Post War Consensus

Today, British politics is more polarised than ever. The British political system is shrouded in debate and dispute, with political parties disagreeing on all matters from foreign affairs to Brexit strategy, from fiscal responsibility to economic policy.

It's hard to comprehend a time when MPs united behind a common goal, disregarding party ideology and putting the needs of the British public first. This period – known as the Post-War Consensus – saw collaboration between the major political parties for four decades.

But how did consensus politics originate? How successful was it? How did it end?

Post War Consensus Meaning

After the devastation of the Second World War, a new type of politics emerged in Britain – one in which parties on both sides of the political spectrum sought to address the needs of post-war British society. The period of consensus saw the establishment of the Welfare State. Welfare policies included the establishment of the National Health Service (NHS), educational reform, and increased social welfare.

Post War Consensus Definition

The post-war consensus in Britain began in 1945 with the election of Clement Attlee's Labour government. Attlee initiated the Welfare State upon election, establishing free universal healthcare, sick pay, and unemployment benefits. Successive governments continued such far-reaching welfare reforms for 30 years.

The end of Consensus politics came in the late 1970s with the rise of Margaret Thatcher. Aiming to reduce inflation, Thatcher privatised utilities, sold off council housing, and curbed full-time employment.

Post-War Consensus Timeline

Here is a quick timeline outlining the post-war consensus period.

The Conservative Party and the Labour Party

Before we examine the post-war consensus, we must get to grips with the history and ideologies of both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. We can only fully comprehend the enormity of Consensus Politics by understanding the two major political parties.

The Conservative party is one of the oldest political parties in the United Kingdom. They sit on the right of the political spectrum. The party was formed in the 1830s from the old 'Tory party' after the Reform Bill of 1832, which granted voting rights to middle-class citizens. In 1834, the first Conservative government was formed by Sir Robert Peel, who focused on law and order and orderly taxation.

The party split in 1846 over the issue of the repeal of the Corn Laws; consequently, the Conservatives were out of government for the next thirty years. Eventually, the party was reorganised by Benjamin Disraeli, who was Prime Minister for a few months in 1868 and then from 1874-1880.

Post-War Consensus

After the devastation of the Second World War, there was a cross-party agreement about Britain's future. Although both parties had ideological differences, they agreed that Britain should enact far-reaching welfare reform while maintaining its international standing.

Britain's consensus included all areas of foreign policy, and a focus on social and economic reform. Both Labour and Conservative governments between 1945 and 1979 ensured that the following policies were implemented:

• Welfare provisions.

• A publicly-funded National Health Service.

• Nationalisation of industries and public utilities.

• National Insurance reform.

• Social security.

• Full employment.

• Introduction and development of nuclear weapons.

Fig. 1 - 1948 leaflet outlining the National Health Service

Post War Consensus UK

This section will look at the Prime Ministers from 1945-1979 and their engagement with Consensus Politics.

Clement Attlee (1945-1951)

Clement Attlee became Prime Minister in 1945 after Labour's landslide victory in the general election.

Fig. 2 - Clement Attlee

Under his leadership, several fundamental aspects of the welfare state were created:

• The Family Allowance Act of 1945 gave monetary provisions to support children.

• The National Insurance Act of 1946 provided various benefits for sickness, injury, unemployment, and widow's benefit.

• The creation of the National Health Service in 1948 provided universal free healthcare. Consensus politics was integral to the foundation of the NHS. While the Conservatives disliked large public spending, they wholly backed the policy.

• The nationalisation of industries and utilities such as coal, iron, steel, and electricity.

Winston Churchill (1951-1955)

The Welfare State set up by the Attlee government went completely against traditional Conservative principles. It involved high taxation, lots of government spending, and interference in people's personal lives.

While people thought the Welfare State would be dismantled, Winston Churchill stuck by the post-war consensus and continued Attlee's work. Installing Harold Macmillan as Minister of Housing, Churchill's government pledged to build 300,000 homes in a year.

Anthony Eden (1955-1957)

Anthony Eden became Prime Minister in 1955, succeeding Winston Churchill. During his tenure, the two major crises were the Suez Canal Crisis and the run on sterling.

The Suez Crisis was a colossal failure for Eden, shattering his authority at home and abroad. It angered the Americans and drew much criticism from the British people and politicians. Eden was viewed as arrogant and unfit to lead the government. He had made too many decisions without the government's support, proving severely detrimental to the country.

Harold Macmillan (1957-1963)

Harold Macmillan began his career within the Conservative Party as Minister of Housing. He was later promoted to Minister of Defence, Foreign Secretary, and Chancellor of the Exchequer. The resignation of Eden meant that Macmillan was forced to tackle the fallout from the Suez Canal Crisis.

Fig. 3 - Kennedy and Macmillan

Throughout his premiership, MacMillan sought to tackle the rising rate of unemployment. To achieve this, he appointed socially liberal Richard 'Rab' Butler as Home Secretary. The appointment of Butler suggested that MacMillan was trying to change the more traditional social outlook of the Conservatives in line with the general post-war consensus on social issues.

Macmillan passed several pieces of legislation in line with the post-war consensus:

• The 1957 Homicide Act came close to abolishing the death penalty.

• The Rent Act of 1957 abolished rent control, putting six million more properties on the market.

• In 1962, Macmillan negotiated the Nassau Agreement with President John F Kennedy, which gave Britain the Polaris nuclear system. This system would be used as the UK's nuclear deterrent until 1996.

Alec Douglas-Home (1963-1964)

Alec Douglas-Home started his career as a member of parliament for the Scottish Unionist Party. From 1937 to 1939, he served as a parliamentary private secretary to the then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. In 1956, he served as the Commonwealth Secretary during the Suez Canal Crisis.

Despite being Prime Minister for only one year, Douglas-Home oversaw the reform of the Conservative Party and actively tried to push forward economic growth. One of his most significant policies was the Resale Price Act of 1964. This legislation stopped manufacturers from imposing resale prices on items and thus helped cut prices and drive economic growth.

Harold Wilson (1964-1970, 1974-1976)

Born in Yorkshire during the First World War, Harold Wilson became the youngest serving member of the cabinet of the 20^th century when he was made President of the Board of Trade aged just 31.

Under his leadership as Prime Minister, many significant goals were achieved. The 1965 Murder Act formally abolished the death penalty, and the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 decriminalised several aspects of homosexuality.

In his second period of leadership, Wilson continued the post-war consensus by focusing on domestic policy and social reform. He achieved reforms in education, health, gender equality, housing, and welfare.

Fig. 4 - Harold Wilson

Edward Heath (1970-1974)

Edward Heath became Prime Minister during significant industrial reform and economic decline. He led the UK into the European Economic Community during his tenure – something other Prime Ministers had been trying to do for over a decade.

Heath's tenure was defined by industrial action and Trade Union activity:

• He attempted to weaken the power of the Trade Unions with the 1971 Industrial Relations Act; this was unsuccessful and was subsequently repealed in 1974.

• Under his leadership, there were two significant miners' strikes in 1972 and 1974. The Miners' strike of 1974 led to the 'Three-Day Week'.

James Callaghan (1976-1979)

James Callaghan became Prime Minister after the shock resignation of Harold Wilson in 1976.

Callaghan had success in social reform:

• The 1977 Housing Act made local governments responsible for housing the homeless.

• The Police Act of 1976 made the complaints system for the Police more efficient.

• The 1977 Education Act limited the number of independent or grant-funded schools in any one area.

Despite successes in social reform, Britain's economy was in disarray. In an attempt to reduce inflation, Callaghan cut wages. This action prompted widespread strikes known as the Winter of Discontent.

Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990)

Margaret Thatcher had a long political career before her rise to the role of Prime Minister in 1979, serving as Shadow Environment Secretary and Education Minister before her accession to the leadership of the Conservative Party in 1979.

Thatcher's leadership has been considered the death knell for Consensus politics. Thatcher wanted:

• A smaller government.

• Fewer economic controls.

• Greater independence of the individual from the State.

Thatcher disliked the Welfare State and believed people should rely on themselves rather than the State; consequently, she embarked on a mission to withdraw government control. This took the form of privatising many vital industries, the sale of council housing to private tenants, and reducing government spending on social services, education, healthcare, and housing. With these reforms, the era of consensus politics was over.