'13 Golden Years' (T3) Flashcards
What was the ‘13 Golden Years’?
The 13 years of Conservative dominance 1951-1964
What were the ‘13 Golden Years’ like?
- Largely continued consensus politics
- However minor disagreements + flaws in consensus politics began to show –> particularly in the economy
Who were the PM’s during the ‘13 Golden Years’?
- Churchill
- Eden
- Macmillan
When was Churchill PM during the ‘13 Golden Years’?
1951-1955
When was Eden PM during the ‘13 Golden Years’?
1955-1957
When was Macmillan PM during the ‘13 Golden Years’?
1957-1964
What was Churchill like when he lead the country during this time?
- -> 77 years old - in poor health
- -> He lacked the passion + drive of the war years
- -> He retired
What was Eden like as a leader?
Young, popular and aristocratic
Why was Eden forced to resign?
After the Suez Crisis
What happened in the Suez Crisis?
Britain had agreed to invade the Suez canal zone with France and Israel to protect the Suez canal from Egyptian President Nasser
Why was the US angry about the Suez Crisis?
The US had not been consulted, a furious Eisenhower forced a UN resolution imposing a ceasefire
They also refused to loan any money to the British
What happened as a result of the Suez Crisis?
Britain was forced to pull out and Eden was humiliated
What was Macmillan like as a PM?
Cheerful and confident
What was Macmillan’s nickname?
Nicknamed Supermac
What was the majority that the Tories got, due to Macmillan’s success?
He increased the Tory majority in the 1959 election to 49.4% of the vote
Why did the Chancellor, Treasury minister and Financial Secretary resign during Macmillan’s leadership?
They believed the gov. was spending too much money
When did the Chancellor, Treasury minister and Financial Secretary resign during Macmillan’s leadership?
1959
When was the ‘night of the long knives’
NOT “night of long knives” - this happened in 1934
1962
Why was ‘the night of long knives’ given its name?
It was a satirical name - satire comedy had become popular during this time
What was the ‘night of long knives’?
Where Macmillan sacked 7 members of the cabinet to replace them with younger politicians
What was the ‘night of long knives’ meant to show?
It was meant to make the gov. look stronger and less aristocratic
How did the ‘night of long knives’ backfire?
To the press and public it just made Macmillan seem weak ans ruthless
What happened to iron and steel companies during this time?
They were largely denationalised
What year were iron and steel mostly denationalised?
1953
When were the ‘13 golden years’?
1951-1964
How many houses did the Tories commit to building each year?
300,000
Was the target of 300,000 houses built a year achieved?
Yes
How many houses were built in 1953?
327,00
How many houses were built in 1954?
354,000
When did the housing subsidy increase?
1952
How much did the housing subsidy increase by in 1952?
From £25 to £35 per home
Who supported the housing subsidy increase in 1952?
Butler
What did the Tories pledge (1951-1955) to do with mortgages?
They were to be made more readily available
What % of housing was state owned?
80%
When did war time rationing end?
1954
What was the 1959 Mental Health Act?
Modernised treatment to be humane
In 1962 what plans were put in place for hospitals?
Plans were unveiled for 90 new hospitals to be built in the next 10 years
How many schools did the Tories pledge to build?
6000 new schools
What did the 1963 Robbins report prompt the Tory gov. to do?
7 new universities were established
What did the Robbins report suggest was needed?
More universities
What did the government between 1957-1964 allow local authorities to do - regarding education?
They allowed local authorities to set up comprehensive schools if they so choose
How many technical colleges were set up between 1957 and 1964?
10 - for further study
Give examples of how the Tories provided welfare in this time
- 6000 new schools
- Lots of housing built
- 11 new unis
- existing unis expanded
When did Britain become the leading member of the UN and NATO?
1964
How much did wages rise by in the golden years?
72%
How did the gov. try and modernise + support British farming?
By giving subsidies
What was inflation like for most of this time?
3/4%
What was unemployment like during the 13 years?
Below 2%
How was the NHS’s work improved?
By the 1959 Mental Health Act
What was home life like for people during this time?
Families ate better and had more consumer and luxury goods
How much did consumer spending rise by?
45%
Between 1951-1964 how much did Britain’s economy grow by?
40%
During the 1950s what was the % growth per annum?
Nearly 3% growth per annum
Who was Britain developing closer ties with during this time?
The USA - involved in the Test Ban Treaty Talks 1963
What talks were Britain involved in due to them growing closer with the USA?
Test Ban Treaty Talks 1963
By 1964 what % of the population owned a TV?
91%
In 1964 what was car ownership like?
It had quadrupled to 8 million
14.8% of the population owned a car
What was the amount of students Britain sent to uni compared to the rest of the world?
Britain’s economic rivals sent more young people to uni
Why was inflation 3/4%?
Failure to tackle inflation for fear of increasing unemployment
What was the problem with Suez?
It humiliated Britain
What was economic growth like?
Was fairly low
What was Britain’s economic growth like compared to other countries?
Britain - 2.4%
Italy - 5.6%
Germany - 5.1%
What was Britain’s productivity like compared to Europe?
Productivity was the lowest in Western Europe
What was Britain’s share of world exports in manufactured goods in 1951?
25.5%
What was Britain’s share of world exports in manufactured goods in 1964?
13.9%
What did Britain’s share of world exports in manufactured goods fall by between 1951-1964?
25.5% to 13.9%
What hampered economic growth?
The ‘Stop, Go’ policy
What was wrong with the ‘Stop, Go’ policy?
It worked in the short term but contributed to a build-up of inflationary pressure and ‘stagflation’
What did the ‘Stop, Go’ policy prevent?
Investments - caused the balance of payments to be imbalanced (too many imports)
What did Labour recieve in 1964?
A balance of payment deficit of £750 million
What happened when Britain applied to join the EEC?
It was vetoed (disallowed)
Which countries did better in manufacturing in these years?
Germany and Japan
Due to a lack of investment in Britain
What happened for the debate on grammar schools during this time?
- Debate over grammar schools, comprehensive schools and the 11+
- Not resolved and became problematic in the 70s
When had conservative popularity declined by?
1962
Increased consumer spending had lead to what?
Inflation and a balance of payments deficit
By 1962 what were people’s feelings towards the Tory government?
People had become more opposed to the ‘establishment’
Failure to gain entry to the EEC in 1963 caused what?
Decline in Conservative popularity
Give 4 ways the 13 golden years show commitment to consensus politics
- Tories adhered to many of Labour’s policies
- No changes to NHS
- Welfare state expenditure increased
- The term Butskellism was coined
Give 3 ways in which the 13 golden years did not show commitment to Consensus politics
- ‘stop-go’ economics
- People within the party resigned as they thought too much money was being spent
- Reversed the nationalisation of steel + iron
How did the Tories adhere to many of Labour’s policies?
- Continued to fund + improve the NHS
- Committed to the mixed economy + full employment
- Used Keynesian economics to manage economy
How did the Tories change the the NHS during this time?
They didn’t - they kept it the same as Nye Bevan’s and it in-fact continued to grow
What was the growth of welfare state expenditure in this time?
From 16.1% in 1951 to 19.3% in 1964
What does Butskellism mean?
A mixture of the names of a Tory chancellor R.A. Butler and Labour Party leader Hugh Gaitskell
Why was the term Butskellism commonly used?
It was coined to describe the almost identical economic policies of the two parties
Why was ‘stop-go’ economics criticised?
It meant inflation became a problem
Why did the 1959 chancellor, Treasury minister and Financial Secretary all resign?
They believed the gov. was spending too much
They believed inflation was a bigger threat than unemployment + wanted spending cuts, tax rises and end of subsidies
When had Conservative popularity declined by?
1962
What had increased consumer spending in the last years of Tory dominance caused?
It had led to inflation and a balance of payments deficit
Give 4 reasons why Conservative Dominance ended
- People became more opposed to the ‘establishment’
- Failure to gain entry to the EEC in 1963
- Night of long knives makes Macmillan seem ruthless
- Profumo affair
What was the Profumo affair?
Tory Secretary of State for War (John Profumo) was having an affair with Christine Keller who had also been sleeping with a soviet naval attaché (a suspected spy)
How did the Profumo affair affect the Conservative party?
Profumo denied the affair in parliament - when the truth was exposed the Tories image was badly damaged
Macmillan’s self-confidence was shattered
What party was Harold Wilson from?
Labour
Who was the first Labour PM after the ‘13 golden years’
Harold Wilson
What were Harold Wilson’s aims when he became PM?
Keen to keep consensus politics + lead Britain into an era of social + scientific progress
How were Wilson’s attempts to meet his aims hampered?
His aims were undermined by economic problems
