SEMINAR STUDIES IN HISTORY
The Attlee Governments 19451951
Kevin Jefferys
First published 1992 by Addison Wesley Longman Limited
Fourth impression 1996
Published 2013 by Routledge
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ISBN 13: 978-0-582-06105-7 (pbk)
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Jefferys, Kevin, 1959
The Attlee governments, 194551. (Seminar studies in history)
I. Title II. Series
354.410009
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jefferys, Kevin.
The Attlee governments, 19451951 / Kevin Jefferys.
p. cm. (Seminar studies in history)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-582-06105-9:
1. Great Britain Politics and government 19451964. 2. Attlee, C. R. (Clement Richard), 18831967. 3. Labour Party (Great Britain)
I. Title. II. Series.
DA588.J44 1992
941.0854 dc20
9130809
CIP
Contents
I should like to dedicate this book to my parents, for all their support and encouragement.
K. J.
We are grateful to the following for permission to reproduce copyright material:
Authors Agents for extracts from High Tide and After: Memoirs by Hugh Dalton, pubd. Frederick Muller; Authors Agents on behalf of Nuffield College/Random Century Group on behalf of Jonathan Cape as publishers, for extracts from The Diary of Hugh Gaitskill edited by P. Williams; Victor Gollancz Ltd for an extract from Ive Lived Through It All by Emanuel Shinwell; the Controller of Her Majestys Stationery Office for an extract from Documents on British Policy Overseas 1, III. ed. R. Bullen & M. Pelly; Authors Agents for extracts from Change and Fortune by Douglas Jay, pubd. Hutchinson; Labour Party Sales for an extract from The Labour Party Election Manifestos 1945 & 1950; Random Century Group for extracts from The Political Diary of Hugh Dalton 191540, 194560 by Dr. Ben Pimlott, pubd. Jonathan Cape; The Royal Institute of International Affairs for an extract from Documents and Speeches on Commonwealth Affairs 193152, Vol II. ed. N. Mansergh, pubd. by Oxford University Press for the Royal Institute of International Affairs; Tribune Publications Ltd for an extract from Tribune 20.4.51.
We have unfortunately been unable to trace the copyright holders of The Robert Hall Diaries by A. Cairncross, and would appreciate any information which would enable us to do so.
Founding Editor: Patrick Richardson
Introduction
The Seminar Studies series was conceived by Patrick Richardson, whose experience of teaching history persuaded him of the need for something more substantial than a textbook chapter but less formidable than the specialised full-length academic work. He was also convinced that such studies, although limited in length, should provide an up-to-date and authoritative introduction to the topic under discussion as well as a selection of relevant documents and a comprehensive bibliography.
Patrick Richardson died in 1979, but by that time the Seminar Studies series was firmly established, and it continues to fulfil the role he intended for it. This book, like others in the series, is therefore a living tribute to a gifted and original teacher.
Note on the System of References:
A bold number in round brackets (] refers the reader to the corresponding item in the section of Documents, which follows the main text. A word followed by an asterisk, for example, Blitz*, indicates that the term is defined in the Glossary.
ROGER LOCKYER
General Editor
The Attlee governments changed the face of Britain. After sweeping to power at the end of the Second World War, the Labour administration of 194550 presided over a series of far-reaching policy reforms, both at home and abroad. In domestic politics, attention focused on the introduction of a mixed economy and the welfare state. Within two years of its 1945 election success, Labour had secured major adjustments to the nations pre-war, private-enterprise economy, avoiding any return to mass unemployment and forging ahead with an extensive programme of public ownership. At the same time, legislation had reached the statute book confirming the establishment of both a national health service and a new system of social security, designed to provide protection for all from the cradle to the grave. By the time Attlees second, short-lived government of 195051 left office, Labour could claim credit for the creation of a new order: a post-war settlement that was to dominate domestic politics for a generation to come. In overseas policy, the legacy of these years was equally significant. British withdrawal from India was to mark the first stage in a transition from Empire to Commonwealth. And with the onset of the Cold War between the new superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, Labours Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, was instrumental in reshaping international affairs. Above all, as the iron curtain descended across Europe, he played a pivotal role in cementing Britains wartime alliance with the Americans, most notably through the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Abroad, as much as at home, these were changes that helped to set a pattern for subsequent decades.
Few would therefore deny that the Attlee governments were amongst the most formative in modern British history. But assessments of the outcome have been varied. Indeed in recent years, Labours record in office has become the subject of increasing controversy, both among politicians and historians. During the 1980s, Conservative administrations under Mrs Thatcher consciously sought to break with much of the domestic post-war settlement. As ).
How then should the performance of the Attlee governments be judged? The aim of this study is to provide a brief overview of the major elements of Labour policy, and to make accessible a selection of the ever-increasing volume of relevant source material. The book begins by looking at the evolution of the Labour Party on the road to 1945, as well as introducing the key individuals who were to dominate the post-war years. This is followed by a consideration of several sub-debates crucial to a wider assessment of Labours record. How far, for example, was domestic reform during 194546 the product of a distinct ideology, as opposed to the simple working-through of agreed wartime reforms? To what extent was the governments sense of direction undermined by recurrent economic crises in 1947? In what ways might Bevin as Foreign Secretary be accused of betraying hopes of a socialist foreign policy? How far did the age of austerity associated with Chancellor Stafford Cripps mark a retreat towards consensus politics? Why did Labour finally fall from power in 1951, and with what consequence? The general ).
