Essays

Page 1

Assess the reasons why Labour lost the election of 1951

PLAN

Labour's loss of the election in 1951 can be said to be for many reasons. The main debate is that Labour election loss was either due the weakness of the Labour party or the strengths of their opposition- the Conservative party. Although the Conservatives had won a total of 26 seats and remained in office until 1964,Labour had gained 130,00 more votes overall, and so it was not a resounding defeat, they had only managed to win a majority of five seats, since the votes for key seats went to the Conservatives. Some could then argue that the was Conservative strengths in their policies and the reorganisatoin of their party that caused Labour to lose the 1951 election. However the Labour Governments lack of unity and public dissatisfaction with Labour policies which then allowed the Conservatives to take advantage of Labour difficulties, therefore highlighting Labour failings as a key reason.

FIRST PARAGRAPH

In the words of the historians Wells and Fellows the Labour party was not only exhausted, it was also divided. This division could be seen during the cuts of the National health service, and in their imposition of charges on dental care, prescriptions and spectacles which seemed to undermine the principle that the NHS should be free at the point of servic