Why did the Conservatives win the 1951 election? Flashcards
What was the outcome of the election?
The Conservatives won 321 seats and 48% of the vote
Labour won 295 seats and 48.8% of the vote
Why did Labour win fewer seats?
FPTP system
What had the Liberal party decided to do and what was the impact?
Contest only 109 seats as it was financially stretched
Helped the Conservatives into power as many ex-Liberal voters turned to the Conservatives
What was the increase in the popular vote?
Labour increased their popular vote by over 2 million since 1945, but the Conservatives had gained over 4 million
Why is the suggestion that Labour were responsible for their defeat weak?
The number of votes in 1951 (13.95 million) was the highest polled by a party in British politics
Labour had achieved a great deal and laid down some political principles that would be followed by all governments until 1979
Why does this suggestion have merit?
The Labour government was not as strong as it had been in its early years of office
There were several areas in both the party and its policies with which the public were dissatisfied
Why were the cabinet exhausted and what were they associated with in the popular mind?
The difficulties of dealing with the post-war economic and financial problems
The policies of austerity, rationing, and high taxation
What happened in 1950?
The government had taken Britain into the Korean War, which only added to the financial strains
What was the party also and what was this seen most clearly in?
Divided
The imposition of charges for dental treatment, prescriptions, and glasses, appeared to undermine the principle of the NHS
What happened in the 1950 election?
Labour reduced its majority to five
What did these problems encourage MPs to do and what was the impact?
Voice their concerns about economic and foreign policy, which further widened the divisions between the right and left of the party
What had the party been able to do by 1950?
Put in place both policies and a reorganisation of the party that allowed them to recover and take advantage of Labour difficulties
What did Lord Woolton do?
Reformed party finances and local organisation so that the party was in a stronger position to challenge Labour
What was Woolton aided by?
An influx of young talented politicians into the party, such as Reginald Maulding, gave the party new ideas and dynamism
How did the party exploit Labour?
Labour’s nationalism of the iron and steel industry provided a contentious issue around which the party could challenge the government
