Conclusion: The Past and the Future

Abstract

Looking back over its history it is striking how quickly the Labour Party was able to displace the Liberals as the main party of progress in Parliament. It was then able to seize the legislative initiative in key periods and play a major role in shaping the development of twentieth-century British society. However, given its important influence, it is also striking how few years the Labour Party has actually been in government: twenty-four years in office including the period of the Second-World-War coalition, but only nine years with an effective parliamentary majority of its own. The earlier chapters of this short history suggest a number of factors which help to account for this.