The Labour Governments, 1945–51This book, by the author of the best-seller 'Winston Churchill' , is a concise reassessment of the first postwar British Governments based upon original sources - a task not previously attempted by any scholar. While sympathetic to Labour's aims in the 1945 general election campaign - which itself receives fresh treatment - Henry Pelling exposes areas of difficulty and weakness in the Government's strategy and uncovers the doubts and hesitations of its leaders. Much of the evidence comes from official papers recently released to the Public Record Office; but the private papers of Attlee, Morrison, Bevin and Dalton, among others, have been drawn upon to add details to the story. For the first time, too, there is a study of the importance of Marshall Aid, as well as of the friction that is occassioned behind-the-scenes with the Truman Administration and the US Congress. Highly readable, this book makes a major contribution to recent history and to a better understanding of the present political and international situation. |
Contents
The 1945 General Election | 17 |
Prime Minister Cabinet and Party | 35 |
Problems of Postwar Reconstruction 19456 | 55 |
Copyright | |
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1945 General Election A. V. Alexander accepted agreed American announced appointed Attlee Attlee's Bevan bill BLPES Britain British Cabinet cent Chairman Chancellor Churchill Churchill's Coalition colleagues Colonial Committee Commonwealth Communist Conservative Council countries Cripps Dalton debate Defence diary discussion dollar early Economic election Ellen Wilkinson Ernest Bevin Europe European Foreign Office Foreign Secretary FRUS Gaitskell Gordon Walker Harold Wilson HCDeb Herbert Morrison Hoffman House Hugh Dalton Hugh Gaitskell Ibid India industry July June Labour Government Labour MPs Labour Party Laski leaders London Lord LPCR major Marshall Marshall Plan meeting Ministry Morgan Phillips National Executive National Health Service nationalisation NEC Minutes Noel-Baker OEEC Opposition organisation Palestine Papers Parliament Parliamentary Party Party Conference Party's Plan political President Prime Minister programme proposals R. A. Butler secured Sept Shinwell Socialist Soviet speech took trade unions Transport Truman vote wrote