1945 United Kingdom general election

E18695

The 1945 United Kingdom general election was a landmark post-World War II vote in which Clement Attlee’s Labour Party won a landslide victory over Winston Churchill’s Conservatives, leading to the creation of the modern British welfare state.


Statements (60)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United Kingdom general election
parliamentary election
ConservativePopularVoteShare 39.7%
ConservativeSeatChange -189
ConservativeSeatsWon 197
country United Kingdom
defeatedParty Conservative Party (UK)
describedAs key moment in the creation of the modern British welfare state
landslide victory for Labour
watershed in British political history
electionFor House of Commons of the United Kingdom
endDate 1945-07-26
heldDuring post-World War II period
LabourPopularVoteShare 47.7%
LabourSeatChange +239
LabourSeatsWon 393
LiberalPopularVoteShare 9.0%
LiberalSeatChange -9
LiberalSeatsWon 12
mainIssue employment
future of wartime social reforms
housing
nationalization of key industries
post-war reconstruction
social welfare
mainLeader1 Clement Attlee
mainLeader1Party Labour Party (UK)
mainLeader2 Winston Churchill
mainLeader2Party Conservative Party (UK)
mainLeader3 Archibald Sinclair
mainLeader3Party Liberal Party (UK)
majoritySeats 321
nextElection 1950 United Kingdom general election
notableFor beginning of the modern British welfare state
creation of the post-war consensus in British politics
defeat of Winston Churchill’s Conservative Party
landslide victory of the Labour Party
numberOfSeatsContested 640
previousElection 1935 United Kingdom general election
primeMinisterAfterElection Clement Attlee
primeMinisterAfterParty Labour Party (UK)
primeMinisterBeforeElection Winston Churchill
primeMinisterBeforeParty Conservative Party (UK)
resultedIn Clement Attlee becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
creation of the National Health Service
end of the wartime coalition government
expansion of the welfare state in the United Kingdom
formation of a majority Labour government
implementation of the Beveridge Report recommendations
introduction of comprehensive social security measures
large-scale public housing programs
nationalization of major industries in the United Kingdom
start of the Attlee ministry
startDate 1945-07-05
voteCountingCompletedOn 1945-07-26
voterTurnout 72.8 percent
72.8%
voterTurnoutChange +3.0 percentage points
winningParty Labour Party (UK)
wonBy Labour Party (UK)

Referenced by (2)

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