achievements - 200,000 homes built a why did labour lose the 1951 election. priorities, Coal mining-1947 The result of the election caused much surprise. Hi there, would you like to get such a paper? 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. Reply 1 7 years ago A TSR George OP 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. 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. hoped for, Marshall Aid 1948 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. Statisticians calculated that should it be repeated, Labour would secure a majority of 85 seats at the next election. Conservatives 290, 1950-51 Labour were in office Hardly surprisingly. failing industries. 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. To gain an understanding of the election one must study the context surrounding the election. In the years prior to 1959, many had expected Labour to win the next election. Public transport -1948 Both clearly agree that the pre-war period was significant, however they differ on why it was significant. Both clearly agree that the pre-war period was significant, however they differ on why it was significant. league at peak had 100,000 Labour has suffered one of its worst general election results in living memory with dozens of seats that the party had held on to for decades falling to the Conservatives. Labour nationalisation of a 'ragbag 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. 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 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. '51 was an attempt that backfired to increase the labour majority - but in reality they only lost 22 seats in that election. 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. 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. Although it was hoped that Daltons resignation might offset some of the decline in public confidence in Labours economic policy, the government were never again endorsed by mass popularity as in the previous two years. 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. 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. The dynamic nature of our site means that Javascript must be enabled to function properly. Winston Churchill was a very popular speaker. In opposition to the Conservative Party, it has been the major democratic socialist party in Britain since the early 20th century. Gaitskell adopted a similarly pragmatic approach to Britains budgetary problems and kept typically socialist long-term economic planning to a minimum. 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. The Bevanites, being more left-wing, wanted to focus Britains resources on further nationalisation of industry. After the First World War, the Lloyd George Coalition had made many empty promises concerning reconstruction. Britains economic resources were being drained from all directions; Foreign Policy, Nationalisation, Welfare and Austerity. After researching the topic thoroughly, I Would argue the main reason Labour lost in 51 was . 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. reduces to just 7 Greenwood, a Labour Politician, commissioned Beveridge to produce a report outlining a socio-economic strategy of post-war reconstruction. Indeed, after signing the Munich Agreement, Chamberlain was heralded as a hero: 'saving' the country from another bloody war. The poor timing of the 1951 election can also be claimed to have weakened Labour's position. The 1918 constitution that eventually emerged was a curious mix, unmatched on the continent: theoretically socialist in its commitment to public ownership via the 'old' Clause IV, but in reality gradualist, 'labourist' and in huge debt to the more conservative trade union movement. 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. Unpopular policies like high taxes. 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. So, while Labour won the popular vote, gaining large majorities in their constituencies, the Conservatives won the majority of seats, gaining narrow victories, but in more constituencies. After gaining such a large majority in 1945, most Labour politicians felt relatively assured that they had at least 10 years in office secured.