Labour Governments 1945-1951

Writing of the Labour governments 1945-1951, a senior civil servant said: “It put me in mind of Columbus’ voyage: when Columbus set out, he didn’t know where he was going; when he arrived he didn’t know where he was; and when he returned he didn’t know where he’d been.”

Assess the achievements and failures of the Labour governments of 1945-1951.

Shortly after the Second World War, Winston Churchill decided to dissolve the wartime coalition, and was confident that he would be able to form a government of his own. The subsequent general election led to a surprising and overwhelming victory for his Labour opponents, and no one was more shocked by this landslide than the new Prime Minister, Clement Attlee. Atlee’s governments have since received heavy criticism from both the left and right wings of the political scale. The major complaint of the right winged commentators was that Labour introduced too much socialism, and that perhaps they ignored desperately needed industrial regeneration in this post war period, in favour of welfare reforms. Their counterparts on the left have argued that, although they may have introduced long overdue reforms they failed to break down the long standing class barriers or redistribute wealth

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Both employees and employers contributed to the scheme and in return individuals were entitled to payment if they were ill or unemployed. Britain’s influence had declined, and America and The Soviet Union had emerged as the undisputed superpowers.

The government’s programme of social reform was carried out with enthusiasm and energy, despite the nations tough economic situation.

These reforms had very favourable effects, even within the first few years, as there seemed to be an immediate reduction in poverty. Because expectations were high for the future, the general public were willing to accept that they may have to endure a prolonged period of hardship following the war, in order to eventually reap the benefits set out in the Labour Party’s manifesto. Inevitably no government is able to please the whole nation, and it is only when elected into office that the ideology that a Party commits to in opposition is put to the test. It came into effect in 1948, and proved to be the most important foundation of the Welfare State.

Another reform the Labour Party had pledged themselves to, in the interest of both social justice and efficiency, was the nationalization of the basic industries. With the exception of Bevan, all had served in Churchill’s wartime coalition and were a strong and able team.

With regard to the Empire, Britain’s policy was, to an extent, one of withdrawal. The nations electricity supply was nationalised in 1948, under the Central Electricity Board, and the following year gas, under the British Gas Council. In order to assess the achievements and failures of Attlee’s governments, we must first consider the state of Britain when the Labour Party assumed power, and consequently observe the degree to which their policies and reforms benefited the country. They had successfully initiated major reforms, which changed the structure of society for the good, and all of this had been achieved under harsh economic restrictions and against the volatile backdrop of the Cold War. The National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act, 1946 made it possible to provide injured workers with grants, and those severely injured with disablement pensions. They still seemed to hold the Conservatives responsible for the mismanagement of foreign policy up to 1940, under the leadership of Neville Chamberlain.

Approximate Word count = 3629
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