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Rationing, austerity and the Conservative party recovery after 1945*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska
Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska
Affiliation:
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
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Abstract

The general election of 1945 is described as ‘the Waterloo of the Conservative party’. Yet, in 1951 the Conservatives returned to power and were to remain in office for thirteen years. The purpose of this article is to examine this transformation in electoral fortunes. Labour's defeat in 1951 is usually explained in terms of government fatigue, redistribution, and Liberal disintegration. It is argued here that the Conservative party was not just a passive beneficiary of these developments. Rather, the 1951 result was the outcome of a sustained effort since 1946 to regain the initiative and political power. The Conservatives were actively engaged in forging an anti-socialist coalition focused on disaffection with austerity, rationing and controls on which the party's recovery after 1945 is based.

The discussion is divided into four sections. The first outlines the extent of shortages, establishes the significance of this issue in political debate, and identifies the social groups most affected. Part two traces the swing to the right from 1947 onwards and the third section explores Conservative propaganda in opposition to rationing, austerity and controls. The final part examines the party's assessment of the electoral task, its monitoring of public opinion, and the range of techniques employed to rally support.

Type
Articles
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , March 1994 , pp. 173 - 197
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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Footnotes

*

Earlier versions of this paper were presented at a conference on political parties and political identities in modern Britain, 1832–1964 at Girton College, Cambridge, Sept. 1991 and at seminars at Warwick University and the Institute of Historical Research, London, in 1992. I am grateful for comments received then and I would also like to thank David Butler, Paul Addison, Ross McKibbin, Neil Rollings and Liz McCarthy for helpful suggestions and comments. The argument put forward in this article is discussed in detail in my forthcoming book Austerity in Britain: rationing and state controls, 1939–54 (Oxford University Press).

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