unit 3: why did the conservatives win the 1951 election?

Question 1

how important was labour weakness?

Answer 1

some argue their administrations from 1945-51 were responsible for their defeat but its not supported by the election results

Question 2

what was the votes like?

Answer 2

highest polled by a party in british politics - not a sign of decline

Question 3

why were the public dissatisfied with labour?

Answer 3

failed to deal with post-war economic and financial problems had exhausted many of the cabinet e.g korean war. associated with policies of austerity, rationing and high taxation - public wanted to end.

Question 4

why did the NHS impact the labour downfall?

Answer 4

charges for dental treatment, prescriptions and glasses - undemined the principle that the NHS should be free & caused division.

Question 5

how important were conservative strengths?

Answer 5

very important - put in place policies and reorganisation of the party

Question 6

who is lord woolton?

Answer 6

reformed financial party finances and local organisation, so the party was in a stronger position to challenge labour

Question 7

who was he influenced by?

Answer 7

young talented politicians into the party, including reginald maudling, who gave the party new ideas and dynamism

Question 8

what was their programme?

Answer 8

300,000 houses a year in a situation with house shortages despite labour building an average of 20,000 a year. to give people ‘more red meat’ at the time when meat was rationed.

Question 9

what labour achievements did conservatives keep?

Answer 9

welfare state.

Question 10

why was winston churchill important?

Answer 10

still saw him as a hero for leading the country to victory in the war and wanted to thank him

Question 11

how important was the electoral system?

Answer 11

labour polled 200,000 votes more than conservative but won 26 fewer seats. there were three reasons for this

Question 12

one reason.

Answer 12

• the nature of the british electoral system
  1945 election labour needed to poll 30,522 votes for each seat it won, 1951 it needed 47,283. proportion of votes per seat for the conservatives had declined from 46,892 to 47,733 in 1951.

Question 13

second reason.

Answer 13

• boundary changes brought about by the 1948 representation of the people act
  labour had to win 2% more of the popular vote to win the same number of seats because the movement of seats meant they became marginal or increased in number of votes they could win in already safe seat

Question 14

third reason.

Answer 14

• the decline in liberal vote
  vote fell from 2.6 million in 1945 to 730,556 in 1951 - many voted for conservative to help them win labour marginal votes