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Who Was The Greatest British Prime Minister?
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I personally believe it was Winston Churchill. His exceptional leadership during WWII shall never be surpassed. But to be fair, he was not necessarily as great on the domestic front. So I was thinking I would also ask another question: if Winston Churchill (although not everyone may agree) was the greatest wartime Prime Minister, who was the greatest Prime Minister domestically?
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#2
For me it would have to be Clement Attlee! Welfare state *****es! I also liked Stanley Baldwin because of reasons.
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(Original post by bobbieare)
For me it would have to be Clement Attlee! Welfare state *****es! I also liked Stanley Baldwin because of reasons.
For me it would have to be Clement Attlee! Welfare state *****es! I also liked Stanley Baldwin because of reasons.
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#7
Clement Atlee really? I'd argue the Labour Reforms were a direct result of William Beveridge, not him.
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#8
(Original post by The Dictator)
In my opinion Attlee started well but got bogged down with economic slowdown and the unavoidable fact that Britain was very dependent on America at that time. I respect him for expanding the welfare state (though he didn't create it, Lloyd George did) and for starting the process of decolonisation, but apart from that, idk what else he did. Idk if Churchill would have done much better.
In my opinion Attlee started well but got bogged down with economic slowdown and the unavoidable fact that Britain was very dependent on America at that time. I respect him for expanding the welfare state (though he didn't create it, Lloyd George did) and for starting the process of decolonisation, but apart from that, idk what else he did. Idk if Churchill would have done much better.
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(Original post by bobbieare)
I couldn't pick my favourite overall but domestically I'd have to go for Attlee, I think there were different ones who would be perceived the best under different circumstances. I mean Ramsay MacDonald sucked during 1929-31 but he then handled the economic crisis pretty well which was carried on by Baldwin. I am a fine of Churchill though, can't deny that!
I couldn't pick my favourite overall but domestically I'd have to go for Attlee, I think there were different ones who would be perceived the best under different circumstances. I mean Ramsay MacDonald sucked during 1929-31 but he then handled the economic crisis pretty well which was carried on by Baldwin. I am a fine of Churchill though, can't deny that!
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#11
Even as a free market libertarian I'd probably say Clement Attlee. Britain had spent 1/4 of it's national wealth on the war, debt was up threefold, economy reliant on the lend-lease agreement with the USA. Despite all this he still managed to expand (not create) the welfare state, and found the mixed economy. In the 21st century when our welfare state and public sector are now thanks to New Labour unsustainably big, his socialist policies would be ****. But at a time when the richest 1% owned 60% of the wealth he was the right man for the job.
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#12
Churchill obviously. Any of the other candidates in 1940 would have lead us to defeat or surrender.
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#15
(Original post by Miracle Day)
Clement Atlee really? I'd argue the Labour Reforms were a direct result of William Beveridge, not him.
Clement Atlee really? I'd argue the Labour Reforms were a direct result of William Beveridge, not him.
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#17
(Original post by TheTranshumanist)
The welfare state may have been Beveridge's idea, but Attlee implemented it.
The welfare state may have been Beveridge's idea, but Attlee implemented it.
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#18
(Original post by Miracle Day)
I really don't think he had a choice, and any labour prime minister would have done the same.
I really don't think he had a choice, and any labour prime minister would have done the same.
Additionally, he had a role in the decolonisation of the British Empire.
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#19
(Original post by The Dictator)
In my opinion Attlee started well but got bogged down with economic slowdown and the unavoidable fact that Britain was very dependent on America at that time. I respect him for expanding the welfare state (though he didn't create it, Lloyd George did) and for starting the process of decolonisation, but apart from that, idk what else he did. Idk if Churchill would have done much better.
In my opinion Attlee started well but got bogged down with economic slowdown and the unavoidable fact that Britain was very dependent on America at that time. I respect him for expanding the welfare state (though he didn't create it, Lloyd George did) and for starting the process of decolonisation, but apart from that, idk what else he did. Idk if Churchill would have done much better.
It is not the fault of Atlee that post-war Britain was dependent on the United States; this had been the case for just under a decade. The brilliance of Eden was, as you said, the expansion of Britain’s welfare state to be the biggest in world at the time. So great were his initiatives that the Conservatives had to realign themselves to them to remain a credible opposition (One of very few times an opposition has been forced to do this). Personally I think that the best British Prime Minister was Tony Blair but I'd rather not get into that!
Also, just a quick correction, it was not Lloyd George who created the Welfare State it was Campbell-Bannerman and Asquith (Although I grant you that Lloyd George was part of those governments and did do a reasonable job of extending the Welfare State himself in 1918-21).
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