{"id":21500,"date":"2020-07-27T20:58:40","date_gmt":"2020-07-27T20:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=21500"},"modified":"2020-07-31T02:06:02","modified_gmt":"2020-07-31T02:06:02","slug":"when-a-winner-becomes-a-loser-winston-churchill-was-kicked-out-of-office-in-the-british-election-of-1945","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/when-a-winner-becomes-a-loser-winston-churchill-was-kicked-out-of-office-in-the-british-election-of-1945\/","title":{"rendered":"When a winner becomes a loser: Winston Churchill was kicked out of office in the British election of 1945"},"content":{"rendered":"

Klaus W. Larres<\/a>, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The end of World War II in Europe and the defeat of Hitler and Nazi Germany<\/a> in early May 1945 turned British Prime Minister Winston Churchill into the world\u2019s most eminent statesman. He was feted and celebrated everywhere he went and had an approval rating of 83%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yet he suffered a humiliating election defeat in 1945.<\/p>\n

Churchill\u2019s electoral fate shows, I believe, that democratic elections are not won due to past achievements, personal glory and celebrity status, but because of a persuasive and realizable program for the next four or five years. Winning parties or candidates need a vision that addresses the genuine concerns and deep anxieties of the voters.<\/p>\n

In 1945, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Churchill and his Conservative Party would win the next general election. No election had taken place<\/a> during the war. The members of the British Parliament, the House of Commons, had been elected as far back as 1935.<\/p>\n

While Churchill wanted to delay a general election until the end of the war in Asia, the Labour Party decided to leave Britain\u2019s national unity government soon after victory in Europe was achieved, which sparked an election that took place on July 5, 1945<\/a>.<\/p>\n