1.1 Conservative governments, 1951-64

Question 1

What was the vote split between Labour and Conservative in 1951 Election? Who won?

Answer 1

48.8% Labour, 48% Conservative
Conservative won.

Question 2

During Churchill’s absenteeism, who took charge of government?

Answer 2

Acting prime minister: Anthony Eden, key ministers Rab Butler (Chancellor of the Exchequer), Harold Macmillan (minister for housing)

Question 3

What did Eden do when he took power in 1955? What was the effect of this?

Answer 3

Called a general election - increased the Conservative majority from 17 seats to 60.
Butler became Chancellor + Macmillan became Foreign Secretary

Question 4

Limitations of Eden’s leadership

Answer 4

• almost all his experience had been in foreign policy - within 6 months there was Conservative disquiet on lack of skill in domestic policy
• Suez Crisis 1956 - Eden’s decision to take military action, ending in disaster

Question 5

What event showed Eden’s weakness as a leader?

Answer 5

His attempt to move Macmillan from Foreign Office to Treasury in 1955 - Macmillan managed to delay until December

Question 6

Who did Eden come under attack from as a result of the Suez Crisis?

Answer 6

• Labour Party in Parliament
• from sections of national press - notably Manchester Guardian
• the pressure from the US had exposed Britain’s financial weakness
  (he was accused of lying to the House of Commons + his reputation was badly damaged)

Question 7

Problems within the Conservative Party caused by Suez

Answer 7

• colonial minister Anthony Nutting resigned from cabinet
• rebellion by nearly 40 Conservative MPs
• Chief Whip, Edward Heath, himself strongly opposed

Question 8

Who resigned from cabinet after Suez Crisis

Answer 8

Anthony Nutting, colonial minister

Question 9

how large was the rebellion of Conservative MPs after Suez

Answer 9

almost 40 MPs

Question 10

When did Eden resign?

Answer 10

Never recovered from Suez, reigned early in 1957 over ill health

Question 11

Was the Conservative Party itself actually seriously damaged by Suez

Answer 11

no - Macmillan, who had initially supported intervention into Suez, succeeded Eden as PM

Question 12

Who was Macmillan’s main rival? Why was he not as much of a threat in the Party?

Answer 12

Rab Butler - his reputation had been damaged by introducing tax cuts shortly before 1955, which had to be reversed after election as economy overheated
+ had been closely linked with appeasement

Question 13

When did Macmillan call a general election?

Answer 13

October 1959

Question 14

Results of the 1959 General Election

Answer 14

‘Supermac’ led Conservatives to comfortable victory - majority up to 100 seats

Question 15

What helped Macmillan as PM?

Answer 15

• post-war economic boom continuing
• Labour Party in disarray, preoccupied with its own internal battles
• Media seemingly in the palm of Macmillan’s hand, using new opportunity of television

Question 16

What were the central elements of the post-war consensus?

Answer 16

• belief in mixed economy
• support for NHS + welfare state
• ensure full employment
• working with both TUs and employers

Question 17

Conservative policy re housing

Answer 17

1951 Cons Manifesto promised to build 300,000 houses a year. (rebuilding those destroyed in war + replacing slums)

Macmillan, as housing minister, and overseen the success of this

Question 18

Conservative policy re education

Answer 18

continued tripartite system that had developed after Butler Act 1944 - grammar school, technical school, secondary modern

Question 19

Conservative policy re social reforms

Answer 19

• Clean Air Act 1956 - prevent smog of early 1950s
• Housing and Factory Acts (to improve living + working conditions)
  Butler as Home Secretary - more liberal:
• Homicide Act 1957 - restricted when death penalty would be imposed
• Wolfenden Commission 1957 - recommended homosexuality no longer illegal

Question 20

What was the total labour vote in the 1951 election?

Answer 20

14 million - larger than any of previous victories

Question 21

Two key figures either side of the growing split of Labour party in the 1950s

Answer 21

Aneurin Bevan - hero to the Labour left
Hugh Gaitskell - Chancellor 1950/51, intro’d prescription charges, on the Right of party

Question 22

When did Attlee step down as Labour leader?

Answer 22

1955

Question 23

Who became the leader of the Labour party in 1955?

Answer 23

Gaitskell, defeating Bevan

Question 24

issues of division within the Labour Party

Answer 24

• left wanted Labour more socialist
• simmering division over nuclear weapons (whilst Bevan opposed Britain developing nukes, in 1957 announced opposition to unilateralism) - links between left and CND might have turned some voters away

Question 25

Labour relations with TUs until the late 1950s

Answer 25

Until late 1950s, happy with full employment + leaders essentially moderates

Question 26

What TU leader led union opposition to Gaitskell over nukes from 1956?

Answer 26

In 1956, Frank Cousins became leader of one of most powerful unions TGWU (Transport and General Workers Union)

Question 27

How did Labour enter 1959 election campaign?

Answer 27

with some optimism - Gaitskell effective campaigner w/ moderate policies
the extent of defeat a genuine surprise for Labour

Question 28

Who put forward the idea of abolishing Clause 4 at the 1959 Labour Conference?

Answer 28

Gaitskell - opposition from left + some TU leaders fierce + backed down w/o putting to vote

Question 29

Where was Gaitskell’s emotional speech against unilateral nuclear disarmamet?

Answer 29

Scarborough conference 1960 - lost the vote in 1960, but succeeded in overturning the following year

Question 30

When did Hugh Gaitskell die?

Answer 30

1963

Question 31

What reason did Macmillan give for political ups and downs?

Answer 31

‘events, dear boy, events’ - perhaps these events which came together 1961-63, leading to his resignation October 1963

Question 32

When had Britain made an application to join the EEC in 1961? When was it rejected?

Answer 32

1961, rejected in 1963

Question 33

What was the ‘Night of the Long Knives’? When?

Answer 33

July 1962 - Macmillan radically reshuffled cabinet, sacking 1/3 of it

Question 34

What was the effect of the ‘Night of the Long Knives’?

Answer 34

intended to rejuvenate government, actually weakened - Macmillan was made to seem clumsy, out of touch (image as an Edwardian + marriage into aristocracy)

Question 35

What were the spy scandals of the early 1960s?

Answer 35

George Blake - convicted as Soviet double agent, 1961
John Vassal, civil servant, blackmailed on basis of homosexuality, to pass information to USSR

Question 36

What affair caused the most damage to the Conservatives?

Answer 36

Profumo Affair - Secretary of State for War John Profumo - lied about actions in statements to Parliament + public inquiry kept in headlines for weeks
Reinforced idea of out of touch

Question 37

When did Macmillan resign? Why?

Answer 37

serious illness + resigned in October 1963

Question 38

Who replaced Macmillan as leader of Conservative Party?

Answer 38

strong opposition between Rab Butler and Lord Hailsham - compromise candidate - Lord Home, peer

Whole thing made Conservatives seem old + out of touch