The Election of 1945
The 1945 election marked a decisive moment in British political history. The Right would suffer one of the worst electoral disasters in its history whilst the victorious government was far more radical than any prior government since the creation of Great Britain. Moreover, the social composition of Parliament was noticeably altered as for the first time a substantial number of working class MPs were returned, with the Communists especially, but to a lesser extent Labour as well, seeing candidates elected from social backgrounds very different to the traditional Member of Parliament.
The ground breaking 1945 election saw Britain elect a so called ‘rainbow parliament’ as the smaller parties – the Communists, National Liberals and Liberals – all made great strides at the polls at the expense of the larger Conservative and Labour parties. Despite losing more than 10% of the vote the Labour Party was the greatest victor of the election – falling only narrowly short of securing a majority in its own right. The Conservatives, whose admittedly dreadful electoral performance saw them lose a tremendous number of seats but secure a share of the vote only 5% behind Labour scarcely hung on to their status as the leading opposition to the Left. In constituencies in which the five main parties, and sometimes independents as well, were active and strong it was possible for MPs to be elected with remarkably small shares of the overall vote – this tendency greatly benefitting Labour who claimed dozens of seats in such circumstances and often by very tight margins.
The election had produced a colossal majority for the Left. Denied a majority, Labour quickly moved to negotiate alliances with the Communists and Liberals with all three parties possessing a more or less shared vision of Britain’s future. With the Communists agreeing to enter a Labour led Popular Front government unquestionably the Liberals were rather more divided – but the prospect of allowing the Labour Left and the Communists to dominate a government without their inclusion was enough to convince them to enter into the coalition. Britain had followed the general European pattern in electing a Popular Front government committed to deep reforms and a more egalitarian future.
With the Popular Front amassing a remarkable majority of almost 100 seats and its share of the popular vote close to 60% its stability and democratic legitimacy appeared unquestionable. With the war in Asia still not yet over, Britain new government, filled with hope and optimism, prepared for the construction of the ‘New Jerusalem’ at home and international peace abroad.
The election had been a humiliation for the Conservative Party, and its prestigious wartime leader, Winston Churchill, came under heavy pressure from his own party to retire and resign the leadership to a younger man – Anthony Eden – who might be able to rebuild the party. With few willing to throw the first stone against the almost universally respected former Prime Minister, Churchill bullishly refused to step down, promising to lead the opposition to victory in the next election and save Britain and its Empire from falling into a socialistic decline.
