Writing of the Labour governments 1945-1951, a senior civil servant said: “It put me in mind of Columbus’ voyage: when Columbus set out, he didn’t know where he was going; when he arrived he didn’t know where he was; and when he returned he didn’t know where he’d been.” Assess the achievements and failures of the Labour governments of 1945-1951. Shortly after the Second World War, Winston Churchill decided to dissolve …showed first 75 words of 3631 total…

…showed last 75 words of 3631 total…generation, Bevan and Gaitskell had split the party in two. So, unlike Columbus, the Labour Party knew where they had been, but did not know where to go next. They had exhausted the programme set out in 1945, and the search for something to put in its place proved disastrous. One Historian commented: ‘This period might have been the party’s heroic age, but like many feats of heroism it had devastating effects on the hero’.