London Socialist Historians Group
5th May
Contact Dr Keith Flett @keithbeard.bsky.social
VE Day: 80 years on. Still winning the peace
The London Socialist Historians Group, which organises the socialist history seminar at the Institute of Historical Research, has said that with the 80th anniversary of VE Day being marked on 5th May(the actual anniversary is 8th May), the peace is still being won.
The historians say that while the defeat of fascism should be remembered, along with the sacrifices that ordinary people across the world made to achieve this, the reality is that 80 years on the peace is still being won.
The process of national reconstruction took place in many countries after May 1945 and in Britain plans had already been made for a welfare state with the Beveridge Report published in 1942.
A Labour Government saw the arrival of a fully funded NHS and the nationalisation of key sectors of industry. More centralised economic planning was a feature of a number of market economies post-1945 but in the UK the old private sector management structure was left in place. It was a long way from people’s control.
Housing was also an area of considerable contention with pressure from activists and occupation of empty buildings pushing the provision of more public housing.
80 years on privatisation has rolled back any concept of public control of key sections of industry while housing and the NHS, subject of so much campaigning pressure after 1945, are a long way from what was achieved in that period.
LSHG Convenor Dr Keith Flett said, there is a powerful sense that 80 years after VE day we are still fighting to win the peace. In that sense waving a red flag as much as a Union Jack seems an appropriate thing to do. It was certainly something that was supported by the many in 1945.
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