ABSTRACT
By 1939 Labour's story had only partly unfolded. The taking of power in 1924 and 1929 demonstrated that a new political force had arrived but after the debilitating and humiliating defeat of 1931, which left a rump of 50 MPs in the Commons, it appeared that Labour was back to square one. This was, however, a false impression, but certainly the party would need some time to recover and the dissension that broke out between rival groups and factions over the problems of the economy, foreign affairs and social reform ensured that the 1930s were years of unfulfilled promise for the Labour Party. This impression was, if anything, heightened by Labour's leader Clement Attlee. The son of a very successful solicitor, and a product of Oxford, he enjoyed private means and did not have to practise his chosen profession of law. In 1907 he joined the Fabians, and the ILP in 1908 – the same year that he started as a social worker in the East End of London. He worked there, with only a brief respite for war service, until 1922. By this time he had been mayor of Stepney, a London alderman and in 1922 he became Labour MP for Limehouse. Junior posts followed in the 1924 and 1929–31 Labour Governments. A small undistinguished man, not known for his conversation, he seemed to have taken on the leadership of Labour by default in 1935. Even as leader he still seemed to play a backseat role and many could not understand how such a humble little man had risen above so many Labour lions. It seemed to be the latter, men like Hugh Dalton, who steered the party away from pacifism and appeasement and it was no surprise when his leadership was challenged on the eve of war itself.
