Clement Attlee
July, 1945-June, 1957
Labour Majority
Uncle Clem
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"His name was Clement Attlee, and he was a modest man". These words, spoken at his funeral by his close comrade and eventual successor as Labour Prime Minister, are perhaps the best words that can describe such a momentous figure of British History. To understand Attlee is to understand a nation, one wrecked in the hurricane of war, pulling itself from the eye of the storm to bask in the sun, even if only for a brief moment. His term, whilst long and exhausting, is perhaps the most important in modern British history, even if it would be overshadowed by his successors, and to grasp why, it would be best to know where he started.
A Member of Parliament for Limehouse, Attlee would arrive somewhat quietly into the chaos of interwar British Politics. Cutting his teeth on the MacDonald leadership, Attlee would hold various minor positions under MacDonald, such as in the Simon Commission, eventually becoming the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster within the second Labour Government. Here, Attlee would also be made Postmaster-General during the 1931 crisis, and became well known when he took over as the temporary Leader of the Opposition whilst George Lansbury recovered from a leg injury. Attlee would himself become Leader of the Labour Party in 1935, and a fierce and vocal opponent of the Chamberlain led Conservative Government. Following the resignation of Chamberlain in the tumultuous weeks after Norway disaster, Attlee and Labour would enter a Coalition with Churchill. The Coalition would allow Attlee to take over domestic affairs, whilst Churchill and the Conservatives took over those of foreign concerns, which suited Attlee fine, and he used this as a chance to build his Parties base. As the War concluded, it was clear that the British people were seeking change- the Beveridge Report proved highly influential, and whilst all major parties adopted the report, with it clear to the electorate that Attlee and Labour would be the best to deliver.
Armed with a Party at the pinnacle of its strength and support, on the promise of a brighter future, Attlee and the Labour Party would swing into office on a landslide of which the likes of which had never been seen before, and never been seen since since. With this Majority, Attlee would go forth and rebuild Britain in the image of Labour- Aneurin Bevan's National Health Service, the Beveridging dream of the cradle-to-grave Welfare State, the advancement of workers rights, nationalization of key industries, improvements for those in agricultural sector and for families across the nation, energy reform to meet the needs of people, and the undertaking of a massive housing development (although this would suffer from a lack of material). Abroad, Attlee faced the opening maneuvers of the Cold War, facing off against Soviet Europe with Ernest Bevin, attempting to use Britain's position to drive a wedge and create a Third Power, although this would quickly fail as Anglo-Soviet Relations crumbled, and the British economy came to rely on America. The crumbling of Anglo-Soviet relations would have a wider impact on the Nation, with the 1949 Strikes put down with military force, both Attlee and Bevin concerned over the threat of Communism to National Security. Elsewhere, Attlee would oversee the opening of the long and arduous process of decolonization, beginning with India, which would be partitioned and granted Independence in 1947, Cyclone and Burma following in suite. Urgently, there was trouble in Palestine, which saw deployment into the Mandate to keep order during the Zionist uprisings. Eventually, in a popular move, Attlee would step back and relinquish control of the situation to the United Nations, although less popular would be the failures of 'New Colonialist' projects in Kenya.
An election would be called in 1950, and the results would be surprising- loss, whilst expected, was not expected to the extent that Attlee would suffer, and whilst Labour would remain in power, their Majority would be slim. It would be within this Second Term that things took a turn for the worst, as he proverbial old guard, such as Bevin and Attlee's long time friend Cripps, would begin to die off. To make things worse, Britain's entry into the Korea War was unpopular, and Bevan resigned in protest of what he saw the perversion of his NHS by Hugh Gaitskell, Bevan taking several key members of Labour out with him. With the Government on it's final legs, a runner having run to far too quickly, it was unfathomable that the situation could be turned around. However, in a perverse twist of fate, in 1952, the situation changed with the death of his Royal Highness, King George VI.
Following the Kings death, and the ascension of his daughter Elizabeth, Attlee called a Snap Election, and was able to swing a narrow victory from the Churchill led Conservatives. The reasons were threefold- the waves of grief at the death of the King was exploited, in a sense, by Labour (oft circulated was he now famous "The King and I" election poster, which depicted Attlee and the King standing together) and celebration for the new Monarch, the improvement of the economic situation, and the sudden rise of the Liberal Party, who ate away at Conservative Votes. Whilst Attlee was able to secure victory, it was slender, although not as narrow as the two years previous.
Despite victory, it was clear Attlee was exhausted, having completed to the best of his abilities what he had set out seven years earlier. It is unclear to history why Attlee continued as Labour Leader through to the 1957 General Election, although theories, ranging from his disgust for Herbert Morrison, a sense of duty, or simply he saw no other way out. But he continued, to the best of his abilities. In the extension of his second term, Attlee saw the further transformation of the Commonwealth into a multi-ethnic organisation, the continuing of major public works and development schemes, the 'end' of the Korean War. The Nationalization of the Suez Canal would prove a particularly striking moment in international affairs, and would be the end of Attlee. Following the unexpected nationalization of the Suez Canal by the Egyptian, when negotiations failed, it was decided among the Cabinet that action would have to be retaken immediately, as the actions of the Egyptians threatened British Shipping. Attlee, paranoid that Nassar was moving Egypt closer to the USSR, was however unwilling to commit militarily to actions that would topple Nassar. The failure to address this would carry through into 1957, when the crisis petered out, although left itself as a firm thought in the minds of the British Public. It was clear that Attlee was over- he would only go through the election in 1957 in hopes of securing another Government for his successor. However, it was over. Labour would loose in a landslide to the Conservatives, and Attlee retired, leaving leadership to Hugh Gaitskell.
Attlee would remain involved in politics until his death in 1960, although as a spectator instead of a competitor. Whilst he was elevated to peerage, the twelve long years had proved draining- both physically and mentally- with the exhausted Attlee passing away only three years after he left No. 10, survived by his Wife, Children, and their Children, remembered as a modest man who never asked for anything else then the means to make things right.
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