Post war British politics

British politics 1945-79.

Here is my history of British politics from 1945 too 1979.
In 1945 Britain, the US and the USSR were marching into Berlin, victorious over the 3rd Reich, and the Facist political forces of Europe.
Winston Churchill was expected to win a landslide victory in 1945.
Instead the Labour Party led by War time deputy PM, Clement Attlee won a landslide shock victory.
With a seat total, seeing a majority of 100s, and a percent of the vote of 48%, the Tories 39%, the Libs 9%,
There were even 2 Communist held seats, not including Ulster most people in Britain voted for mass nationalisation. In terms of percent of the vote.
The Liberals who were also in the war time coalition, and proposed the Beveridge Report on blanket cover benefits, were down to a few seats. Lab won the election on their message of not being traitors as they were in the war time coalition and proposing a NHS, and benefits for all the ill. They also promised new housing. Look at http://www.lonympics.co.uk/
The Labour government saw Aneurin Bevan create the NHS, Labour had to pass through the post war era. The Lab government opted to accept negotiations for Indian independence and accept their independence. Also accepting Indonesian independence, persuading the Dutch to accept this. They also started to invest more in colonies, and said they would accept independence earlier in other colonies.
The Lab government also carried on it's opposition to Communism, still with many former Communist party members in the party, but opposed to Soviet conquest. It sent some aid to Ukrainian nationalist revolts in the late 1940s, while the Soviets supported independence movements in British colonies to small degrees. Attlee, allowed a quite secret nuclear programme, so Britain soon had nuclear weapons. The Lab government also decided it did not want to join the European unity programmes, feeling those lands were of a more right wing nature, and not in keeping with the socialist nationalising of coal, railways and more that they had done. Britain's economy carried on growing in the post war era, from the decline of WW2. Despite some small strikes, and need for raw materials in the post war era. Needing still rationing. And Marshall aid.
The main characters in the coalition were ATLEE, Morssions, and Bevan, and Gaiklstekell,

The criticism, and the condemnations.
What do the supports claim for the regime. Say,
The supporters claim it was the greatest government in British history. It carried on World War Two, till victory in Japan, it decolonised India, yes there were 500,000 deaths in partition riots, but it's supporters would blame the British aristocrats who led India, Muslim Groups founded in the 1900s that the British colonial elite wanted so to weaken, Indian nationalism's unity, that then split into anti-British as of WW1, being partly against the Ottomans, so caused the partition, and the way how it was such a huge country, and far more people died in earlier Indian disasters. 4 million in the Bengal famine in the 1940s, and 6million in the 1900s. And after Indian independence the life expectancy of India, which had been flat lining, now grew. Something that saved tens of millions of lives a year.
They would also say, the Lab regime established with Truman a peaceful form of coexistence with the Soviet Union, while guaranteeing it would not take any more of Europe. Look at http://www.lonympics.co.uk/
For Britain they would say that after the war Britain was struggling, and had seen it's economy badly damaged. They would say that unemployment virtually disappeared, so helping many millions live happier lives, and helping stability in British politics. They would say Britain stayed the largest economy in the World after the USSR, and USA. Through the era.
And tpo those who say surely the nationalisations made British industry less competeitve and made the GDP per capita by the 1960s fall behind Germany and France, They could say, come on that all ocuurred in the Tory government, yes they were obeying some Lab policies, but they had higher tax, and more planning than Britain, and overtook it. Alos look at how the British economy stayed as wealthy per head in terms of behind as it was with the US, mabye it was higher defence expenditure which made Britain fall behind these lands. And yes you can say there was relative decline, but Britain never experienced a economic disaster in that era.
The NHS saw Britain's LE rose above the USA, despite spending less per the wealth of the land, and despite being poorer, and it remained above privatised health care Germany even to now. Only high spending Italy and France of the big lands, were ahead. In terms of big lands,

The Lab regime was re-elected with a higher percent of the vote in 1950, but a lower majority,. It saw many minsters resign over the government deciding to place anew charge ion doctor's presecriptions.
This was followed by lower popularitym, and the left felt sure the election defeat of 1951 was as eth P, was not leftost enough. Led by Bevan. For the next few years the left would claim the P, lost as of this, amnd wanted a even greater push leftm while eth right claimed it was the other way arounf, Attlle, did not want a leftist win, in the P, and stayed on, so the left would not be the P leaders.

The critics label this regime the most failed regime of the post war era. Claiming it made terrible mistakes, Claiming it created a socialist Britain, noting that in 1945, Britain, Australia, NZ, and the USA, and eth Swizt, were the 5 lands with the highest GDP per capita incomes on Earth, and that in 1970 the US was still the richest, with the Switz,
And that most of Western Europe had overtaken, it, with the Japanese gaining.
OK, good critiscm, but what about how by 1975, the US the richest land in the world since the 1900s, per head, was to fall to 3rd place under the Nixon administraion, Overtaken by 2 landsm, one Swizterland, yes right wing for democratic western lands, But lets face it the Switz had never had World War Two, to harm them, they were lucky they were up there in the Alps, able unlike neutral Dutch and Danish rulers, to be neutral, So they could carry on their ways, and not change, and do massive transistion in the post war era, as most lands had to do. I,E Britain gave up colonies, that it would have taken huge wars to keep, and so lose loads of captive markets,
Trhis posistion as a neutral; land, made the Swizt wealthy for ages, like in the 17thC, during the Holy Roman Empire's wars it was rich, with a huge level of it's wor force being in industry, but this position of isolation up in the Alps, is also bad. I,.E in the 1817, they had very little food, durin a bad climate famine, and loads of Switz people died, isolation can be good or bad, and often leads to utter disaster.
also who actually overtook the US, I tell you who, the Swedes, the Swedes in the 1970s had the highest tax rate in Earth history, and powerful unions. Added to this the Switz may have been a bit right wing but were not that much richer than earlier.
And of the European powers, well West Germany had higher tax than Britain, and it's car industry was started by British nationalised methods. The car industry was abolished in Germany in 1939, and had been a fraud in the 1930s, but after 1945 started, and became the centre of German industry, and the French had a planned economy.
The critics would also say Britain is doing better economically than the rest of Europe, since 1979's reversal of the 1945 policies. But what about how
Critics of the 1945-51 regime would also say the NHS failed as we have a lower LE than France. But we have had a lower LE, for years and since the investment increased in 1997, we have seen us begin to gain on France. We also have a lower LE, than Japan, they would say, but so does everybody, and it is richer, if it had a nationalised system it may have had a higher LE.

Ok next era. 1951-63. In 1951 Churchill won a shock election victory,
This had not been just as of Lab unpopularity, there had been a new policy for the Tories,
In the 1940s following the defeat of the Tories, they decided they had to get back into government, and needed to accept many Labour policies, while still attacking them from a right wing viewpoint.
Harold Macmillan was a leader of this movement, saying the party needed socialist ways, it needed to accept the one nation policy, he stated he had always felt ashamed of the lack of help of the 1930s depression, and appeasement which had lost so many votes in 1945,
So the Tories started promising they would not undo the nationalisation, but would not nationalise anymore. They claimed they would decrease rations, and improve the land, and defend British interests,

Once elected despite having less votes than Lab, they enacted similar things to what they promised. They also had a small coalition in some ways with the Libs, Liberals who had won a few seats, but a high single digit percent of the votes. But the Tories won a majority of seats.
Anyhow Churchill carried on the policies of before, he had been a Lib in the 1900s, fo a brief period, and accepted this new more socialist economy. He even accepted decolonialism, But did some things which stopped that, for instance he disputed British Guyana's election which the Communists were doing well in, In terms, of colonial policies it has to be said, the failures were there, for instance in Kenya, and Malaysia, revolts sprang up. The Communist revolt in Malaysia, saw 10,000 deaths in suppressing the Chinese community backed Communists, they were calling for independence, and had been partly built up in WW2, against the Japanese. Some Malays were in the Communist side, but Brits were able to split them and decided to give independence, to local leaders, to stop the tin and rubber, companies of Brits losing their resources. Added to this the Brits saw in Kenya in the early 1950s a revolt ion Kenya, to stop white land encroachment this revolt was succeeding, killing some white settlers, but action by Britain was brutal killing 50/200,000 people according to recent estimates, well killing some, and causing the others in deportation deaths. The Malay estimaet may be a underestimate too. The leaderwship of Churchill saw the privatiastion if a very minor industry, and the ideal, of set the people free, as in less state interventikon, and ending of rations. Chruchill was suffering in terms of health, and incapacitated at times, so had to resign, just before the next election which saw clear Tory victory over a split Lab movement.
He was followed by Anthony Eden, Eden, turned out to last a very short space of time, as of the Suez crisis, of 1956, he had been a skilled negotiater with the Soviets in the 1950s, but now seemed to do bad. In 1955 fearing the Egyptian Republic that had been created by Arab nationalists, he saw Iraq get a new Iraqi Republic,m driving out the British puppets. The Egyptian l;eaders decided to depose their last vestigfe of colonialism, and claime dteh Suez Canal, in 1956,k Eden then bombed with Franec and Israel, Egypt's control, in a war of 7000 deaths. After a little while the US, Soviets and world saw that this actiomn was undone, This humiliated Edene, resigned on healthy grounds.
And was replaced, in a decsion by the Tory establihsment, by Harold Macmillan.
Macmillan, picked up the pieces of the disaster of Suez, and restored Tory popularity, Even being called Supermac. He had a recird as a house builder, in the depaertments he led, and carried on centrist policies.
Britain made a deal from the late 50s, that the US would give it nuke weapon in return for certain alliance deals, the US-British alliance was rebuilt.

Macmillan was re-elected against Lab, with a 6 pt gap in difference ion polls the biggest Tory election victory for years. His mottoe, You have never had it so good. In a boom, and no recession.
Under him the economy had boomed, and he seemed to be doin ok.
Certain right members of the Tory Party wanted a more liberal economics, and monetarist waysm rather than socialist, and quit. Other members of the party were anrgy too,

But half way through the party started to be hit by scandals, the biggest of all being Profumo, where a major ministyer in eth cabinet was found to be sleeping with a woman, who was also sleeping around with a Soviet official. He lied about it, and this made the paternalitic image of good Tories, seem wrongm, They seemed unlik etheir grouse moor shooting pheasants, thinking about the state, image, more like rich guys around a pool, having affairs. Added to this there was a crisis, in the economy the low inflation level climbed a small amount, and unemployment, which seemed terrible . they were both quite low, both single figures but the rises were significant, Added to this there was eth disaster fro the Tories,m that Britain ahd now fallen late in their reign behind France and Gerjmany in GDP, per capita.
Briotain had been ahead of both since at least 1800,

People started wondering if the reason for this was West Germany's policy, of devolved regions, and the quickness of ending rationing, and liberalisng, in the 1950s, and no nationalised industries. Or if it was the French policy of a planned economy, investing billion sin infrastructure, some said, it was as of US troops plowing cash into Germany and it having a low army budget, and Francve being given loads of cash like Spain, to allow US bases, or fight anti-Communist wars in Vietnam.

Labour had also elected a new leader. In the 1950s Gaitskell, a right wing for Lab, leader, had led, he advocated centrist ways, like Attlee, and had been condemned by the strong left. But he died in 1963, as did around then his main left wing rival, Bevan in 1959. He was followed in the election by the election of Harold Wilson as PM. Wilson was claiming to be a left wing Labour leader, he saw his main opponent for the leadership George Brown stand.
Wilson HAD won his status, as leftist by quiting as a minister with Bevan over prescriptiomn charges, and by opposing the ditshcing of the socialist constiution in 1960, a act he won.
Also seeing Callaghan stand as another right winger in Lab terms. Some say this was a plot by the left, to lower the Right's vote, and so let him become Party leader.
Anyhow Wilson won the election, and was the first left winger of the Party to be elected leader in decades.
He ran a election campaign promising to make a white heat of technology, to make French style planned economy ways, and to make Britain a modern land, taking advantage of the Tory scandals, and their aristo image, claiming their PM, was unsuited to rule a modern Britain.

Macmillan tried a pay pause in 61, to make Britain competitive. Then he started the scheme to copy France, a body was created of unions, and company bosses, to help organise the economy, This body would co-ordinate growth. This was teal away the clothes of Wilson.
Just like they had adopted Socialist policies in the 1950s, and the Lab Tory policies a thing which was called Butskellism, as of Rab Butler having his policies. And Gaitskell. His.

But this failed, especially after Macmillan, sacked half his cabinet making him seem to have no nerve, or dithering, he had to resign again offically for health reason in 1963.
He also failed in an attempt to join the 1950s created EEC, later the European Union.

He was replaced and a Tory leadership contest occurred at the Party Conference. A Lord, who had once been a MP, was chosen as Party leadser, beating the left wing Butler. The party had eth l;aws cahnged so lords could resign and become MPs in agreeance with Tony Benn, who had inherited his father's seat against his will, who had been a Lab MP, in the 1930s,

Home, the new PM, was not charismatic, fluffing jokes, about popular culture every so often, using matvh sticks, to do sums, but not disastrous in image, in the end Lab, managed to squeeze a election victory, Wilson won the election, 44-43 with a majority of 5. Getting a Lib to be speaker increasing they majority.

Harold Wilson was the PM then, he had a coalition that had Callahghan as chancellor, and the party began to enact it's ways, The Party started to enact it's policies it replaced the Grammar and Secondary modern education system, with united comprehesinves, so instead of splitting kids at 11 into manual, and brain schools, all went to the same schools, except private school pupils,

The party legalised homosexuality, banned capital punishment, and legalised abortion all by free votes.
Roy Jenkins, takes the credit for much of these, as Home Secretary.

The party then applied to join the EEC, but failed, so making it seem a major plank of Tory economic policy was impossible.
The Tories had elected a new leader, the new young Heath, a left leaning Tory, who won the first leadership contest among all MPs.

Lab capitalised, upon the fact he had not made a huge image for himself, to hold a election in 1966, to increase it's majority, to a large majority. And a 48-41 election victory.
A run on the pound devastated the image of the Party, in 1967, the party had increased expenditure, and seen strikes in ports, and right wing stockmarket people fearing Lab policies, which harmed the parties image in the public, , it solved this by cut backs, such as delaying when the school leaving age would be raised. And army cuts.

It managed to avoid sending troops to Vietnam, despite ecieving aeconomic aid from the US. Which averted potential unpopularity among leftists, and others.

It then saw the increase in strikes occur, which it attacked by proposing the bill in place of strife, this bill would make union less free and easy to strike, and reduce they amount of strikes, by a small amountm, but Callaghan, got Barbara Castle's policy to be ditched, using union links, and loads of MPS,
Added to this also there were rumopurs of coups, by Nazis, in the 1960s Indonesia, had seen a million die when a fascist coup in Indoensia, killed loads of left wing party members. A coup helped by the US Presidents, and British Conservatives. Some feared one in Britain. But none occurred.

In the 1960s a new political staple appeared which was the issue of immigration.

Britain had seen immigration of many millions of Irish people, and Jews in the 19th Century.
In the 1910s-50s immigvration was low, bar some Carribean immigration for war time industruies. Then in the 1950s Carribean immigration and Indian immigration rose, on the crest of the need for nurses, and doctors, and bus drivers, and new labour, new families came, expecting possible jobs. Then the Tories proposed and Lab proposed to restrict this large increase which saw a big increase, before the immigration route was cut off. In the 1960s acts were passed to restrict immigration, but by then there were a million Indians, Pakistanis, and W Indies, people in Britain. Up from a fraction of that, In the areas they moved to there was of course ethnic politics developing of locals feeling they were taking jobs and housing. For instance a election in Britain, in 1964, where immigration was high saw a seat swing Tory, on a racist campaign. But this was only as this small area was a rare area of high immigration and so racial politicking, in the rest of Britain racism, was still opposed, even seeing colour bars, that existed in some 1950s British places, saying no blacks no Irish, ended.
The Lab answer was to stop immigration and pass anti-racism, laws, as they saw immediately racists treating some ethnic minorities inferior.
They passed race equality laws, and also stopped immigration, that had been stopped by the Tories anyhow
But Tory ministers wanted to restrict it more, and had some critical views of the race equiality laws. A random Tory MP claimed there would be terrifying rivers filled with human blood, within a couple of decades (1960s, means 1980s, he would be turning imn his grace as the rivers got cleaner as of Green policies, from the 1960s and 1970s, ), unless massive changes in immigration occurred, even returning immigrants back to theior homelands.
This got the support of many people, in certain places, who had feared Jewish immigration and now feared this immigration.
This seems to have shot up Tory support.
Also in the late 1960s the SNP and Plaid Cymru beat Labour in by elections, They each for a short period started winning council seats so were barely anything at all, to the fourth parties, in Scotland and Wales.
In Ulster, the situation that had remained the same as the 1920s, when Protestant Ulster Unionists tookover the country carried on. Till the1960s, Whne Irish left wing terrorists started to blow things up, in protest at increased rate, to outs the Ulster Uniopnist Orange Order regime, The rulers there complained, and started to accept some eform, Protestant extremeists opposed this, and the IRA increased acvtivitym, increasing rapidly when British troops sent to diffuse the situation stopped doing so well. I tyhink the IRA started killing at higher rate sin the 1970s,
Thouigh they had been killing at some rates, and seeing kills of them since the 1920s.
Labour increased unemployment a bit deliberatly so unions would not be able to bargain big wage increases To cvreate a labour pool.
But it remained well under a million,

Anyhow lets stop half at the Liberals in the early 50s they had alligned with the Toriesm, then in tej late 50s young libs, founded as for radical left wing beliefs, their new charismatic leaders wanted to create a new oposistyion P instead of socialist Lab, for lib free trade ways, not agreeing with the Tories, in the early 60s one of their members wona by election in Orpington starting that by electiomn wins tradition, they got a rise to just below 10 % in the 60s then rose again in the 1970 election,

Anyhow partly as of bad trade figures, totally unexpectedly beating opinion polls, then Tories won the 1970 General Election, 46-43.
They tookover, and Labour felt bad,
The Heath government had announced in the late 60s it would be tough, and a bit more monetarist and right wing, not supporting subsidies to heavy industry

The heath regime, started to try and hold to this right wing ideal.
On the bright side it was able to apply to join the EU,
And as De Gaulle was not there, was able to join in 1973, partly aided by rebel Labour MPS, who beat a rebellion of Tory Mps,
Under Labour Britain had stayed level with Germany in terms of it staying ahead of Britain.

But half THROUGH Tory rule, the ecobnomy started to see inflationa nd undemployment carruy on rising,
When Rolls Royce went bust the state decided to buy it to save it, so loads of ship firms, and such saw strikes asking for nationalisaion, to save them from competition in Korea. And such,
Then the miners went on strike and there was the 3 day week, with no elictricty except on those days in many work places. The miners seem to have won the strikem, paertly aided by the oil crisis, in 1973,
The Heath governemnt opted for a election asking who governs Britain. There were also u-turns away from the rightsist policies as they caused so much hurtmk with nationalising more uindustries een as possible, for instance the collapsing British private car industry, famous for strikes in many zones,

The ongoing result was a hung parliament in the election,
Added to this oil had been discovered in the North Sea, the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru were both boosted, Plaid by a upsurge in Welsh nationalism, snp, by the though it it is Scotland's oil, and the oil would make the land rich,. They hit above 20% of the vote in some polls, they had won a by election in 1945, and been founded in the 1930.
The electiomn result was that the Tories won more votes than Lab but Labour won more seats as of it's seats being less spread abouit, the Libs were now very left wing, including amongst them anti aparthid campiagners, and lextreme liberals, so were their natural allies, So as the Tories could not form a coalitionj, Lab was given control, both parties got barely 30s percent,.
Labour promissed to build the largest bridhge uin Britain using their posistion in power,
And won the election, with the most votes, and seats, and made a deaol to have coalition,.

The Lab regime, was popular for a while, making a wages prices pack as in the 60s,
Lab also won by making a deal with it's ANTI-eec members, like Tony Benn, who thought it was too capitalist, while Tory Eurosceptics were anti-European and were unable to be linked with the right. So well.
In 76 there was a referenda on the EU which found after a seemingly possible defeat the Yes camp win., By having all the main P leaders, on side, they got a 66% yes.

Labour had to deal with Rhodesia, through this period, seeing that land declare independence fearing Labour policies, of not allowing colonialism. THe land saw official sanctions but oil get in via Portugal's colonie,s this harnmed British relations with Africa.

In 76 Wilson who had been presented as a man of action in the 70s quit partly as of illness.
He was replaced by James Callaghan, who beat Micheal Foot the esteemed, left's leader, who had scuppred a 1960s attempt to make the undemocratic outdated House Of Lords undemocratically led by Parties,
The Lab stayed quite popular, till needing IMF cash to rescue a bad budget,
They were forced to cut budgets,
This provoked large amounts of strikes, and Lab opposistion, as later it was realised the cuts were too large.

The chancellor, Dennis Healey booed, in teh Labour Party Conference, for the cuts. Needing teh Labour NEC to support his negotitaions at times, seen as bad, by some right wingersm, as too was how trade uniosn had influence, but seen as logioxcal democarcy, by some, but mabny top Labour Party leaders, wanted more freedom, to do what voters and they wanted, not what they voters, and Labour Party members wanted.
Lab was quite poular in 78, and seemed set to do quite welkl if hold an election, but did not. It seemed then instead the election would not be held, and in the meantime, strikes went rampant in parts of Britain, which helped Tiory popularity. It was the winter of discontent, and the Tories promissed tor strike at the unions. The owrst pics were of Tv pictures of uncollected bins, and such, and the Tories claimed industry was devastated by the strikes. The GDP was growing but less than France and Germany. Added to this the devolution referendas in the late 70s of devolution to Scotland and Wales, were lost, in Wales by a lot, and in Scotland by a technicality even though most voters voted yes. To a parliament, This all made the P, seem failing, and they lost a confiodence vote after Libs stopped supporting them, and were voted out of office,
David Steel was the new lib leader, and had alligned with Lab in the earlier part of the regime, but then withdrew support. So Lab were voted out of office in an election.

43-36 1979 the Tories won, and started their Thatcher-Major era, this was post war as now no politicians in any P of influence had been in politics in World War two, most of the people now had formed opinions in reaction to 1945-79, rather than 1927-45, which is what prior politicians even Heath and his PRO-EU anti
WW2, anti-holocaust, views, were about, So that is post war politics in Britain.

They saw Heath lose, in 1974, and the Tories decide enough was enough, they needed somebody supporting their views more, and their views, they blamed economic crisis to do with the oil crisis, and such on semi-socialism. And eventually went on to do Monetrism, and such and believe unemployment was not qas bad as inlfation,

Oil just started to be brought in, in the 1970s, and started to help the economy, before the economic decline of the earlly 1980s, caused by big state cut backs, privatisations, and attacks on unions.

Trade unions used to have more power, In the 1930s, the leading union leaders tried to keep their union leaders as union leaders, not MPs, feeling tehri post mattered more.

In the 1980s, and 90s, oil, and membership of the EU, helped restart the British economy, despite the slowing of allot, by Thatcherism,

Here are some more sites, there are books and articles on the subjects in many internet places, or internet book shops, bookstores, at the bottom, are lists of which were the worst regimes of the past few centuries.

100s of great websites http://www.lonympics.co.uk/ Our Front Office

A Quiz on Politics in Britain

Our Politics centrepoint, or Front Office

An Index with links to almost all our sites.

A site on the El Nino Famines that killed 10s of millions of Indians, and Chinese and others in the 19th Century

The Circulation numbers of 53 of the biggest selling newspapers in Britain in 1993

British politicians in the media, 2007, and some from a couple of decades entering that period, and their family members

The Highland Clearances and it's full terribleness

A site on the Belgian Congo, and how the king of that land killed 10s of millions of Congolese

Why the French Revolution was good

The most evil regimes of the 19th Century

A site on 1640s Britain