In the elections, the Labor Party of Great Britain won convincingly more than once, this once again confirms the proper functioning and stability of the two-party system. Legislation and reforms carried out earlier showed this powerful political party as a worthy choice of the British. The history of Great Britain demonstrates the modern model of government, shaped during the last century, when the once powerful Liberal Party gave way to the young Labor Party. But at all times the UK has been truly ruled by the Conservatives.
Anticonservative Party
The Laborites were able to fully express themselves only when the First World War ended, with the advent of a strong and bright leader - K. Attlee. In the twenties, the Labor Party of Great Britain declared itself for real, having formed a government twice with R. MacDonald at the head.
It was in the twenties that party strength and strength appeared, which did not allow the Laborites totroubled years to lose the already won status of the first and main anti-conservative party with firm intentions to defend the interests of the nation at the helm.
National interests
The British Labor Party had a strong leadership, and although radical members of the party tried to resist, Labor's priority was to become not just an influential movement, but a party of power. There was a period when Labor was in opposition, from 1924 to 1929, when their first cabinet fell. At that time, principles were formed that to this day are defended not by group Labor, but by national interests.
It was at the end of the twenties that a profound transformation of the entire party-political system was completed, therefore the constant and justified interest in this period of the party's existence is very great, because in this short period of time one can trace the entire evolution of political ideas that are still the British Labor Party preaches.
Analysis of programmatic and theoretical settings
For a full disclosure of the topic of the article, it is necessary to study all the characteristic features of the organizational and political development that the party underwent in the second half of the twenties, the principles of working with voters, party propaganda work, and it is also necessary to analyze the theoretical programs of the period of work in opposition.
At the end of the twentieth century, national parties were formed in many states. Labor PartyGreat Britain can serve as an example for studying the process of becoming an opposition, leftist party in a democratic political system, since the issue of the emergence of new parties in various countries is relevant.
In opposition
Usually, the period of the greatest activity of the community is considered, and the period of maturation of party ideas does not receive sufficient study and coverage in historiography. Let's try to correct this omission, since the experience of becoming one of the country's main parties is interesting not only as the history of Great Britain.
After 1929, being at the helm, in the fight against the crisis of 1931, the Labor Party only applied what it had accumulated during the quiet period of being in opposition. In the shadows, Labor has not sat idly by while the other political parties in the UK have ruled: they have ironed out internal problems, strategized the way forward, learned from the recent past and made plans for the future.
Protest Party
No need to assume that the formation of the first Labor government in 1924 swept away all obstacles in its path, and victory in the 1929 elections was predetermined. Yes, the Labor Party of Great Britain won a majority in Parliament, but this was neither the result of the miscalculations of the previous Conservative cabinet, nor some kind of unshakable success laid down in the previous elections.
Indeed, the Conservatives did not justify the hopes of the people, but the Laborites were at that time just a partyprotest, the views of which the people could sympathize with, but hardly trust. The first test of power put all the dots over and, the Laborites clearly would not have had enough time to seriously consider the current situation and search for their role in it. Therefore, the period of calm was good for the party.
Social Democrats vs Liberals and Conservatives
History of Great Britain has not yet known such a test of strength, which fell to the Laborites in defending socialist beliefs against the background of the expansion of the base of the political spectrum. Since the nineteenth century, socialism began to spread in many states, but it did not immediately succeed in standing in one row, on the same level where conservatives and liberals have stood from time immemorial.
There were various ways of establishing the socialist ideology, more often - as in Germany or Russia - through revolution, wars and blood. The Labor Party in Great Britain won bloodlessly, without any upheavals, organically fit into the system of democracy that existed in the country. She had already had a small experience in government, and now the prospect of repeating and consolidating success has become extremely tempting. Therefore, new intonations and new approaches to the propaganda of socialist views were required.
Rivals
Other political parties in the UK are not going to give up yet. The sluggish liberal party suddenly received a very dangerous leader for the Laborites - D. Lloyd George, who tried to show the country the possibility of a radical,fundamentally different from the ruling conservative course aimed at the development of the country with the implementation of very serious and progressive reforms. This was proposed by a party far from the socialist worldview.
The Labor Party of Great Britain was created precisely for such a struggle, therefore it won. But, most likely, the liberals were just a little late: a little earlier such a clash would have been fatal for the Laborites, but now they used the calm time to accumulate political forces. There was an assessment and reassessment of the nature of the party in the new, radically changed conditions, the worldview was strengthened, the awareness of the goals achieved and the definition of new ones has already taken place.
History of Creation
The Labor Party of England was founded as a workers' representative committee in 1900. At first, its ranks were predominantly workers, and the leadership adhered to the right course of the socialist reformers. In 1906, the name was established: the Labor Party of Great Britain. It was able to appear because the proletariat was active and aspired to a political role in the government.
During World War I, the leadership of the party was at one with the British government - everyone was waiting for victory over Germany and its allies, the Labor leaders were in a coalition with the government. In 1918, the party proclaimed the building of socialism in Great Britain. Socialism in the British sense was not at all the one that we know: the main concepts of the Fabian society were at the heart of politics, when socialism is being built slowly, according to plan, without any upheavals insociety, as well as an important role in the program of the Labor Party was played by the Independent Labor Party, which was a wing of the Labor Party.
Labor Theory
The class struggle was not part of the program that was gained through suffering while in opposition, Labor stood for the gradual reform of capitalism through the state, and all classes were to be involved in this work. In 1929, MacDonald became the head of the second Labor government and carried out reforms, fighting unemployment, improving social insurance.
Then, in 1931, the crisis struck. The reforms were, of course, curtailed, the Laborites cut all social security spending. Therefore, the party began to rapidly fall apart. The government resigned, some of the leaders - MacDonald, J. G. Thomas, F. Snowden - again entered into a coalition with the government and changed the name of the party - it has now become National Labor. In 1932, the entire left grouping in the person of the Independent Labor Party left the Laborites, and the remaining Laborites were divided into simply Laborites and the Socialist League.
Pre-war and post-war years
When World War II was on the doorstep, the ruling Conservatives pursued a policy of appeasement of Germany, and some British Labor supported the course of the government. When this policy failed, and Britain itself was threatened with defeat in the war, the Labor leaders finally stirred. In 1940 they entered the governmentW. Churchill, which has just formed.
The election of the leader of the Labor Party in the UK turned out to be the right thing, a wave of leftist sentiments rose in the country. And the Laborites, who proposed a program of social reforms, confidently won the elections in 1945. The government under the leadership of K. R. Attlee carried out a number of reforms, nationalized the Bank of England, several industries, paying full compensation to the owners.
Foreign policy
The British Labor government supported the aggravation of US relations with the Soviet Union. And only under enormous pressure did it grant independence to India, completely robbed by the British in 1947, where in the middle of the twentieth century there was less than one percent of the literate population (not educated, but simply knowing the letters). The national liberation movement also forced the freedom of Burma and Ceylon in 1948.
And already in 1951 the Labor Party suffered a crushing defeat in the parliamentary elections. The ideas of socialism ceased to be of interest to English society; moreover, they were compromised. As a result, we had to come up with something new, abandoning the idea of building socialism. The leader of the British Labor Party of that time, H. Gaitskell, took a course towards democratic socialism, a welfare state with a mixed economy and revolutionary incomes. Here, unshakable loy alty to NATO doctrines was proclaimed.
The sixties and seventies
In 1964the Laborites won again and formed a government with G. Wilson at the head. Then wages increased, pension reform was carried out, then the "income policy" began again with the same restrictions on social spending, as a result, in 1970, the Laborites lost and went into opposition. In 1974 a new victory awaited them. The state of emergency, which the Conservatives introduced due to the increased strikes, was lifted, a normal working week was restored, and the conflict with the miners was resolved.
Trade unions signed a contract with the government to stabilize prices, increase social assistance to the population in exchange for the fact that the unions will not demand an increase in wages. The next period in the history of Great Britain was truly fateful. It is associated with the appearance of Margaret Thatcher at the head of power.
Iron Lady
A conservative to the marrow, this imperious and strong-willed woman carried out such reforms from which a return to socialist ideas can never be expected at all, even in an exceptionally mild form. Labor adopted reforms so as not to lose the electorate. They supported the privatization of enterprises, once nationalized by them, a free market economy, and the reduction of social obligations. They were forced to do so.
The Labor Party began a process of modernization, which has not stopped even now, since this movement has become irreversible. Calls for nationalization were deleted from the program, "newLabor." The party became center-left. And only after that, in 1997, they managed to win a difficult election victory. The party's programs became much more vague and aimed at maintaining the stability of British society.
Today
The new leader of the British Labor Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has been elected after the party lost 17 seats in parliament after the last election. This is an ardent socialist, he advocates the abolition of austerity and advocates for the UK to leave NATO. Many analysts predict a split in the party with such a leader. His programs are unacceptable to either the ruling Conservatives or the bulk of New Labor.
The party is now quite far from its working start. It has a completely modern European face. For example, Simon Parks, a member of the British Labor Party, seriously claims that the Russian president is being raised by aliens, Nordic aliens. They supply him with "alien" weapons, which are almost as perfect as the American ones, and insist on standing up to the US. This person does not consider himself inadequate at all. And his party mates, apparently, too.
