(!) 1:1 Conservative governments - Content Flashcards
In 1951, some Labour politicians were convinced that…
they would soon return to power
Who won the most votes in the 1951 election?
Labour
Why did the Conservatives win the 1951 election?
They won the most seats
> Conservatives: 321 seats
> Labour: 295 seats
Who became Prime Minister in 1951?
Winston Churchill
What did many Labour politicians believe when the Conservatives came into power?
That Churchill was a tired, old force and they couldn’t deal with Britain’s intense economic difficulties
Between 1951-1955, who occasionally acted as Prime Minister in Churchill’s absence?
Anthony Eden
After the difficulties of WW2, attitudes towards what 3 things were now very different?
> Industry
Trade unions
Social policy
After the war years, people were much more willing to accept…
state intervention and planning
What did the Labour government establish, which was incredibly popular among the British public?
The National Health Service (NHS)
So, when the Conservatives came into power, they accepted…
many of the previous Labour government’s reforms
What was the post-war consensus?
The common agreement between the main political parties on the major issues facing Britain during the post-war years
What were the 4 main aspects of the post-war consensus?
> A mixed economy: State involvement as well as private enterprise
Support for the NHS and welfare state
Working towards full employment
Working with both trade unions and employers
What was another name for the post-war consensus?
Butskellism - after the Conservative politician Butler and Labour politician Gaitskell
In 1951, the Conservatives promised to…
build 300,000 new houses per year
Why was the construction of new houses needed?
Many homes were destroyed in the war and even before the war, people were living in slums
Who, as housing minister, oversaw this?
Macmillan
What was the tripartite system?
Where 3 types of schools emerged in Britain
When did the tripartite system first develop?
After the Butler Act of 1944
What 3 types of schools did the tripartite system create?
> Grammar schools - for the intellectually gifted
Technical schools - teaching practical and vocational skills
Secondary modern schools - giving a basic education to the majority
What determined which type of school a child would attend?
The 11+ test taken at the end of primary school
Due to financial restraints under Churchill…
most schools were either grammar or secondary modern
During his brief time as Prime Minister, Eden tried to…
promote technical education
When was the Clean Air Act enforced?
1956
What did the Clean Air Act aim to do?
Prevent the smog of the early 1950s
What did the Housing and Factory Acts aim to do?
Improve living and working conditions
When did Butler stand as Home Secretary?
1957-1962
Butler was more liberal than most Conservatives, so…
action started to be taken on more controversial issues
When was the Homicide Act passed?
1957
What did the Homicide Act do?
It restricted when the death penalty would be imposed
When was the Wolfenden Commission enforced?
1957
What did the Wolfenden Commission recommend?
That homosexual behaviour should no longer be a criminal act
After the 1951 loss, many Labour activists believed that…
the party would soon return to power
However, the Labour party was suffering from…
deep internal problems which intensified during the 1950s
There was a growing split in the party, both in…
ideologies and personalities
Who were the 2 key figures in the Labour party split?
Bevan and Gaitskell
In what year did both Bevan and Gaitskell stand for Labour party leadership?
1955
On what sides of the party were these two politicians on?
> Bevan on the Left
Gaitskell on the Right
What were the 3 main dividing issues in the Labour party?
> Prescription charges
Clause IV
Nuclear weapons
What was the left of Labour’s view on prescription charges?
They should not exist - the NHS should be free to the point of delivery
What was the right of Labour’s view on prescription charges?
Prescription charges were necessary to respond to financial pressures
What was the outcome of the prescription charges dispute?
It first triggered the division between the left and right of the Labour party and set up the ongoing rivalry between Bevan and Gaitskell
What was Clause IV?
The clause in the Labour party’s constitution that committed it to public ownership of major industries
What was the left of Labour’s view on Clause IV?
Supported it - supportive of nationalisation
What was the right of Labour’s view on Clause IV?
They thought that nationalisation should only be implemented where appropriate
What was the outcome of the Clause IV dispute? ( 2)
> Trade unions became concerned that Labour might abandon Clause IV, so less support for the party
> At the 1959 Blackpool conference, Gaitskell proposed the abolition of Clause IV, but backed down in the face of opposition from the left of the party
What was the left of Labour’s view on nuclear weapons?
For unilateral disarmament - many supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)
What was the right of Labour’s view on nuclear weapons?
Against unilateral disarmament - they wanted to keep Britain’s nuclear weapons
What was the outcome of the dispute on nuclear weapons?
> Trade unionists also favoured unilateral disarmament
1960 Labour Party conference - motion passed to support unilateral disarmament
1961 Labour Party conference - Gaitskell had this motion reversed
How did Labour’s political position improve after 1960?
> It appeared more united
Cultural shifts in Britain made the public more critical of the Conservative government
The death of Gaitskell in 1963 meant that Harold Wilson was elected as Labour leader
Why was Harold Macmillan nicknamed ‘Supermac’?
It reflected his skill in politics and flair for presentation
However, from 1961-63, numerous events came together to weaken Macmillan’s grip on government, leading to…
his resignation as prime minister in October 1963
Give an example of one of the several economic concerns in the early 1960s.
Britain’s application to join the EEC was rejected in 1963
What was the ‘Night of the Long Knives’?
Macmillan’s government was facing problems, and he responded to his by radically reshuffling his cabinet in July 1962, sacking a third of it. This was intended to rejuvenate the government but accidentally weakened it. Also, it made Macmillan look disorganised.
How else did Macmillan seem out of touch?
He had the image of an Edwardian gentleman and was married into the aristocracy, which made him seem outdated.
Which other political issue arose in the early 1960s?
There were a series of spy scandals: George Blake, John Vassall and the Profumo affair
Who was George Blake?
A Soviet double agent who was convicted in 1961
Who was John Vassall?
A civil servant, who was discovered in 1962 to have been blackmailed, on the basis of his homosexuality, to pass information onto the Soviet Union.
Who was John Profumo?
Macmillan’s Secretary of State for War
What did Profumo do?
He had a brief relationship with Christine Keeler, who was also sleeping with a Soviet spy called Ivanov. This posed questions about Keeler possibly passing on information to the Soviet Union.
In Profumo’s statements to Parliament and personal assurances to the prime minister, he…
lied about his actions, which eventually led to him being forced to resign in disgrace in 1963
How was Macmillan’s position finally and definitively undermined?
He suffered from a serious illness
However, Macmillan had not prepared for anyone to succeed him, and so…
the Conservative party faced a divisive power struggle
There was strong opposition to the 2 most obvious candidates:
Rab Butler and Lord Hailsham
As a result, which compromise candidate emerged as the leader of the Conservative party?
Alec Douglas-Home
Overall, the Conservative Party made itself seem…
out of touch and outdated
The Conservatives came into power when they won the 1951 election. Until what year did they remain in power?
1964
The post-war consensus can also be defined as….
the policies of the previous Labour government that the Conservative party continued
What was the Industrial Charter?
The Conservatives’ policy statement which they published in 1947. It highlighted their new economic policies, which they had been formulating since their defeat in 1945. These policies included:
> A mixed economy
> Promise to protect workers’ rights
> Co-operation with trade unions
The Industrial Charter was an incredibly important aspect of…
the Conservatives’ campaign in the 1951 election
The Industrial Charter clearly showed that the Conservatives were committed to…
improving the economy and improving the quality of life for the British working class
Although the Conservatives did not wish to reverse any reforms made under the Labour government, they wanted to…
exploit Labour’s failures to improve living standards for the working class - they did this by promising to build 300,000 new houses per year
The Conservatives also gained an advantage when they recruited many new young, enthusiastic members which contrasted with…
many of Labour’s ageing cabinet members who had been in office for years and had been subject to a great amount of stress from Britain’s post-war crises
How did Labour attempt to win the 1951 election?
Attlee attempted to win using only Labour’s previous successes, rather than coming up with new, innovative ideas. They claimed that the Conservatives were not trustworthy to put new reforms in place.
How many seats did the Conservatives win in the 1951 election?
321
How many seats did Labour win in the 1951 election?
295
Why might the Conservatives have attracted more middle class voters in the 1951 election?
Labour’s affiliation with high taxes was unappealing to the middle class
Labour failed to use their annual party conferences as an opportunity to…
modernise the party and its policies
When did Attlee resign as Labour party leader?
1955
Who were the two candidates for the role of Labour leader in 1955?
Bevan and Gaitskell
Who won, becoming Labour leader?
Gaitskell
What was the impact of this leadership struggle in 1955?
It caused further tensions between the Bevan and Gaitskell factions - the Left and the Right of Labour
Throughout his role as leader, Gaitskell struggled to…
maintain party unity within Labour
What event in 1956 did Labour fail to exploit?
The Suez Crisis of 1956 - they could have benefitted from Eden’s failure to deal with this crisis
The 1960 annual Labour party conference saw the victory of which faction of the party?
The Left of Labour
When did Gaitskell give his famous ‘Fight and fight and fight again’ speech?
1960
What impact did this speech have?
It rallied the Labour party and boosted morale
The 1961 Labour party conference rejected…
unilateralism
The Conservative government maintained the policy of nationalisation. Which were the only two industries to be denationalised in 1953?
Iron and steel industries
Overall, the Conservatives’ policies were popular with…
the electorate
Why did many voters not feel the need to vote for Labour while the Conservatives were in power?
The Conservatives were continuing many of Labour’s policies and were generally creating more prosperity
Why did the Conservatives look out of touch by 1964?
> They failed to keep up with social change, e.g. youth culture, immigration, social mobility
> The old-fashioned, aristocratic leader Douglas-Home
> They were the target of satirical media, such as ‘That was the week that was’ and ‘Private Eye’
How had the Labour party reached a degree of ‘unity’ by the 1964 election?
Bevan and Gaitskell had died, and Wilson had been elected as leader (popular figure)
What were the failures of the Conservative party by 1964?
Growing economic problems, e.g. reliance on ‘stop-go economics’
Rejection by EEC
Macmillan’s poor leadership - ill-health, ‘Night of the Long Knives’
How did Butler compare to the other Conservative members?
He was more liberal (e.g. Butler Act of 1944)
Relevant factors to this topic: 1:1 Conservative governments
> Votes; election success
Time in government - could be a particular PM or a political party
Popularity (of a politician) - among voters or among their party colleagues
Relatability - how much voters can relate to a politician
Experience (of a politician) - how long they have held positions, the different positions they have held
Handling of particular issues (e.g. to do with foreign relations, the economy, industrial relations)
Legacy (left behind by previous governments or politicians)
Extent of agreement (e.g. post-war consensus)
Extent of party unity
Efficacy of policies and legislation
Content Summary
> Conservatives win the 1951 election
Post-war consensus
Reforms passed under Conservatives
Labour leadership contest
Internal Labour divisions
Wilson as new Labour leader
Spy scandals
Why the Conservatives lost in 1964
Perhaps Labour could have won in the early 1950s if…
Attlee had held off the election until the economy began to pick up
Attlee’s government had based their treatment of the welfare state on…
the Beveridge Report, 1942, which spoke of five giants; Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness
Labour had provided a system of…
social care for each citizen ‘from the cradle to the grave’
Attlee enacted the principle that the government had the right to…
direct the key aspects of the economy in order to create social justice and efficiency
Which industries had been nationalised under Attlee?
Coal, electricity, gas, etc
The Labour government actually started the programme which turned Britain into a nuclear power:
In 1947 the Labour government initiated research that led to the detonation of a British atom bomb in 1952 and Hydrogen bomb in 1957
Labour also initiated a major housing programme…
resulting in one million new homes being built
What were the economic problems in 1951?
Wartime debts, balance of payments crises, declining exports
However, why did the Labour party have a bad economic reputation?
The image of a party of rationing and high taxation - it had rationed essential items, introduced financial controls, introduced wage freezes and devalued the pound.
Trade unions also resented Labour’s policies:
anger at Labour’s slowness to respond to workers’ demands
Labour divisions stimulated the Conservatives into…
action, sharpening their ideas
How should the economy be handled under the post-war consensus?
Keynesian principles of public expenditure and state direction, managed economy, never more than 2% unemployment
The Conservatives would continue welfare policy on…
the recommendations of the Beveridge Report
The Conservatives simply had to continue Labour’s policies, as…
> There could be no outright rejection of the welfare state
> There could be no total reversal of nationalisation
There was a collective age of politics due to…
the shared experience of WW2
There was a broad agreement on…
the fundamentals of economic, social and foreign policies
What evidence is there that the Conservatives didn’t entirely stick to the PWC?
Conservatives denationalised the steel industry and road transport
One Nation Conservatism meant they had to be more accepting of the NHS and welfare state:
They were now more acceptable to Tory ideology – acceptance of popularity and ability to weave it into their own policies
One Nation Conservatism was marked as being…
more pragmatic and willing to accept the realities of politics post-WW2
Why did the Conservatives dominate 1951-64?
- Reorganisation of the party pre-1951
- They now recognised the need for public approval with the PWC
- 1951 marked the end of austerity and the start of the post-war boom
- The role of effective individuals, e.g. ‘Supermac’
- Internal Labour divisions
Butler was described as…
‘the best prime minister Britain never had’
In 1955, the Conservatives won by…
a healthy majority of 68 seats
The Suez Crisis in turn caused political crisis:
> Eden seemed weak, lost in a policy he was supposed to be the master of.
> Came under heavy attack from Labour in parliament and sections of national press.
> By lying to Parliament about collusion with France and Israel, Eden had tarnished his image and prestige
The Suez Crisis also split the Conservative Party:
there was the rebellion of 40 MPs
What was the economic impact of Suez?
A run on the pound
However, Suez did not really…
have much of an impact on Conservative dominance
When Macmillan emerged as PM…
party unity was restored
The Conservatives won the 1959 comfortably:
the key factor in this was a rise in consumer prosperity
The 1959 increased the Conservative parliamentary majority by…
100 seats
‘Supermac’ had great personality and flair, alongside…
an efficient cabinet
After 1951, disagreements and personal feuds were…
almost a permanent feature of Labour
If there had been an election in 1957, just after the Suez Crisis…
Labour may have been in a more favourable position
