Why Labour Won The 1945 Election

Question 1

Was the Beveridge Report popular?

Answer 1

• The Beveridge Report, published in December 1942 sold 635,000 copies, showing that there was a popular demand for social deformity, which the Labour Government could bring.

Question 2

Why was Labour very popular with the public?

Answer 2

• The perceived success of large-scale government intervention in all aspects of daily life during the war led many to believe that such an approach to government should be tried din peace-time and the Labour Party wad the only party which would do this.

Question 3

Why didn’t the Conservatives care?

Answer 3

• The Conservatives were not interested in the Beveridge Report as they thought it would cost too much, and they weren’t too interested in planning welfare reforms and instead wanted to focus on the war-effort.

Question 4

What was Churchill’s attitude towards the election?

Answer 4

• Churchill had wrongly assumed that he would be elected again because he won the war, but instead the public actually wanted Labour in place.

Question 5

Why didn’t the public like the Conservatives?

Answer 5

• The public didn’t like the Conservatives even before the war. This was due to Chamberlain’s inefficient leading from the experiences of the Hungry Thirties, and they felt that the Conservatives were not reliable to lead the post-war.

Question 6

What happened to the Liberal Party?

Answer 6

• The Liberal Party seriously collapsed because they put up 306 candidate but only won 12 seats.

Question 7

What was the Role of the Media?

Answer 7

• the Media mainly focused on left-wing propaganda, for example JB Priestley Proscription was a socialist and that was played on thee radio a lot.

Question 8

What did Churchill do to lose votes?

Answer 8

• Churchill broadcasted a negative speech about the Labour Party in the run up to the 1945 Election, his ’Gestapo Speech’
• This speech expressed his views that the public largely rejected and subsequently; Conservatives lost votes at the election

Question 9

What did Labour campaign for?

Answer 9

• Labour campaigned in favour of full employment, nationalist of industry, social security and housing, whilst Conservatives assumed they’d win due to winning the war, and due to Churchill’s charismatic leadership.

Question 10

What does Paul Addison argue?

Answer 10

• The Tories were unlikely to win any general election after the evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk in June 1940.

Question 11

What does Henry Pelling argue?

Answer 11

• Justifies the overwhelming support for Labour as a reaction to the Conservatives rule in the 1930s.

Question 12

What does Kevin Jefferys argue?

Answer 12

• Contends that the responsibility for the ‘Home Front’ held by Labour members of the Coalition Government was a major vote winner for Labour in 1945.