Did Clement Attlee Betray His Socialist Principles

When Elected As Primeminister. Essay, Research Paper

Socialism has its roots in the nineteenth century writings of Karl Marx who demonstrated the evils of capitalism in works such as “Das Kapital”(1867). Karl Marx was seen as a revolutionary and socialists, not keen on revolution, attempted to popularise socialism in two ways. The first was to make socialist ideas respectable for the public and socialist societies, such as the Democratic Federation formed in 1881 and the Fabian Society formed in 1884, published tracts and held conferences to spread socialism. The second was to create a socialist party to gain power through the ballot box. Keir Hardie, a Scottish coal-miner, tried to gain entry to Parliament in 1892 under the banner of Labour because socialism was still suspected by the people at this time. `Socialism(1) is seen as a system of state control, either through economic management or legislative intervention, of the ownership of the basic means of production. In controlling industry and agriculture the aim is to produce what is needed by society without regard to profit thus creating an egalitarian culture in which poverty is eradicated. Human nature is fundamentally good and it is the capitalist society which distorts this nature. Socialism aims to have create equality and freedom that a capitalist society does not. Individuals also need to recognise their economic interdependence with the moral obligations to society. It follows that the means whereby wealth is created should be owned collectively and a socialist planned economy would create wealth more efficiently and distribute it more evenly. This is embodied in Clause iv (2) which still appears on Labour party membership cards today. “To secure for the workers, by hand or by brain, the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service” `The Labour Party grew in strength upon its socialist principles and in 1945 when the first Labour government was returned with a working majority Clement Attlee was able and mandated to implement socialist policies. It may be true that a party in opposition remains committed to its ideology but it is only in government that such ideology is tested. Attlee when in opposition and even as deputy had no constants when espousing socialist policies. The election victory of July 1945 was a surprise as Winston Churchill’s popularity was never below 80% in the polls (3) during the war. The Times blamed Churchill’s campaign as to close and narrow, others saw his campaign on a personal re-election level which showed disunity with and within his party. Churchill himself in his memoirs blamed Conservative party organisation for a weak and lacklustre campaign. Attlee took office and began, with his government, to implement its socialist policies. `It is true to say that no one man or woman has time and skill enough to run the whole of government and Attlee is no exception to this rule. We will therefore consider his government as a hole. The Labour party manifesto “Let us Face the Future” had expressed the need for much reform but Attlee was not its main architect. The main thrust had come from the Beveridge Report (1942) on National Insurance which had a direct effect on the introduction of the National Insurance Act (1946). This act was to create a wider scope for universal benefits which would help co-ordinate in the fight to alleviate poverty. It was during the coalition years of the war that support for many social reforms had there foundations laid. Attlee’s Labour party had pressed Churchill and tabled an amendment, the only one during the war, calling on Churchill to reconsider the cool reception he had given the Beveridge Report. The coalition government had recognised the need for such reform but it was to be James Griffiths, the Labour Minister for National Insurance, who was given the task of steering through the bill in the first Labour Parliament. `Other measures were also born in the coalition years. The Conservative Minister of Health, Willink, had published a white paper in 1944 outlining a national health service. This had in some ways been a revamp of the Labour parties document “A National Service for Health” in 1943. Beveridge had also had in his report a system of health care for the nation. It was left to Bevan to create the N.H.S. in an act in 1946. It was up and running as a national health service by 1948 but its problems had just begun. Expenditure had doubled that which was expected and the Treasury in 1951 pressed for cuts in expenditure. This was against the socialist principles of Bevan, now Minister of Labour, and Harold Wilson the President of the Board of Trade as cabinet papers showed(Cab 128/21 PRO)CM 51 (4). Both ministers felt they could not be bound by collective responsibility and resigned. This was a small set back to the Attlee government which had driven hard for an egalitarian society. `Its plans to seek full employment meant the introduction of Keynesean economics which were to replace the classical economic theories of balanced budgets that had seemed so disastrous in the slump of the 1930s. Keynes theory was that government intervention in the economy would iron out the boom and bust cycle of capitalist created ideology. When