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Revision as of 18:49, 1 October 2003 by G-Man (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The British General election of 1945 held on July 5th 1945. 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 (general elections had been cancelled for the duration of World War II) and it resulted in the shock election defeat of the Conservatives lead by Winston Churchill. And the landslide victory of the Labour Party lead by Clement Atlee, 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 re-build the country following the war than the Conservatives.
The Conservatives had become associated with the unemployment and misery of the 1930s, during the Great Depression. And their was little appetite for a return to pre-war Conservative policies.
The Labour Party on the other hand, promised to create full employment, a tax funded universal National Health Service, and a cradle-to-grave welfare state.
Political Parties Total Votes % MPs Conservative Party 9,101,099 36.2 197 Liberal Party 2,252,430 9.0 12 National Liberals 737,732 2.9 11 Labour Party 11,967,746 48.0 393 Communist Party 102,780 0.4 2 Independent Labour Party 46,769 0.2 3 National Party 133,179 0.2 3 Irish Nationalists 148,078 0.4 2