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2. B: Sixties 1964-70 > 1. Political issues > Flashcards

1. Political issues Flashcards

1
Q

Harold Wilson term dates PM

A

1964-70
1974-76

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2
Q

Wilson’s background

A
  • Born in Huddersfield
  • Father was a chemist/ Mother was a school teacher
  • Won a scholarship to Royds Hall grammar school, later Oxford
  • Influenced by G.D.H Cole to join the Labour Party
  • He won a seat in Labour in the 1945 election and was appointed parliamentary secretary to the ministry of works by Attlee Wilson had been a Bevanite, and resigned in 1950 over prescription charges
  • Challenged Gaitskell for leadership in 1961—he lost.
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3
Q

Wilson differences of other PMs

A
  1. Wilson was the first Prime Minister to have been educated at a state school
  2. Classless / Smoked a pipe
  3. Accent (Yorkshire)
  4. Appeared more relaxed in public
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4
Q

Wilson simularities to other PM

A
  • Private insecurity and worry (Eden, Wilson)
  • Still has an Oxford education
  • Worked his way through the party
  • Didn’t fight in WWI
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5
Q

Wilsons promises when in gov

A
  • mixed economy, sought to invest in tech advancements, education, + research = boost productivity + competitiveness. “white heat of technology,”
  • improvements in education, health care, social services, reduce poverty and inequality.
  • building more homes, affordable housing.
    *strong relationship with US, EEC.
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6
Q

Wilson as leader

A

Skillful, carasmatic, successful election campaignes

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7
Q

George Brown

A
  • Deputy Leader of the Labour Party + Foreign Secretary.
  • strong pro-European stance, supported closer ties w Europe,
  • involved in early discussions about British membership in EEC
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8
Q

James Callaghan

A

Chancellor of the Exchequer + later Home Secretary + Foreign Secretary.
the devaluation of the pound in 1967.
more centrist, pragmatic approach

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9
Q

Roy Jenkins

A

Home Secretary + later Chancellor of the Exchequer.
liberal and progressive stance.
driving force behind social reforms = decriminalization of homosexuality + abolition of the death penalty.

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10
Q

Barbra Castle

A

Secretary of State for Employment and later Secretary of State for Social Services.
advocate for social reform and women’s rights. introduction of the Equal Pay Act in 1970
efforts to address social inequalities and improve working conditions.

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11
Q

Divisions within labour over =

A
  • extent of nationalisation
  • entry into EEC
  • implementation of comprehensive education
  • role and influence of trade unions - Labour Representation Committee.
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12
Q

Labour divisions

Wilson vs Brown

A
  • W feared leadership challenges
  • B resepntful to lost leadership election + not made Foreign secretary 1964.
  • W rumored to have undermind B’s rep by keeping record of B’s embarrising incidents
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13
Q

Labour divisions

Wilson vs Jenkins

A
  • W paranoid might face a leadership challenge.
  • Jenkins = gaitskellite
  • Didn’t supports J’s liberalising reforms as home secretary.
  • J tried to kept cabinet to support devaluation during seaman strikes = W felt it a ploy to replace him and B, w J and Callaghan.
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14
Q

Heath and strength of Conservatives by 1970

A
  • setbacks 1966-69 (Trade Unions, devaluation, empire, EEC) –also did not produce distinguished economic policies
  • Conservatives ahead in opinion polls.
  • Conservatives did well in local gov elections.
  • Special polls showed narrow Conservative lead in 1970.
  • didn’t include immigration in campaign (sacked Powell 1968 following rivers of blood speech) refused to have Powell in the campaign despite his popularity in certain constituencies.
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15
Q

1964 election, labour strengths

A
  • Labour party reunited
  • WHITE HEAT OF TECHNOLOGY
  • Wilson skillful election campaigne = presented as better fit in technological age.
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16
Q

1964 election conservative strength

A
  • scandals - tired of Establishment e.g. Profumo Affait, Burgress and Mclean
  • Night of the long knifes
  • Suez
  • Douglas Hume = old fashioned image
  • Disillusioned by affluence
  • Scandels tainted tory image
  • unempolyment 800K
  • EEC rejection humiliation
17
Q

1966, Labour win

A
  • Heath no match for Wilson - unable to connect w/ voters
  • Wilson = experienced campaigner
  • More in tune with popular culture and society
  • created dept of technology strengthened education – 7 new uni’s by 1966 Scientists employed as gov advisors.
  • Liberalisation laws under Jenkins – Race Relations Act, capital punishment abolished.
  • decisive victory, majority of 98 seats, % of vote biggest share since 1945
18
Q

Labour and TU

A

TU’s come to wield influence due to post war consensus politics - importance of maintaining full employment
* Favourable with general public > Opinion polls in the 1960’s = 60% people had favourable view.
* Wild cat strikes - local activists who would not take orders from the top.
* 1966-67> cosy relationship with unions began to decline
* Strikes showed union bosses losing control

19
Q

In Place Of Strife

A

1969
* necessary to curb unions + for good of British economy.
* strengthen union in dealing with employers.
* 28 day cooling off period before strike went ahead.
* gov could impose settlement when unions in dispute with each other.
* Strike ballots could be imposed
* Industrial relations court would be able to prosecute people who broke the rules
= Upset TU’s and Labour > storm of protests including National Union of Mineworkers, Callaghan + Gormley, 50 MPs ready to rebel, concerns over splits. Arguments had compromised Labour values.

20
Q

Labour strengths

COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOLS/OPEN UNIVERSITY

A
  • Increase in numbers of comprehensive schools in order to break down class barriers of tripartite system
  • inauguration of the Open University 1969
  • increase in number of universities
21
Q

Labour strengths

LIBERALISATION OF LAWS

A
  • Abortion Act 1967
  • Sexual Offences Act 1967
  • creation of Ombudsman 1967 (protects ordinary citizen)
  • Theatres Act 1968
  • Abolition of death penalty 1969
  • Divorce Reform Act 1969
22
Q

Labour strength

ECONOMICS

A

Jenkins had began to tame economic problems using deflationary methods=balance of payments surplus by 1970

23
Q

Labour strength

WILSON’S IMAGE

A
  • “one of us”
  • modern breed of politician
  • in tune with current culture
  • state school educated
  • PR first doctor of spin.
24
Q

Labour strength

‘WHITE HEAT OF TECHNOLOGY’

A
  • transformative power of technological progress.
  • reflected commitment to modernizing British economy + society, encouraging technological development, and positioning the country at the forefront of the technological revolution.
25
Q

Labour weaknesses

BALANCE OF PAYMENTS (inherited)

A

£400 million deficit and cycle of stop-go, manufacturing industries shrinking, service and finance expanding

26
Q

Labour weaknesses

ATTEMPTS TO RESTRUCTURE THE ECONOMY

A

e.g. National Plan (dropped 1967), creation of DEA (and subsequent failure 1966), growing inflation, rising unemployment

27
Q

Labour weaknesses

DEVALUATION

A

– failed to take initiative and devalue in 1964 when this measure could have been passed off as a necessary hiccup resulting from inherited problem.
- Stalling meant that by 1967 devaluation was seen as failure, “pound in your pocket”

28
Q

Labour weaknesses

PERMISSIVE SOCIETY

A

age of Jenkins and Liberalisation laws ushers in criticism of a permissive society

29
Q

Labour weaknesses

SOCIAL UNREST

A

government responds to racial violence with restrictive Commonwealth Immigration Act 1968 (immigration
controls)

30
Q

Labour weaknesses

CRITICISM WITHIN THE PARTY

A
  • leadership
  • Europe,
  • direction of party,
  • kitchen cabinet (reinforced Wilson’s suspicions of party rivalries and prevented ministers from having access to him)
31
Q

Labour weaknesses

TRADE UNIONS

A
  • Seaman’s and Dockers strikes
  • In Place of Strife 1969
  • humiliating climb down compromise with TUC
32
Q

Labour weaknesses

FAILURE TO GET INTO EEC

A

devaluation and economic situation led to veto by De Gaulle

33
Q

Labour weaknesses

OVERSEAS

A

– costs and changing attitude to policeman role leads to abandoning of Britain’s East of Suez position

34
Q

Technology - policies

A
  • Increased funding for R&D to foster innovation
  • Investment in the space sector, with the launch of the first British satellite, Ariel 1, in 1962.
  • Education Acts of 1964 and 1968 = improve education, especially science and tech.
35
Q

Technology - impact

A
  • Economic growth
  • global competativeness
  • Recognition of Britain’s capabilities
  • Increased demand for skilled workers in technology-related fields.
36
Q

NI origins

Why catholics felt aggrieved?

A
  • Claimed that the 1921 treaty had deliberately drawn the boundary between the north and south as to leave N. Ireland with a majority protestant population
  • Protestants had used their majority to dominate parliament (Stormont)
  • Better jobs and houses for protestants
  • Gerrymandering—changing constituencies in order to prevent certain MP’s from winning
  • B Specials—seen as oppressive police presence
37
Q

NI origins

Civil rights comparisons

A

N.I.C.R.A—remove Gerrymandering, remove B specials, distribute wealth/resources fairly
 Modelled themselves on civil rights campaigners

38
Q

NI Origins

‘Troubles’

A
  • The term ‘troubles’ describes the cycle of violence from the 1950’s to the 1990’s whose main feature was terrorist conflict between the nationalists and the unionists
  • British troops were sent by London to attempt to preserve peace
39
Q

NI origins

Why were troops sent?

A
  • Civil rights marches 1968 protest against discrimination
  • IRA= organisation that fought for independence.
  • Large riot 12th - 14th August 1969
  • Catholics complained the RUC failed to protect them
  • Loyalists Apprentice Boys=annual march in Derry, attacked Nationalist in the Catholic area of Bogside
  • RUC tried to storm the Bogside but were held back by two days of rioting
  • Stormont government in response offered concessions on housing and electoral boundaries—riots from Loyalists
  • August 1969, Wilson government sent in British troops in an attempt to keep the peace.

2. B: Sixties 1964-70 (4 decks)

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