What was the post war 'consensus'?

 Many critics have often argued that Atlee was not overly Socialist at first but was under great influence of the great economist John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946).  Keynes believed very much in the expansion of the welfare state.  He also believed of a ‘state financed system of social security accessible to all citizens and state responsibility for the growing economy.’  Not only this but he also thought that the ‘government should be more active in introducing regulations and controls aimed at influencing prices and wages, rather than just implementing economic policy in an attempt to prevent recession.’  Not everybody agreed with Keynes theories and certain divisions were made between parties at the time too.  

The successes of the consensus meant that both parties’ ideas were almost identical but then again still there were differences.  As much as Atlee did for the British government during the consensus years Hugh Gaitskell replaced him in 1955 who would now run the labour party.  Gaitskell was different to Atlee in many ways, he also believed in the welfare state and most labour ideology but worked more effectively than his previous successor.  This was correct to the point that labour and conservative views were now being referred to as  ‘Butskellism rather than socialism and conservatism.’  He was also quite often referred to as the ‘man with the plan’ when it came  to the attention of the general public.  

The Conservative party during the consensus years had a varied role and was under its leader at the time Rab Butler (who moved the party side to the left on the political scales) , not all its members agreed with Labour policies and even though they may not have showed their dissent in public, the reality was very much different.  The Conservative party has always had its traditional views on policymaking and to a certain degree its ideas were quite different to that of labours especially in areas such as Nationalisation which the Conservatives are strongly against.  However to this, post war conservative leaders complied passively and without protest to Labour ideology.  In 1951, when the labour party was defeated in the elections and the conservatives were now leading, they did nothing to change anything or alter the consensus and continued to go along with it for many years especially with regards to the welfare state.  

In conclusion, the consensus years has been approached differently by many critics in different manners.  There are those who say it existed and those who say it did not and that the earlier governments only acted out of pity and consciousness for the people at the time.  However, had it not happened then the establishment of the National Health Service would not have been done, nationalisations of companies would not have occurred.  Living standards would not have increased either, the general public were living with much ease compared to those years when the depression was at its worst and it was in 1951 that Prime minister Macmillan made his famous speech of ‘most of our people had ever had it so good.’  Political writers like Peter Hennessy have often argued that ‘consensus’ is too strong a word to use during that particular era and what it implied was ‘social harmony and an absence of conflict’ between the major parties and was more in favour of using ‘post war settlement’ as a result of deferring political views.