British society at different times in the past is one topic studied in GCSE History, and one of the periods covered is from 1931-1951. A major event of those years was the 1945 general election.
The result of the 1945 general election caused an upset in British society. Their victory came as a surprise to the Labour Party, and as a shock to the Conservative Party. The actual campaign was long, drawn out and bitter, as the wartime coalition dissolved.
Test your knowledge of British society and the 1945 general election in this enlightening quiz.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Depression, war and recovery, 1930-1953
Tories blamed the Army Bureau of Current Affairs for indoctrinating servicemen against the Tories and in favour of the Labour Party
|
There had been an electoral truce during the war, so it was hard to predict the eventual result
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
This excessive remark no doubt did the Tories much harm
|
Labour made sweeping promises in domestic policy, which were not matched in the Tory manifesto
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Beveridge proposed a welfare state, something the conservatives opposed
|
The electorate was huge - the largest ever. It included many servicemen, especially in the Far East, where the war against Japan continued into August 1945. The election took place in July
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Several Labour politicians gained very useful cabinet experience by serving in Churchill's wartime coalition
|
There were huge difficulties in registering all those who had the right to vote
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Labour intended the government to take over a number of industries, either because they were monopolies or because they were owned by a small group of very rich men
|
Labour benefited more than the Tories from the "First past the Post" system, while the Liberals - formerly in the coalition - lost out
|