1945 General Election
Following the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, Attlee and Churchill wanted the coalition government to last until Japan had been defeated. However, Herbert Morrison argued that the party would not accept this, and the Labour National Executive Committee agreed with him. Churchill responded by resigning as coalition Prime Minister and calling for an immediate election.
The war set in motion profound social changes within Britain and led to a popular desire for social reform. This mood was epitomised in the Beveridge Report. The report assumed that the maintenance of full employment would be the aim of postwar governments, which would provide the basis for the welfare state. Immediately on its release, it sold hundreds of thousands of copies. All major parties were committed to this aim, but perhaps Attlee and Labour were seen by the electorate as the best candidates to follow it through.
Labour campaigned on the theme of "Let Us Face the Future " and positioned themselves as the party best placed to rebuild Britain after the war, while the Conservatives' campaign centred around Churchill. With the hero status of Churchill, few expected a Labour victory. However, Churchill made some errors during the campaign. Among others, his suggestion during a radio broadcast that a Labour government would require "some form of a gestapo" to implement their socialist policies was widely seen as being in bad taste, and backfired.
The results of the election came as a surprise to many, including Attlee, when they were announced on 26 July. Labour had swept to power in a landslide, winning just under 50% of the vote, to the Conservatives' 36%. Labour won 393 seats, giving them a majority of 146 seats. It was said that when Attlee visited King George VI at Buckingham Palace to kiss hands, the notoriously laconic Attlee and the notoriously tongue-tied George VI stood for some minutes in silence before Attlee finally volunteered the remark "I've won the election." The King replied "I know. I heard it on the Six O'Clock News."
Read more about this topic: Clement Attlee
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