Lesson 3 And 4: Why Did Labour Lose The 1951 Election?

Question 1

What was the Bevanite Rebellion?

Answer 1

When more radical left wing Labour MP’s resigned in 1951 over disagreements with Labour policy

Question 2

What does Austerity mean?

Answer 2

• the feeling of being poor
• when governments make cuts in domestic spending to save money and balance the budget.

Question 3

What is Rowntree?

Answer 3

A social survey which showed how standards of living had improved.

Question 4

What was Labour’s election slogan in 1945?

Answer 4

Let us face the future

Question 5

What was Attlee seen as during the war?

Answer 5

PM of the home front

Question 6

What unpopulat comment did Churchill say about Labour in the election campaign?

Answer 6

Said labour’s welfare state would be like living in Nazi Germany.

Question 7

What experience during wartime helped Labour win the 1945 election?

Answer 7

Collectivism - the idea that humans can more effectively achieve their political, social and economic goals through working together than by working individually.

Question 8

What was Labour’s key economic policy?

Answer 8

Nationalism - an ideology that emphasizes loyalty, devotion, or allegiance to a nation

Question 9

3 industries taken over by the state

Answer 9

• Bank of England
• coal
  -fas

Question 10

Who helped shaped Labours economic thinking?

Answer 10

Keynes

Question 11

Keynesian economics

Answer 11

Promotes government spending on infrastructure, unemployment benefits. and education to increase
consumer demand, argues that government spending is key maintain to full employment.

Question 12

How is Keynesian economics different from classic economics?

Answer 12

Keynesian economics argues that government involvement is important to improving the state of the economy while classic economics argues that government should play a limited role (laissez faire )

Question 13

Who was responsible for implementing nationalisation?

Answer 13

Ernest Bevin

Question 14

Who helped shape labour’s welfare policy?

Answer 14

Beveridge - established the Beveridge report in 1942 which helped establish the NHS.

Question 15

What were the five evils outlined in the Beveridge report?

Answer 15

Want, disease, squalor, unemployment, poor housing, lack of education

Question 16

What was the central feature of the welfare state and who was responsible for implementing this?

Answer 16

NHS
Bevan

Question 17

What country did the UK depend on and how much did they borrow?

Answer 17

USA, 3750 million dollars.

Question 18

How much did Britain retrieve in Marshall aid 1948?

Answer 18

£1263 million

Question 19

What was the Marshall aid?

Answer 19

1948
Provide foreign aid to western Europe

Question 20

What did Bevan and Morrison disagree in 1951?

Answer 20

Take socialism further or consolidate gains already made.

Question 21

Labour had the more votes, so how did conservatives win?

Answer 21

Conservatives won due to the first past the post system. Whoever won more seats in parliament wins.

Question 22

What were the labours weaknesses that perhaps caused them to lose?

Answer 22

• continuing austerity due to the ongoing rationing
• housing shortage of 700k. Bevan focused on quality rather than quantity
• contrasting opinion within labour - Bevan VS Morrison. Bevan wanted further nationalisation, Morrison wanted to hold back to gain support.
  BUT… rowntrees survey showed that there was less poverty AND Labour did achieve full employment.

Question 23

What was the conservative strength that helped them win?

Answer 23

• highlighted labour setbacks.
• promised to build 300k houses as opposed to labours promised 200k
• Promised to preserve the NHS and other welfare schemes and maintaining nationalised industries in state hands = consensus politics/ ‘post war consensus’