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Section 6
Life After War
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Austerity | A period of difficult economic conditions as the government reduces spending. |
| Demobilisation | The process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status usually after a victorious conclusion to a war. |
| Beveridge Report | A government report, presented by Sir William Beveridge to the British Parliament in November 1942, which led to the establishment of social security and the NHS after the end of the War |
| Victory in Europe | 8th May 1945 |
| The National Debt | The national debt had risen from £760 million to £3500 million. Britain had spent close to £7 billion, a quarter of the national debt, on the war effort. |
| Britain's Wealth | Britain had lost 30% of its wealth. |
| The Demobilisation Plan | The plan was to release servicemen and women in an organised way. People were to be released from the armed forces based on their age, service number and their length of service. |
| The Return to 'Civvy Street' | People found their marriage or relationship had broken down in their absence and divorce rates increased. People found it difficult to return to work and found ordinary life hard to cope with. |
| War Damage | As can be expected, a country that had been at war from September 1939 to May 1945 now faced a number of difficulties |
| War Damage- Economic | - Pressures of demobilised soldiers needing jobs - Shortages of food and vital materials so rationing had to continue - By 1945, Britain's reserves of gold had fallen from £864 million to £3 million, Britain had lost 30% of its total wealth. |
| War Damage- Social | - Rising divorce rates - Food shortages and long queues |
| War Damage- Housing | - Towns and cities were heavily bombed - 20% of schools/ house were destroyed or in need of repair - Thousands lost their homes and many slept in army camps short term - Poor standard of housing, such as lack of running water. |
| The 1945 General Election | The two leading parties were the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. The Liberal Party were in decline at this stage. |
| Labour Party | Leader:- Clement Attlee |
| Conservative Party | Leader:- Winston Churchill |
| Manifesto | A public declaration of policy and aims, especially one issued before an election by a political party or candidate. |
| 1945 General Election- Result | The result was declared on 26 July 1945 and it was a surprise to many, Labour had won a landslide victory |
| Causes of the 1945 Election Victory | The British people wished to see a change and believed Labour would bring a break from the 1930's Depression. The Conservatives had under-estimated this mood. Despite Churchill's popularity, the Conservative Party struggled to find new supporters. |
| Reasons why Labour won | The Labour Party's landslide electoral victory of 1945 was based on the idea that they could reconstruct Britain after the devastating effects of fighting a war. |
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