Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T21:09:45.790Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

What did ‘the people’ want?: the meaning of the 1945 general election*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2010

Steven Fielding
Steven Fielding
Affiliation:
University of Salford
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Labour's victory at the general election of 1945, the first in which the party won an absolute majority in the house of commons, had fundamental implications for Britain's post-war history. Despite this, historians have failed to examine the popular political temper which made Labour's term of office possible. Instead, they have largely assumed that the Second World War radicalized the public, turning an unprecedented number into enthusiastic Labour voters. Whilst not denying that the war had a profound impact on the politics of some sections of society this article proposes a rather different perspective to that normally offered. Instead of promoting pro-Labour sentiment it seems that the conflict left many members of the public disengaged from the political process and cynical about the motives of all politicians. As a consequence, rather than have Labour hold office by itself the generally favoured outcome appears to have been the formation of a progressive coalition committed to the implementation of the Beveridge report. However, in reality, electors who did not want to see the return of a Conservative government had no choice but to vote ‘straight left’.

Type
Articles
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 35 , Issue 3 , September 1992 , pp. 623 - 639
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Last, Nella, Nella Last's war. A mother's diary, 1939–45 (London, 1971), p. 303Google Scholar.

2 Gallup, George H., The Gallup international public opinion polls. Gnat Britain 1937–75 (2 vols., New York, 1977)Google Scholar; The Tom Harrisson Mass-Observation archive, university of Sussex. Subsequent references to Gallup polls are taken from volume 1.

3 Nossiter, Tom, ‘Surveys and opinion polls’, in Seldon, Anthony (ed.), Contemporary history. Practice and method (Oxford, 1988), pp. 55–69Google Scholar.

4 Felling, Henry, review of The people's war, in History, LV, 184 (1970), 313Google Scholar; Calder, Angus, preface to the second (Panther) edition, The people's war (London, 1971)Google Scholar.

5 Daily Worker and Daily Herald, 27 July 1945.

6 Morgan, K. O., Labour a power, 1945–51 (Oxford, 1984), pp. 7–9Google Scholar.

7 Williams, Francis, Fifty years march (London, 1951), p. 358Google Scholar.

8 Richards, Peter G., ‘The political temper’, Political Quarterly, xvi, 1 (1945), 57–66CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

9 Cole, Margaret, The general election of 1945 and after (London, 1945), p. 17Google Scholar.

10 Richards, Peter G., ‘The Labour victory: election figures’, Political Quaterly, xvi, 4 (1945)Google Scholar.

11 Beales, H. L., ‘Has Labour come here to stay?’, Political Quarterly, xviii, 1 (1947), 59–60Google Scholar.

12 Morrison, Herbert, An autobiography (London, 1960), p. 232Google Scholar.

13 Economist, 28 Aug. 1945; Daily Worker, 27 July 1945.

14 Cole, 1945, p. 24.

15 Pelling, Henry, ‘The 1945 general election reconsidered’, Historical Journal, xxiii, (1980), 411Google Scholar.

16 , Morgan, Labour in power, p. 44Google Scholar; Addison, Paul, The road to 1945 (London, 1977), p. 278Google Scholar.

17 Calder, People's war; Thompson, Edward, ‘Mr Attlee and the Gadarene swine’, Guardian, 3 03 1984Google Scholar.

18 Miliband, Ralph, Parliamentary socialism (London, 1979), pp. 273–4Google Scholar.

19 Pritt, D. N., The Labour government, 1945–51 (London, 1963), pp. 9–29Google Scholar.

20 Hinton, James, Labour and socialism (Brighton, 1983), p. 165Google Scholar.

21 Calder, Angus, ‘The Common Wealth party 1942–1945’ (unpublished D. Phil, dissertation, university of Sussex, 1968, 2 vols.), 1, p. 273Google Scholar.

22 Hinton, James, ‘Coventry Communism: a study of factory politics in the second world war’, History Workshop Journal, X, (Autumn 1980), 112Google Scholar.

23 , Calder, People's war, pp. 157–61Google Scholar.

24 Priestley, J. B., Out of the people (London, 1941), pp. 79–90Google Scholar.

25 Introduction to Acland, Richard, How it will be done (London, 1943), pp. 5–6Google Scholar.

26 Priestley, J. B., Daylight on Saturday (London, 1943), pp. 37–8Google Scholar.

27 , Mass-Observation, War factory (London, 1987 edn), pp. 9, 15, 43–3, 113, 121Google Scholar.

28 Harris, Jose, ‘Did British workers want the welfare state? G. D. H. Cole's survey of 1942’, in Winter, Jay (ed.), The working class in modern British politics (Cambridge, 1983), p. 214Google Scholar.

29 Monsarrat, Nicholas, Three corvettes (London, 1955 edn), pp. 149–52Google Scholar.

30 Harrisson, Tom, ‘The British soldier: changing attitudes and ideas’, British Journal of Psychology, xxxv, 2 (1945), 35Google Scholar.

31 , Mass-Observation, The journey home (London, 1944), p. 106Google Scholar; Captain ‘X’, A soldier looks ahead (London, 1944), pp. 81–2Google Scholar.

32 , Calder, ‘Common Wealth’, I, 272Google Scholar.

33 Prior, Jim, A balance of power (London, 1986), p. 11Google Scholar.

34 , Addison, Road to 1945, pp. 147–52;Google ScholarHarrington, William and Young, Peter, The 1945 revolution London, 1978), pp. 180–1Google Scholar.

35 , Mass-Observation, ‘Do the forces want the right to vote?’, Picture Post, 19 08 1944Google Scholar.

36 , Mass-Observation, Puzzled people (London, 1947), pp. 149–51Google Scholar.

37 , Mass-Observation, Jowrtuy home, p. 107Google Scholar.

38 McCallum, R. B. and Readman, Alison, The British general election of 1945 (Oxford, 1947), p. 30Google Scholar.

39 McCallum and Readman, 1945, p. 16.

40 Cantwell, Frank V., ‘The meaning of the British election’, Political Opinion Quarterly, IX. (Summer 1945), 150Google Scholar.

41 , Pelling, ‘1945 reconsidered’, p. 412Google Scholar.

42 Eatwell, Roger, The 1945–1951 Labour governments (London, 1979), pp. 30–1Google Scholar.

43 Labour party annual conference report 1944, p 114.

44 Labour party annual conference report 1945, pp. 142–4.

45 Bourne, Joan, ‘Revitalising local Labour parties’, Socialist Commentary, 10 1944, p. 336Google Scholar.

46 Bell, Denis, ‘The young electors’, Socialist Commentary, 06 1945, pp. 114–16Google Scholar.

47 Election and organisation sub-committees’, joint memo, 5 July 1944, NEC.

48 Harrisson archive, file report 2257.

49 Harrisson archive, file report 2259.

50 Harrisson archive, file report 2270A.

51 Harrisson archive, file report 2260.

52 Mass-Observation Bulletin, I (03–04 1946), pp. 9–10;Google Scholar Harrisson archive, file reports 2376, 2260–1.

53 Abrams, Mark, ‘The Labour vote in the general election’, Pilot Papers, I, 1 (1946), 16–17Google Scholar.

54 Harrington and Young, 1945, pp. 164–5.

55 Harriston archive, file report 2260; Pelling, ‘1945 reconsidered’, p. 400.

56 Harrisson archive, file report 3253.

57 Quoted in Pelling, ‘1945 reconsidered’, pp. 410–11.

58 Harrisson archive, file reports 2261, 2257.

59 , Acland, How it will be done, p. 181Google Scholar.

60 , Eatwell, Labour governments, p. 44Google Scholar.

61 Harrisson archive, file report 2270A.

62 Mander, Geoffrey, ‘The general election’, Contemporary Review, CLXVIII (09. 1945), 138Google Scholar; Forbes, Alastair, ‘;The nation considers its verdict’, Picture Post, 7 07 1945Google Scholar.

63 Harrington and Young, 1945, pp. 157–8

64 Harrisson archive, file report 2270A.

65 , Mass-Observation, ‘Social security and parliament’, Political Quaterly, XIV, 2 (1943), 245Google Scholar.

66 Labour party annual conference report 1945, p. 94.

67 , Mass-Observation, ‘Social security’, p. 247Google Scholar.

68 , Mass-Observation, ‘Social security’, pp. 350–4Google Scholar.

69 Pelling, Henry, ‘The impact of the war on the Labour party’, in Smith, H. L. (ed.), War and social change. British socuty in the second world war (Manchester, 1986), pp. 135–6;Google Scholar Addison, 1945, pp. 216–35; , Mass-Observation, ‘Social security’, p. 250Google Scholar.

70 Economist, 24 Mar. 1945.

71 McCallum and Readman, 1945, p. 11.

72 , Miliband, Parliamentary socialism, pp. 384–5Google Scholar.

73 McCallum and Readman, 7945, pp. 53–7.

74 Cole, G. D. H., A history of the Labour party from 1914 (London, 1948), pp. 465–6Google Scholar.

75 Labour party annual conference report 1945, p. 90.

76 Picture Post, 6 Jan, 1945.

77 McCallum and Readman, 1945, p. 44; , Mass-Observation, Journey Horns, p. 43Google Scholar.

78 Daily Herald, 2 July 1945.

79 McCallum and Readman, 1945, pp, 49–50.

80 Harrisson archive, file report 2282.

81 Howell, David, British social democracy (London, 1976), p. 130Google Scholar.

82 , Howell, Social democracy, pp. 131–4Google Scholar.

83 Last, Nella Last's war, p. 288.

84 Harrisson archive, file report 2270A.

85 Harvie, Christopher, ‘Labour in Scotland during the second world war’, Historical Journal, xxvi, 4 (1983), 934–7;Google ScholarGallagher, Tom, Glasgow: the uneasy peace: religious tension in modem Scotland (Manchester, 1987), p. 255Google Scholar.

86 , Eatwell, Labour governments, pp, 37–8, 42–3Google Scholar.

87 Harrisson archive, file report 2265.

88 Cole, 1945, p. 8.

89 Bonham, John, The middle class vote (London, 1954), derived from tables 10 and 11, pp. 129–30Google Scholar.

90 , Cole, Labour party, pp. 435–6Google Scholar.

91 , Bonham, Middle class, derived from table 10, p. 129Google Scholar.

92 , Bonham, Middle class, pp. 69, 182Google Scholar.

93 British Institute of Public Opinion, The Beveridge report and the public (London, 1943), pp. 13–14Google Scholar.

94 Harrisson archive, file report 2282.

95 Harrisson archive, file report 2270A.

96 Daily Herald, 30 July 1945.

97 ‘Party development’, paper presented to the campaign sub-committee, 26 Oct. 1945, NEC.

98 Greenwood, Arthur, ‘Never again’ (London, 1943), p. 4Google Scholar.

99 Willcock, H. D., ‘Twenty-five year cycle’, New Statesman, 7 07 1945Google Scholar.

100 Labour party, ‘Build your own future. A citizen's guide to effective politics’ (London, 1944). PP. 2–3Google Scholar.

101 , Priestley, Out of the people, pp. 13–17Google Scholar.

102 Brogan, Colm, Who are the people? (London, 1943), p. 3Google Scholar.

103 Jeffrey, Tom ‘The suburban nation. Politics and class in Lewisham’, in Feldman, David and Jones, Gareth Stedman (eds.) Metropolis. London. Histories and representations since 1800 (London, 1989), pp. 205–8Google Scholar.

104 , Williams, Fifty years march, pp. 358–9Google Scholar.

105 For a contemporary demand for the abolition of the first-past-the-post system in favour of some form of proportional representation see MacKay, R. W. G., Coupon or free Being a study of elctoral reform aid representative government (1943).Google Scholar Interestingly, the author, at the time of publication a leading member of Common Wealth, became a Labour M.P. in 1945.