1 Conservative Governments

Question 1

How many seats did the conservatives win in the 1951 election?

Answer 1

321 seats

Question 2

How many votes did the conservatives win in the 1951 election?

Answer 2

48% of votes

Question 3

How many seats did Labour win in the 1951 election?

Answer 3

295 seats

Question 4

How many votes did Labour win in the 1951 election?

Answer 4

48.8% of votes

Question 5

What is the first-past-the-post electoral system?

Answer 5

The candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins a seat in Parliament

Question 6

When was Winston Churchill prime minister?

Answer 6

1951-1955

Question 7

What was the advantage of having Churchill as PM?

Answer 7

He was seen as a public figure head for the nation, he got the people through war
The public wanted an anti-Stalin leader

Question 9

What was the disadvantage of having Churchill as PM?

Answer 9

He was unwell
Has lost two elections since he was first prime minister
Butler modernised his party

Question 10

What were Churchills successes?

Answer 10

Built 300,000 homes in a year
Maintained close relationship with the US
Mines and quarries act of 1954 - addressed young employment, saftey, health and welfare.

Question 12

What were Churchills failures?

Answer 12

Reluctant to let go of the empire

Question 13

What was different about Churchill from when he was first prime minister?

Answer 13

Churchill was not older and cannot interact as well as he did before.
Had illnesses and suffered a stroke in 1953.
Became a less involved international statesman rather than a democratic leader.

Question 14

How many seats did the conservative win in the 1955 election?

Answer 14

345 seats

Question 15

How many votes did the conservatives win in the 1955 election?

Answer 15

49.7% of votes

Question 16

How many seats dod Labour win in the 1955 election?

Answer 16

277 seats

Question 17

What was the advantage of having Eden as PM?

Answer 17

He has practice as foreign secretary for Churchill and wanted to increase outward expenditures .

Question 18

How many votes did Labour win in the 1955 election?

Answer 18

46.4% of votes

Question 19

What was the disadvantages of having Eden as PM?

Answer 19

Unpopular due to the Suez in 1956.

Question 20

How long was Anthony Eden prime minister?

Answer 20

1955-1957

Question 22

What were Edens successes?

Answer 22

He oversaw the lowest post-war unemployment figures. Only 215,000 unemployed by 1955

Question 24

What were Edens failures?

Answer 24

The Suez Crisis in 1956. It fatally damaged is reputation and negativity impacted the stability of the UK.

Question 25

How long was Harold Macmillan PM?

Answer 25

1957-1963

Question 26

What were the advantages of Macmillan being PM?

Answer 26

He lead the country to prosperous times
His reputation of world class statesman increased his majority to 100

Question 27

What were Macmillan’s successes?

Answer 27

He resolved the Suez tensions with the US

Decolonised with little to no problem

Question 28

What were the disadvantages of having Macmillan as PM?

Answer 28

He suffered a series of scandals

Unemployment was rising

Question 29

What were Macmillan’s failures?

Answer 29

Loss of popularity due to economic circumstances Failed to join the EEC Profumo Affair in 1963 - badly damaged his reputation

Question 30

How long was Alec Douglas-Home PM?

Answer 30

1963-1964

Question 31

What were the advantages of Douglas-Home PM?

Answer 31

He was popular with the party Dealt with trade unions Served as commonwealth secretary in 1956, Leader of the House and Lord President of the Council

Question 32

What were the disadvantages of Douglas-Home being PM?

Answer 32

Not chosen by the people, put into office by government.

Question 33

What was the post war consensus?

Answer 33

It was an understanding that major parities agrees on major issues

Question 34

What were the key elements of the consensus?

Answer 34

1) A mixed economy - state and private enterprise involvement 2) support for the NHS and welfare state 3) wish to ensure full employment, avoid mass unemployment 4) working with trade unions and employers.

Question 35

What did the conservatives do in relation to education?

Answer 35

Continued the tripartite system. Children would need to pass their 11+ to get into a grammar school.

Question 36

What did the conservatives do in relation to social reforms?

Answer 36

Macmillan’s Clean Air Act of 1956 and Housing and Factory Act Butler’s The Homicide Act of 1957 and Wolfenden Commission

Question 37

What was Macmillan’s Clean Air Act in 1957?

Answer 37

To prevent smog

Question 38

What was the Macmillan’s Housing and Factory Act?

Answer 38

Aimed to improve living and working conditions

Question 39

What was Butlers Homicide Act in 1957?

Answer 39

Restricted when the death penalty would be imposed

Question 40

What was Butlers Wolfenden Commission?

Answer 40

It recommended that homosexual behaviour should no longer be a criminal act.

Question 41

How many seats did the conservatives win in the 1959 election?

Answer 41

365 seats

Question 42

How many votes did the conservatives win in the 1959 election?

Answer 42

48.8% of votes

Question 43

How many seats did labour win in the 1959 election?

Answer 43

258 seats

Question 44

How many voted did Labour win in the 1959 election?

Answer 44

44.6% of votes

Question 45

What was Labour struggling with in the 1950’s?

Answer 45

An internal struggle. The | Arty was growing a split, both in ideologies and personalities

Question 46

What were the key features in the split?

Answer 46

1) Aneuin Bevan and Hugh Gaitakell | 2) Both stood in for leader of labour when Attlee stepped down

Question 47

Who became the leader pf the labour party after Attlee stepped down?

Answer 47

Gaitskell

Question 48

Who lead the left wingers?

Answer 48

Bevan

Question 49

Who lead the right wingers?

Answer 49

Gaitskell

Question 50

What did the the left wingers want?

Answer 50

They wanted the party to become more socialist

Question 51

What did Bevan say and then change about CND?

Answer 51

He initially opposed Britain developing nuclear weapon’s but in 1957, he announced his opposition to unilateral nuclear disarmament.

Question 52

What did Bevan’s change in opinion effect?

Answer 52

1) More of Labour Left joined the Campaign of Nuclear Disarmament 2) the link between CND and Labour Left may have pushed people away from voting for Labour

Question 53

How did the defeat of the 1959 election effect the Labour Party?

Answer 53

The divisions became more apparent | Battles over the future directions of the party was fought annually.

Question 54

Where did the annual conferences take place? What year?

Answer 54

Blackpool 1959 | Scarborough 1960

Question 55

What was important about the Scarborough conference of 1960?

Answer 55

It became a legend in labours history because Gaitskell’s emotional speech tried to convince the conference to reject unilateral nuclear disarmament

Question 56

What were the characteristics of the Labour party after 1960?

Answer 56

Political position slowly improved Appears more unified Cultural shifts in country -> becoming more critical of conservative gov Death of Gaitskell -> Wilson becoming leader in 1963

Question 57

Wha were the reason for the Conservative fall from power?

Answer 57

By early 1960’s, growing concerns about the economy. Being rejected from the EEC. Night of the Long Knives The Profumo Affair

Question 58

What was the Night of the Long Knives?

Answer 58

When Macmillan sacked 1/3 of his cabinet. Tried to rejuvenate the Government but it actually weakened it

Question 59

What was the Profumo Affair?

Answer 59

John Profumo, the Defence Secretary, has a brief affair with Christine Keller, who was also sleeping with a Soviet spy called Ivanow, which raised questions about possible leaks of the Cold War secrets. He was forced to resign in disgrace.