The 1945 General Election
Why did Labour win the 1945 General
Election?
Pre-1945
• During wartime Britain was governed by a
war cabinet which included both Labour
and Conservative politicians.
• The Labour leader Clement Attlee, Ernest
Bevin and Hugh Dalton were in the war
cabinet
Why did Labour win the 1945
General Election?
Winston Churchill
Holding an election too soon after the war
The Labour election manifesto
Complacency
Gestapo speech (Campaign Errors)
Holding an election too soon after
the war
• The Conservative Party
usually had the
advantage of being a
well oiled ‘party
machine’
• In 1945, under unusual
circumstances and with
many people still in
uniform, this machine
was unable to function
properly
Complacency
• Many
Conservatives
believed a grateful
nation would
automatically
‘thank’ Churchill;
they underrated
Labour’s chances
The Labour election manifesto
• This was far more forward thinking and
appealing than the Conservative manifesto
Winston Churchill
• Churchill was not as big an
asset as many might have
expected
• Many voters associated him
with the nation as a whole and
not with the Conservative Party
• He was also seen as a war
leader, not the right man for
peacetime reconstruction
• A large percentage of armed
service personnel voted Labour
Gestapo speech (Campaign Errors)
• Churchill lost many votes
through his Gestapo
speech.
• He unwisely tried to scare
voters with the idea that
voting Labour would
mean a totalitarian state
control and a secret
police.
• Listen to the speech
Why did Labour win the 1945
General Election?
Winston Churchill
Holding an election too soon after the war
The Labour election manifesto
Complacency
Gestapo speech (Campaign Errors)
Which factor was most important?
Which factor was least important?
This can be easily remembered
as...
W
H
T
C
G
This can be easily remembered
as...
Where
Have
The
Conservatives
Gone?
Questions
1. What type of cabinet
was in place during the
Second World War?
2. What was unusual about
the cabinet?
3. Who was the leader of
the Conservative party
during the 1945
election?
4. Who was the leader of
the Labour party during
the 1945 election?
5. What was Churchill’s
speech attacking Labour
known as?
6. Why was 1945 a bad
time to fight an election?
7. Name on promise of the
Labour election
manifesto
8. What sort of leader was
Churchill seen as?
9. What party did a large
percentage of army
personnel vote for?
10. What is an easy way to
remember the factors
explaining why Labour
won in 1945?