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Summary 1951 General Election: Reasons for Conservative Victory, and Labour Loss
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A* standard notes summarising the reasons for the Conservatives victory in 1951 and for Labour's loss.
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1951 General Election- Reasons for Conservative victory/ Labour lossRESULT- Conservatives 321 (48%), Labour 295 (48.8%)
The Conservatives LOST the popular vote but won the most seats= happened in February 1974.
Conservatives Strength
In the post- war election defeat when Churchill stepped down, the Conservatives were able to make significant
improvements to the party between 1945- 51. Their time in opposition allowed them to rebuild and remodel their policies
so that they could align their policies with the newly adapted post- war consensus.
The fact that the Conservatives were able to bring their policies more in line with the concept of the post- war consensus
allows them to show that they were flexible and committed to improvement, they were a party of continuity and efficiency.
Election campaign was based on the idea of consolidation (making something stronger) rather than innovation which was
the period of post- war Labour (new methods, ideas). Therefore they had an image of stability.
Lord Woolton has been credited for the success of the 1951 election. He was head of the campaign issuing propaganda,
encouraging membership and getting donations from businesses that were against Labour’s nationalisation policy.
Due to Woolton’s campaign many young members joined the Conservatives giving them an image of a youthful party ready
to govern in comparison to the aging Labour cabinet. E.g. Butler was a younger Tory MP who began to bring new ideas and
confidence to the party esp. after the 1950 election.
Conservatives were able to exploit Labour’s weaknesses through their failure to end rationing and failure to improve living
standards.
Conservative’s had a strong election manifesto through continuing the post- war consensus and promising to build 300,000
houses a year and abolishing rationing (in 1954).
Britain’s involvement in the Korean War enabled the Conservatives to play on Churchill’s ‘war hero’ status from WWII as
well as appealing to those who did not want to go to war in 1950.
Conservative’s had a strong CAMPAIGN IMAGE. Their manifesto Britain Strong and Free stressed the importance of
safeguarding our traditional way of life at the same time as supporting Labour’s welfare state.
Labour’s weaknesses/ limitations
Optimistic due to their success in the 1945 election- ‘Poverty has been abolished, hunger is unknown. The sick are tended.
The old folk are cherished, our children are growing up in a land of plenty’ (Sam Watson)- however their weakness was their
failure to recognise that Britain still had rationing, high taxation and was in a period of austerity.
Attlee’s government was worn down- had serious divisions between the left and right of the party over prescription charges
and nuclear weapons. Economic problems including war time debt and balance of payments crisis.
The Bevanite Rebellion in 1951 over prescription charges encouraged other Labour MPs and members of the party to rebel
against economic and foreign policy decisions. Presented Labour as a DIVISIVE, not united party.
Labour had the image as a party of rationing, high taxation and austerity.
Industrial concerns- trade unions resentment at Labour’s policies. Angry at Labour’s slowness to respond to worker’s
demands.
Entry into the Korean War (1950- 1953)- angered the left within the party as they didn’t want to be simply following the
US’s problems with the Cold War. Also angered the public as many didn’t want to go to war.
Bevanite Rebellion 1951- introduction of prescription charges caused divisions within the left (Bevan) and right (Gaitskell) of
the Labour party.
1946 the Labour party introduced MORE rationing of dried egg and bread causing unrest and discontent.
CHARMLEY- the government was ‘exhausted in mind, body and manifesto commitments’.
The Labour Party had achieved most of the reforms introduced in the 1945 manifesto most notably the Welfare state
including the NHS.
Attlee decided to fight the election based on the party’s previous success rather than creating new policies and reforms to
include in their manifesto.
POOR IMAGE- of divisions, rationing and lack of new policy.
Poor timing of the 1951 election as the lack of clear majority in the 1950 election meant that Labour had doubts as to
whether they would do better in the 1951 election. Wanted the election to be held in 1952 however Attlee also wanted the
election to have been scheduled before the King’s 6 month tour of the Commonwealth.
Labour was known as a party of austerity due to the economic policies introduced by Hugh Dalton and then Stafford Cripps
as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Didn’t want inflation.
1951- Burgess and Maclean spy scandal- had an impact on Britain in general in terms of foreign policy and within the
country itself as it demonstrated they shouldn’t be trusted with important info. Put strain on ‘special relationship’.
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