Political Shift In 1945

A political shift occurred in Britain in 1945. A general election resulted in the selection of a Labor Party candidate, Clement Attlee, as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the winning of a majority of seats in the Parliament for the Labor Party. Before the election, Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the UK, however fluctuating political opinions during wartime and worsening economic conditions led to the falling of the Conservative Party’s appeal to the public. The Labor Party began to appeal to more people in Britain and their growing popularity and energetic campaign strategies promised of a changing political atmosphere. The election of 1945 was a turning point in Britain as it resulted in a Labor majority in the Parliament and the creation of the social welfare program. Winston Churchill resigned on May 23rd, 1945. During the following month, Churchill and Attlee entered into a “broadcasting war”, as the Conservative and Labor parties were vying over seats in the Parliament in the upcoming July election. There was also a split in the Labor Party, as some members of the party were unsure of Attlee’s

They believed it was more effective for the industries to be under state intervention rather than left to their own devices. Attlee’s government implemented state collectivism, or performing based on the interests of the common good. They redistributed incomes from the rich to the poor by taxation (Fielding et al). Attlee’s administration was able to make all of these advances despite the weak economy in Britain at this time, as Britain was recovering from five years of war. Historians throughout time have viewed Attlee’s time in office as positive for Britain, as he was able to accomplish many goals in a short amount of time (Fielding et