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The British general election of 1945 held on July 5th 1945 but not counted and declared until July 26 1945 (due to the time it took to transport the votes of those serving overseas) was one of the most significant general elections of the 20th century.

Held just months after VE Day, it was the first general election to be held since 1935, as general elections had been suspended during World War II. It resulted in the shock election defeat of the Conservatives led by Winston Churchill and the landslide victory of the Labour Party led by Clement Attlee, who won a majority of 145 seats.

The result of the election was almost totally unexpected, given the hero status of Winston Churchill, but reflected the voters' belief that the Labour Party were better able to rebuild the country following the war than the Conservatives. Churchill and the Conservatives are also generally considered to have ran a poor campaign in comparison to Labour; Churchill's statement that Atlee's program would require a Gestapo-esque body to implement is considered to have been particularly poorly-judged. Equally, whilst voters respected and liked Churchill's wartime record, they were more broadly distrustful of the Conservative Party's domestic and foreign policy record in the late thirties. (It is worth remembering that the last election had been held in 1935, and voters had been given no opportunity, due to the war, to 'let off steam' electorally between then and 1945.) Labour had also been given, during the war, the opportunity to display to the electorate their domestic competence in government under men such as Ernest Bevin at the Ministry of Labour.

The Labour Party, promised to create full employment, a tax funded universal National Health Service, and a cradle-to-grave welfare state. Which they duly did once elected.

Total votes cast: 24,073,025. All parties with more than 1,100 votes shown. Conservative total includes Ulster Unionists.

Reason for Labour victory

With the Second World War coming to and end in Europe, Churchill called a general election. What followed was perhaps on of the greatest swing of public confidence of the 20th century. Labour won overwhelming support while 'Churchill... was both surprised and stunned' by the crushing defeat suffered by the conservatives. How this swing of opinion came about is not only due the failings of the conservative party but also to labours manifesto of social reform.

With the war drawing to an end by 1945, the national government sought to call an election in a bid to return to a two party system. With Churchill still riding the wave of victory was believed by many to win the election on his personality and wartime leadership alone. The conservatives themselves were so sure of this that they based their entire election campaign on this fact and thus brought about their downfall.

However it was not entirely this factor alone that lost the election for the conservatives. Were as labour offered a new comprehensive welfare policy the conservative did little to reconigise the growing sense of social awareness and thus did little to change the its stance on social policy, despite the general agreement after the war that the public deserved something better. The conservative were not willing to make such major concessions as labour proposed, and hence appeared disjointed with public support. This lack of direction was a major failing of the party and did little to gain support.

Finally in addition to the conservative poor election strategy, Churchill went so far as to accuse Attlee as being a dictator despite Attlee's loyal service in Churchill own cabinet during the war. The possible final nail in the conservative coffin was that people associated the conservatives with the 1930's policy of appeasement, which had brought about the war. This policy alone caused many to evaluate their loyalties, voting instead for Labour and thus bring about one of the most dramatic swings of public opinion in the 20th century.

Despite the Conservative failures, Labour's dramatic win was due largely to the policy of social reform. One poll showed that 41% of people saw housing as the single most important issue that faced the country. The welfare state, based on the Beveridge report, proposed a dramatic turn in British social policy. The provision of free health care, free education, national insurance and a new housing policy. Formed the foundation of this act in an aim 'to provide from cradle to grave'. This dramatic police of reform cause millions to flock to labours banner. '...Large labour majority...it must be the forces vote', In fact 90% of the armed forces voted labour.

The results of the election show that it's simply not just a loss of faith in conservative ideas. Bt a more general swing of public opinion. Desiring a better standard of living labours policy of social reform motivated the masses to vote labour. This factor combined with the conservative seemingly poor reputation during the last 10 years, due largely to chamberlain's policy of appeasement, and lack of a constructive campaign allowed labour to form its first majority government under Attlee.

See also

• MPs elected in the UK general election, 1945

• UK General Election results
• 1945