1 Conservative Governments Flashcards

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1
Q

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

A

321 seats

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2
Q

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

A

48% of votes

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3
Q

How many seats did Labour win in the 1951 election?

A

295 seats

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4
Q

How many votes did Labour win in the 1951 election?

A

48.8% of votes

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5
Q

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

A

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

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6
Q

When was Winston Churchill prime minister?

A

1951-1955

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7
Q

What was the advantage of having Churchill as PM?

A

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

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9
Q

What was the disadvantage of having Churchill as PM?

A

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

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10
Q

What were Churchills successes?

A

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.

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12
Q

What were Churchills failures?

A

Reluctant to let go of the empire

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13
Q

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

A

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.

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14
Q

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

A

345 seats

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15
Q

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

A

49.7% of votes

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16
Q

How many seats dod Labour win in the 1955 election?

A

277 seats

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17
Q

What was the advantage of having Eden as PM?

A

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

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18
Q

How many votes did Labour win in the 1955 election?

A

46.4% of votes

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19
Q

What was the disadvantages of having Eden as PM?

A

Unpopular due to the Suez in 1956.

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20
Q

How long was Anthony Eden prime minister?

A

1955-1957

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22
Q

What were Edens successes?

A

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

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24
Q

What were Edens failures?

A

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

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25
Q

How long was Harold Macmillan PM?

A

1957-1963

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26
Q

What were the advantages of Macmillan being PM?

A
He lead the country to prosperous times
His reputation of world class statesman increased his majority to 100
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27
Q

What were Macmillan’s successes?

A

He resolved the Suez tensions with the US

Decolonised with little to no problem

28
Q

What were the disadvantages of having Macmillan as PM?

A

He suffered a series of scandals

Unemployment was rising

29
Q

What were Macmillan’s failures?

A

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

30
Q

How long was Alec Douglas-Home PM?

A

1963-1964

31
Q

What were the advantages of Douglas-Home PM?

A

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

32
Q

What were the disadvantages of Douglas-Home being PM?

A

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

33
Q

What was the post war consensus?

A

It was an understanding that major parities agrees on major issues

34
Q

What were the key elements of the consensus?

A

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.

35
Q

What did the conservatives do in relation to education?

A

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

36
Q

What did the conservatives do in relation to social reforms?

A

Macmillan’s Clean Air Act of 1956 and Housing and Factory Act

Butler’s The Homicide Act of 1957 and Wolfenden Commission

37
Q

What was Macmillan’s Clean Air Act in 1957?

A

To prevent smog

38
Q

What was the Macmillan’s Housing and Factory Act?

A

Aimed to improve living and working conditions

39
Q

What was Butlers Homicide Act in 1957?

A

Restricted when the death penalty would be imposed

40
Q

What was Butlers Wolfenden Commission?

A

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

41
Q

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

A

365 seats

42
Q

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

A

48.8% of votes

43
Q

How many seats did labour win in the 1959 election?

A

258 seats

44
Q

How many voted did Labour win in the 1959 election?

A

44.6% of votes

45
Q

What was Labour struggling with in the 1950’s?

A

An internal struggle. The

Arty was growing a split, both in ideologies and personalities

46
Q

What were the key features in the split?

A

1) Aneuin Bevan and Hugh Gaitakell

2) Both stood in for leader of labour when Attlee stepped down

47
Q

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

A

Gaitskell

48
Q

Who lead the left wingers?

A

Bevan

49
Q

Who lead the right wingers?

A

Gaitskell

50
Q

What did the the left wingers want?

A

They wanted the party to become more socialist

51
Q

What did Bevan say and then change about CND?

A

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

52
Q

What did Bevan’s change in opinion effect?

A

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

53
Q

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

A

The divisions became more apparent

Battles over the future directions of the party was fought annually.

54
Q

Where did the annual conferences take place? What year?

A

Blackpool 1959

Scarborough 1960

55
Q

What was important about the Scarborough conference of 1960?

A

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

56
Q

What were the characteristics of the Labour party after 1960?

A

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

57
Q

Wha were the reason for the Conservative fall from power?

A

By early 1960’s, growing concerns about the economy. Being rejected from the EEC.

Night of the Long Knives

The Profumo Affair

58
Q

What was the Night of the Long Knives?

A

When Macmillan sacked 1/3 of his cabinet.

Tried to rejuvenate the Government but it actually weakened it

59
Q

What was the Profumo Affair?

A

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.