2.3.1. British Politics 1945-1974

• In Great Britain, from 1945-1974, the most important political parties were the Conservative and the Labour parties.
• The former's program supported the free market.
• The latter pursued the creation of a welfare state.
• From 1946-1974, the respective parties alternated in governing the country.
• After WWII, the two traditional parties on the British political scene were the Conservative and Labour parties.
• During the War, the two parties formed an antifascist coalition led by Winston Churchill of the Conservative Party.
• The first post-war elections that took place in 1945 were won by the Labour Party.
• The Labour Party's political program, which promised a welfare state, strongly appealed to the British electorate.
• It raised the expectations of the British society, which had been plagued by the economic repercussions of the war, for a swift resolution of the crisis.
• The Labour Party's program was based on two key pillars:
  • Nationalization of key sectors of the economy
  • Radical improvement of social services
• Industries like coal, steel, electricity, gas, transportation (air, road, rail), healthcare, and banking were nationalized with the creation of state-owned social security institutions.
• Income from these sectors was used by the Labour government to implement social reforms, such as free medical care for all, unemployment benefits, assistance to vulnerable groups, maternity leave, and better treatment of women.
• These reforms also encompassed housing.
• The Conservative's economic policies did not meet expectations.
• The 1951 elections brought the Conservative Party to power.
• Their program promised economic freedom and privatization of the state sector.
• However, in practice, they followed a cautious policy with the privatization of the state sector progressing at a slow pace.
• Construction of workers' housing continued to provide housing for workers, the homeless, and the vulnerable.
• Although the Conservatives constituted a right-wing political force, they did not overturn the reforms for the welfare state that had been implemented by the Labour government.
• Conservative governments remained in England until 1964.
• When the Labour Party won that year's elections, it did not significantly deviate from the Conservatives' policies in the economic sector.
• However, their failure to achieve the economic changes they promised in the 1970 elections led to power being handed back to the Conservatives.
• The alternation of the two parties in power can be attributed to the fact that their programs differed very little.
• However, this political situation left a large number of workers unhappy, who expressed their dissatisfaction through strikes and demonstrations that rocked British society.
• As a result, the Labour Party won the 1974 elections by a very small margin.
• In its foreign policy, the two parties followed the same line, which was based:
  • Friendship with the US and Western European countries.
  • Support for decolonization processes
  • Maintaining a neutral stance in various global disputes
• Welfare state refers to the comfort, or improvement of the living conditions of a society in relation to income and the extent to which conditions affect it.

A concise overview of British politics from 1945 to 1974. The Conservative and Labour parties dominated this era, alternating in power. Labour focused on building a welfare state, while Conservatives favored free market principles.