George Biagi
Why was labour so divided between1951-1964?
It was after the 1951 elections, that labour started a long period of internal disputing, clash of ideology, personalities, disputes, principles and the future of the party’s policy that lead the labour government to be so divided between 1951-1964.
What really started the division within the labour government was Bevan’s resignation over the health service charges in April 1951, this developed the Bevanites a subdivision within the Labour party that opposed the new more conservative policies of the new Labour party. This quickly escalated to a clash of personalities and a personal contest between Bevan and Gaitskell for the leadership of the party in succession of Atlee. The main leaders of the Bevanites were Mikardo an important figure in creating links within the House of Lords; Foot was the editor of a very left wing news paper. What they were aiming at was: further nationalisation, throughout the 50s their main policy was concerned foreign affairs and the defence policy. Their main concern was the British nuclear deterrent which they were completely against, after the Tory’s decided to have the Hydrogen bomb. Another factor that the Bevanites were concerned with was the relations with the United States; they felt that Britain was following too closely. While the rest of the party believed in the nuclear armament and that good foreign policy with the United States would benefit the British economy. Many confrontations kept happening and a party that has internal subdivisions could not possibly make a good opposition to the conservatives. The divisions within the cabin between the Bevanites and the Gaitskellites over the United States, NHS, rearmament and privatisation all of this reached the climax of Bevan’s resignation in 1951.
