How Did The Labour Party Made A Change For The Future Of Britain?

Before the World War II, the United Kingdom is dealing with a big crisis, also called the Great Depression. During this period of crisis, the number of unemployed people increased dramatically, especially for the working class. At the beginning of it, a Labour government was elected for a short period of time (1929-1931). At its head was Ramsay MacDonald. When he resigned, a Conservative government was then elected. To put an end to this crisis, this Conservative government made many cuts, including on unemployed people’s benefits, and raised the income tax which drove to worse living conditions for the population. Before the second world war, the Labour party had only governed twice but only for a short period of time. The party didn’t seem …show more content…
Yet British people trusted the Labour party during the 1945 general election. What does this general election represented for the future of Britain? I shall analyse the question through the study of their manifesto. First I shall examine how the war period made a difference for the Labour party, then what the party embodied and finally what Attlee’s ministry resulted in.

First, we can see Labour’s victory as a way to avoid the situation that happened after World War I. As it has already been mentioned, Britain suffered from the Great Depression. The Labour Party mentions it in its manifesto (l.5-6) “they deserve and must be assured a happier future than faced so many of them after the last war.” With this sentence they imply that the Conservative Party had poorly managed Britain after World War I. They suggest that the Labour Party will be able to avoid such a disaster. They also acknowledge the people’s sufferings through the war. They also refer to the Conservative Party with the mention of “the hard-faced men” (l.20). This designation was pronounced by Stanley Baldwin, who was a Conservative PM after World War One. With it, he refers to himself and his ministries. The Labour Party is re-utilising it to show how …show more content…
They want to stand as a party for the people who had been left out for so long. Through their manifesto they give the impression to be the party of changes. The fact that they hadn’t been in power a lot suggests that they have a lot of ideas and measures to bring, they have a lot to prove. On line 45 “Election will be the greatest test in our history of the judgement and common sense of our people.” they are trying to persuade the people by implying that voting for them is common sense. It will show if British people are ready for socialism. There is another example of persuasion on lines 55-56 “We need the spirit of Dunkirk and of the Blitz sustained over a period of years.” It refers to two battles that affected the United Kingdom particularly. During these two battles, a spirit of unity and an important mobilisation were present. With this quote, the Labour Party wants to emphasise that Labour’s victory will be an important event that will leave a mark on British history just like the battle of Dunkirk and the Blitz did. They want the people to feel included, to show that they will need them to win and in return they won’t be left out or disappointed by the party. The Labour Party tries to embody not only socialism and changes but freedom too. The word is repeated three times in the text (l.34, 35, 39.) It shows that with them, the war will definitely be won because to them it isn’t over and Conservatives have