Summary
Summary The Development and Characteristics of the UK Labour Party Summarised
- Course
- Institution
Labour party origins, policies, manifesto, leaders, influence, aims, and political strands- new, old, and third way.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
rachelsewell
Reviews received
Content preview
The Labour PartyOrigins
Grew out of a range of socialist groups from the end of the 19 th /beginning of the 20th century
These included the Independent Labour Party, Fabians and Social Democratic Federation
Socialist groups combined and worked with Trade Unions, in particular the Trades Union
Congress, who’s support facilitated the early stages of the Labour Party
The Labour Representation Committee was created in 1900, of which 94% of its membership
came from affiliated trade unions.
The name was changed to the Labour Party in 1906
The first Labour MP was Keir Hardy- MPs were not paid until 1912, and most of the working
class did not have the vote, so working class MPs were very rare
The party wrote a constitution in 1918 which included Clause IV, committing the party to
socialism (common ownership and redistribution of wealth)
The Representation of the People Act 1918 widened suffrage by abolishing practically all
property qualifications for men, which meant that the Labour Party could start to compete in
elections since it had significant support
Formed two minority governments in 1924 and 1929-1931 under Ramsey MacDonald
Old Labour and Social Democracy
Labour Government of 1945-1951 brought in major changes including the NHS (1948),
Nationalisation of industry (coal, steel, power, civil aviation), and a comprehensive welfare
system as a result of the Beveridge Report 1942
Old Labour were social democrats since they did not seek to remove capitalism altogether, but
instead manage it through Keynesian economics with the goal of full employment. They also
focused on equality of opportunity (e.g. through comprehensive schooling) rather than total
equality of outcome
Many of these ideas were accepted by the Conservative Party in the post-war consensus
Problems in the 1970s, such as inflation and trade union strikes during the Winter of Discontent
1978-1979, lead to a party defeat in 1979 to Thatcher.
After 1979, the party moved to the left under Michael Foot and drastically lost the 1983 election
with a highly left-wing manifesto often referred to as ‘the longest suicide note in history’.
New Labour and The Third Way
Neil Kinnock and John Smith fought to bring the Labour Party to the more moderate left of
centre position but failed to gain electoral success. After defeat in 1992, Tony Blair emerged as
leader and changed the party
Blair altered Clause IV, removing commitment to public ownership and redistribution of wealth
Third way embraced capitalism, moved focus away from being a purely working-class party and
sought a pragmatic approach to give equality of opportunity, and moved away from high taxes
for the rich.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller rachelsewell. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.50. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
67474 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now