UK general election, 1945

The British general election of 1945 held on July 5th 1945 was one of the most significant general elections of the 20th Century.

Held just months after VE Day, it was the first general election to be held since 1935 (general elections had been cancelled for the duration of World War II). It resulted in the shock election defeat of the Conservatives led by Winston Churchill and the landslide victory of the Labour Party led by Clement Attlee, who won a majority of 145 seats.

The result of the election was almost totally unexpected, given the hero status of Winston Churchill, but reflected the voters' belief that the Labour Party were better able to rebuild the country following the war than the Conservatives.

The Conservatives had become associated with the unemployment and misery of the 1930s, during the Great Depression and there was little appetite for a return to pre-war Conservative policies. The Labour Party, on the other hand, promised to create full employment, a tax funded universal National Health Service, and a cradle-to-grave welfare state.

Party	Votes	Seats	Loss/Gain	Share of Vote (%)
Labour	11,967,746	393		48.0
Conservative	9,101,099	197		36.2
Liberals	2,252,430	12		9.0
National Liberals	737,732	11		2.9
National Party	133,179	3		0.2
Communist Party	102,780	2	+ 1	0.4
Independent Labour Party	46,769	3		0.2
Irish Nationalists	737,732	2		0.4