How Successful Was The 194551 Labour Government

How Successful Was The 1945-51 Labour Government Essay, Research Paper

To judge success, we need to look at what we are comparing

their success or failure with. In this case, success is judged by how Labour

achieved their aims, and if the present situation in Britain improved. There

are also many different areas that success can be judged in. These are

economical, political and social. From studying these individual areas, an

overall judgment can be made. Also who is judging this success. Varying views

were seen depending on the political stance of the judge. However, Labour

success shall be judged from the point of view of an historian studying this

topic many years later. Clement Atlee came to power in 1945 with many hopes for

brightening Britain.s future. His most important aim was to radically reform

Britain.s economy and therefore improve social conditions. Labour being

socialist envisioned privatisation and aid to all, no matter what class. He

also dreamed of free healthcare for all and more jobs to help unemployment.

These had long since been Labours aims, but Atlee had reformed them for his

1945 manifesto. He believed that everything would fall into place, with a

government led economy, it would strengthen so producing jobs and improving

social conditions. However, to have been successful, he needed to have achieved

these aims. Labours first 18 moths of office appeared to run smoothly enough,

and they managed to nationalise the Bank of England and the coal industry. This

nationalisation didn.t effect operations within the bank, however it showed

Labours commitment to controlling the economy and not allowing private

investments to dominate and so therefore steady the economy. The

nationalisation of coal was also proving Labours determination to stick to

policy as during the war this industry was inefficient due to its private

enterprise. Nationalisation improved conditions for workers and showed how the

future would be under Labour. Coal was detrimental to Britain.s economy, and

the speed in which Labour brought it under public ownership shows Labours

commitment. It also reduced unemployment and so decreased the amount of

benefits needed. Another early success for Labour was the formation of the

National Health Service. Created by Aneurin Bevan, it came into operation in 1946.

This was paid for by taxes and gave all people access to health care without

cost. This was a major triumph for Labour as it had been a pipe dream for many

years and this government achieved it with little strain. This is a strong

indication of Labours determination and ability to deliver its promises.. It also gained respect and support from the

influential trade unions that were hostile towards the left. As all trade

unions feared communism, the Labour party had continuous support. Also in 1946, the National Insurance Act was passed, giving

social insurance. This gave benefits to all whom for whatever reason could not

work. This was set up using the Beveridge report as its inspiration. Unlike the

NHS, it was not free for all, the amount of money given to an individual,

depended upon his/her employment history and how much they had contributed to

social security. This however was only the beginning of a major plan, and in

1948, the Assistance Act aimed to help those who fell through the national insurance

net. However, there were problems with this scheme. Benefit

levels that had been agreed could not support people as much as they needed.

This was due to the flat rate contribution system which kept the benefit level

to that of the lowest paid. However, this was not instantly noticeable and

other plans did make up for this failing. Labour also promised the people of Britain a new housing

scheme to rebuild those cities that had been blitzed in the war. They set a

five-year target to build a million houses. This project was quickly started

but soon hit problems. The first one being that to build lots of houses, one

needs a large workforce. However Britain.s labour was being concentrated upon

the coal and textile industries. They also needed lots of wood, which at that

time was being exported and imports were not welcome. Unfortunately for the new

government, the building industry was uncooperative and they focused on more

profitable ventures and before the end of 1946 it was apparent that Labours target

would not be reached, this was not blamed on Labour as they had started to

resolve a situation that had been desperate for a long time. School and hospital building was cut back as the iron and

steel needed for such tasks, were desperately needed for exports and home

investment. The result being that little improvement was made in the physical

standards. Worse, no hospitals at all were built under the labour government. This first year in parliament was a great one for Labour,

promising a bright future. All early polic

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