1951 Election

Question 1

Why did Labour lose the 1951 election due to their own mistakes?

Answer 1

• timing of election by Attlee, disappointed by 1951 election (315 seats vs 298 seats)
• resentment from trade unions due to slow response of workers demands, didn’t join European Coal and Steel Community 1951, a trade organisation
• leading ministers like Stafford Cripps chancellor of the exchequer resigned
• didn’t change education, fully implemented tripartite system, didn’t acknowledge independent schools
• used defensive argument over nationalisation
• Indian Independence 1947, compromise between Hindu and Muslim groups but led to mass sectarian killings

Question 2

Why did Labour lose the 1951 election due to their own divisions in their party?

Answer 2

• Bevanite quarrel: argument over prescription charges
• serious divides over economic, welfare and foreign policies
• Korean war left the left wing arguing if Labour was being led into the Cold war by the US

Question 3

What were the successes of Labour before the 1951 election?

Answer 3

• Introduced Welfare State, NHS, national insurance and family allowances
• followed Keynesian policies: borrowing for the Government to invest into the economy, stabilised it
• nationalised major industries which protected them

Question 4

How did the difficult economic circumstances make Labour lose the 1951 election?

Answer 4

• tough austerity policies: rationing to control spending, financial controls to prevent inflation, wage control to limit spending, raising taxes to limit budget deficit and import restrictions to protect UK industries
• under direction of Lord Woollen conservatives reformed finances
• budget issues, NHS/prescription charges
• cost of government

Question 5

How did Conservative’s policies help them win the 1951 election?

Answer 5

• upholders of liberty and individualism
• promised to build 300,000 houses a year, 100,000 more than what Labour promised
• fully committed to welfare state/NHS
• denationalisation of steel
• end of rationing, red meat

Question 6

How did Conservative’s campaigning help them win the 1951 election?

Answer 6

• nationalisation of iron and steel easy to attack
• Woolton: constituency organisation improved
• youthful MP’s e.g. Reginald Maudling
• Churchill factor
• targeted liberal votes: freedom and individualism, nearly 2 million ex-liberal votes went to Conservatives (80%)

Question 7

How did luck/chance make Labour lose the 1951 election?

Answer 7

• loss of Ernest Bevin
• anti-labour propaganda in the press
• Liberal Party put only 109 candidates forward compared to 366 in 1950 election
• 1st past the post electoral system, 1948 representation of the People Act (2% harder for Labour to win seats) as changed boundaries