1951-64 Flashcards
identify the prime ministers 1951-64
1951-1955- winston churchill
1955-57- Anthony Eden
1957-63- Harold Macmillan
1963-64- Douglas-home
reasons conservatives won the 1951 election
first-past-the-post system
1950 saw influx of new younger tory MP’s
could attack gov on more socialist ideas (nationalisation)
key leaders (Butler) believed in key ideas such as post war consensus
reasons labour lost the 1951 election
six difficult yrs in office left them tired
divisions over economic, welfare and foreign policies
reasons conservative won 1959 election
post-war economic boom
macmillan restored party unity after suez
macmillan had good relationship w media
reasons labour lost 1959 election
internal battles over nuclear disarmament and direction of party
failure to capitalise on conservatives’ humiliation over Suez
domestic policies under conservatives
most conservatives had accepted most reforms of the labour government
war years made people ready to accept state intervention
define post-war consensus
belief in a mixed economy
support for NHS and welfare state
a wish to ensure full employment
work with both TU’s and employers
what did the conservative manifesto promise to do in terms of housing?
build 300,000 houses a year to rebuild the housing stock destroyed by the war
describe the education system under the conservatives
tripartite system-developed by butler in 1944
grammar school- intellectually gifted
technical- practical and vocational
secondary modern- majority
how was it decided which school you would go to
11+ test
describe the social reforms under the conservatives
clean air act 1956- prevent smog
housing and factory acts to improve working and living conditions
1957 wolfenden commision- homosexuality no longer criminal
reasons for conservatives fall of power
macmillan lost his political touch
rejection to EEC in 1963
night of long knives 1962- he sacked 1/3 of cabinet- dented public confidence in him
spy scandals
spy scandal examples
George Blake= convicted as Soviet double agent 1961
John Vassall= blackmailed on basis of homosexuality to pass info onto soviets 1962
John profumo= lied about actions, macmillan secrecy of state 1963
why did macmillan resign oct 1963
Ill health and a major abdominal operation kept him in hospital for weeks.
what was the difference between the left wingers and right wingers of the Labour Party
left- be more socialist
right- be more modern
what idea did Gaitskell put forward at the 1959 conference
abolishing Clause IV of the party constitution which committed party to nationalisation
when did gaitskell become the leader of the Labour Party
when it was going through its most disruptive periods
why was there divisions within the Labour Party
it couldn’t decide what type of party it was and what its aims were
what was the first step of a socialist Britain
introduction of welfare state
what did the left of the Labour Party argue for
greater commitment to state control and direction of the economy and society
many of the left were unilateralists, what is that
people who believed Britain should give up its atomic weapons without waiting for a multilateral agreement between the nuclear powers
what is CND
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
what were the socialists more in favour of
CND
abolishment of clause IV
against joining EEC
1951 prescription charges
what dictated conservative policy towards the TU’s
post-war consensus
what were potential blips with the trade unions
1957-dispute over economic management- thorneycroft wanted to limit wage rises and cut money supply but macmillan sided with expansionist policy and maintained post-war consensus
-1961- pay pause introduced
why didn’t the blips with TU’s become bigger at this stage
- bigger issues were in labour
- age of affluence giving a good feeling
- working with trade unions (national economic development council 1961, national incomes commission 1962)
define Keynesian economics
belief that if money is invested in the working class then they will spend it putting more in circulation which would spur more growth, pump money into the economy to get it rolling, government+state intervention
describe the 2 strategies of Keynesian economics
wage limits/controls
interest rates raising/lowering
what were the key features of the post war consensus related to the economy
belief in a mixed economy and desire to have full employment
define inflation
a general increase in prices and fall in the value of money.
why can inflation be good
encourages manufactures to expand their businesses and employ more people
why can inflation be bad
economy can overheat as workers demand higher wages due to higher prices
define deflation
a fall in the price of goods and services
describe inflation controls
wage freezes, increasing taxation, making borrowing harder so goods cannot be bought on credit
what can deflation lead to
unemployment as people have less money to spend so less goods and services need to be produced
what does a wage freeze do to people
panics them because they feel as they have less money as product prices increase therefore spending more and keeping less money
when did food rationing end
July 1954
what was the difference in the population of Britain between 1951 and 61
by 1961 51m ppl in GB, 5% (2 million) more than in 1951
how many people were unemployed in 1955
less than 200,000 (1%)
what sort of work was there expansion in
electrical and engineering work, industries relating to cars, steel and other metals
what did economic growth and low unemployment bring
rising wages
what did the give-away budget provide
£134m of tax cuts for middle classes
what did the giveaway budget lead to
feeling of affluence and growing consumerism along with already rising wages
what was britain able to do in the late 1950’s
import 29% more goods than in 1951 for the same number of exports
what did more imports cause
improved world trade
define stop-go economics
a policy which deliberately alternates between expansion and contraction of demand in effort to curb inflation and eliminate balance of payments deficit while maintaining full employment
why was gov at high risk of inflation
growth in wages was outstripping rate of production
what did the gov have to do in response to growth in wages outstripping growth of production
put in controls, taxation remained high to stop excess spending and prevent further increase in imports
describe the cycle of stop-go economics
imports exceed exports and balance of payments crisis
gov controls: high interest rates and wage freeze
demand falls
output decreases
controls removed
increase in demand
rising imports
imports exceed exports and balance of payments crisis
define balance of trade
the difference between the goods that a country imports and what it exports
define balance of payment
includes invisible imports and exports (e.g shipping, banking, insurance)
why was the economy unstable
controls were constantly tightened and losened
what years was Britain in a trade deficit of -56 million in
1946-1955
why was britain in such a bad trade deficit 1946-55
importing more goods than exporting, higher salaries created higher consumer demand however did not encourage manufacturers to increase exports
in what years did Britain gain a trade surplus of +132 million
1956-60
what exposed Britains financial weakness and what did it start
pressure from US over Suez crisis- started run on the pound
define run on the pound
Rapid fall in the value of the pound in international currency markets
when did the sterling regain its value against a US dollar
1959- run on pound did not have lasting damaging effects
why did britain need a pay pause and IMF loan
bc of worries ab the economy overheating
when was the introduction of a pay pause and application for IMF loan
1961
why did britain want to apply to the EEC
because trade with the empire and commonwealth was insufficient and was not enough to supply demand, they were lacking economic growth in comparison to Europe
when did they submit the application for the EEC and when was it rejected and why
1961
1963-De Gaulle distrusted Britain as he fought that during disputes, they would side with America
describe what the EEC was
common market to eliminate trade barriers
what were imports and exports like in the early 1960’s
exports rose over 10% but imports still remained 20% higher
After pre war slums were cleared, what new towns were built?
Harlow in Essex and Kirkby on Merseyside
what did mens wages rise to 1951-61
£8.30-£15.35
Why did home ownership increase?
cheap mortgages
what outnumbered private homeowners in the 1950’s
people living in council houses and rented accommodation
what was there a surge in ownership of?
TVs- 1957-59- 32%
washing machines- 1957-59-54%
refrigerators- 1957-59- 58%
cars- 1957-59- 25%
what became popular because of TVs
DIY and gardening
How many miles of new/upgraded main roads were complete 1957-63
1200 miles
what reached peak popularity
holiday camps
how many people went to butlins each week
60,000
how many people could afford to go abroad
2%
what sort of society was Britain in 1951
conformist society- a society with an ingrained respect for authority
In the 1951 election, what % of the working class voted Labour?
65%
in 1951 election, what % of the middle class voted conservative
80%
what were shifts of attitude hinting at towards the late 1950’s
gradual breakdown of old social restrictions and loss of deference (polite submission and respect)
what did the Suez crisis expose
gov lies and manipulation
What did the rise of CND encourage
tendency to challenge authority
what sort of society was Britain becoming
a more individualist society less willing to follow the lead set by Britains establishment
define the establishment
informal networks that connected the social and political elites. Privalleged people who had influence and knew people who ‘mattered’
who/what did the establishment include
politicians, servants, judges, bishops and media
what happened by 1960
a satire ‘boom’
what did the magazine ‘private eye’ establish
witty disrespect to the establishment
what TV show satirised public figures?
that was the week that was
what did critics of the establishment believe
britain was being held back by its ruling elite
what was their perception of the elite
it emphasised arts education in preference to science, blocked talent from outside the establishment and tried to hide its own mistakes
what was the conservative government dominated by 1951-64
the establishment
due to lack of social mobility, what did Britain need
leaders who understood the modern age they were living
in the 1950’s what were women primarily seen as
housewives
what was the ideal woman
wife and mother
what was the average marriage age and how many women were married
21
75%
how many women went to work in 1951
1 in 5
why were women paid family allowance
to ensure they didn’t need to work
what suggests that women were financially dependant?
mortgages and bank accounts were in mens names
number of women working rose by 1964, what issues were there
still relatively uncommon for married women especially with children to work
what did people believe women working would do
damage children
why did the trade unions not support women working
it could lower wages
when was there equal pay for teachers
1952
when was there equal pay for civil servants
1954
what improved womens lives in their home
new labour-saving devices
why were washing machines good for women
they didn’t have to hand wash clothes so saves time and energy
why were fridges good for women
didn’t have to go daily shopping
how many immigrants settled in Britain by 1958?
210,000 commonwealth immigrants
what were 75% of immigrants
male, working to support their families at home
what were attitudes like towards immigrants
mixed- some showed tolerance, some outright racist and showed resentment
in the 1960’s what was the inward migration
1.25 million
in the 1960’s what was the outward migration
1.92 million
why was immigration economically desirable
they took low wage jobs
what were perceptions to immigrants altered by in late 1950’s
racial tension
what were the nottinghill riots 1958
serious violence to carribean people
who mostly took part in the nottinghill riots
white youth attacking West Indies
why didn’t the police deal with the nottinghill riots
they lacked experience of dealing with race riots
when was the commonwealth immigrants act passed
1962
who opposed the 1962 commonwealth immigration act
Labour Party but they didn’t repeal it after 1964 election
in relation to youth, what happened for the first time in the 1950s
there was a distinctive youth culture
what did boys no longer have to do after 1960
take part in national service
what did girls no longer need to do and why
help their mothers as much as rise in affluence made womens jobs easier
what swelled the number of teenagers
post war baby boom
how many teenagers were in Britain?
5 million (10% of population)
what was aimed at teenager in the late 1950’s
TV programmes and magazines
what was the most obvious youth subculture
teddy boys
why were the teddy boys seen as a worrying phenomenon
linked with juvenile delinquency and rising crime
who were the teddy boys replaced with in the late 1950’s
the rockers then the mods
what was the difference between the rockers and mods
rockers wore leather rode motorcycle and listened to rock and roll whereas mods rode scooters, wore smart suits and preferred pop music
what were the attitudes to the establishment in 1951?
very deferential and conformist- class loyalties were strong
in the 1950’s, what events caused the deference break down?
1956- Suez exposed lying and manipulation
1958 CND protests showed willingness to challenge authority
1963 Profumo affair showed government was out of touch with people and the media started showing topics they would not have covered before (e.g sexual behaviour)
example of film which reflected racial tension
Sapphire- 1959 crime thriller film with shocking portrayal of sex and violence made after nottinghill riots
what was the main foreign policy objectives in this period
manage transition from empire to commonwealth
strengthen ties between NATO (USA, western Europe)
support foundation of EEC and then join
when was the schuman plan and what did it do
1950- set out the proposals for a coal and steel community that would provide economic reconstruction and eliminate danger of future war between france and germany
why did britain initially not get involved in the EEC
britain “won the war”
trade links with australia canada and new zealand more important than european ones
britain wanted to remain and independent power
there was a need to balance involvemnent in europe with special relationship w US
where and when did the EEC take shape
1955 conference at messina in sicily
When was the EEC launched?
1957 treaty of Rome
what did britain create in 1959
EFTA
why did they create EFTA
britain believed it’s economic future didn’t lie w europe but with the USA and commonwealth
Was EFTA successful?
only moderately successful but was unable to match the economic growth of the EEC
when did britain apply to join the EEC and when was it rejected
1961
1963
why did britain change its mind about not joining the EEC
boost industrial production for a large scale export market
increase industrial efficiency with greater competition
stimulate economic growth
britain could be used as a vital link between europe and america
Why did De Gaulle veto UK application?
worried about relationship with USA
Afraid britain would take over
american influence in europe
What was the Burgess and Maclean affair?
Burgess and Maclean were highly placed officers in British Intelligence. They defected to the Soviet Union in 1951. The fact that British spies had been leaking vital secrets to Moscow deeply worried the Americans, who became much less ready to share intelligence secrets with Britain.
why did britain have to become an independent nuclear power
US stopped sharing nuclear secrets with britain
why was britain not able to become an independent nuclear power
advance in technology meant it’s method of delivering was outdated and they had to begin buying US polaris nuclear missiles
when was the formation of CND
1958
What did the CND want?
reject nuclear weapons and follow a policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament
when did the US agree to share nuclear technology with britain again
1958 under the mutual defense agreement
what nuclear weapon did britain have from the US
us polaris nuclear missiles
When was the Korean War?
1950-53
how was korea occupied
soviet union in the north and US in the south
what happened in the korean war
North Korea fought South Korea and the US helped South Korea fight North Korea in order to stop Communism.
what was agreed after the korean war
korea would be split between a communist north korea and non communist south korea
what did the korean war demonstrate about britain
it’s willingness to continue to play a major role in world affairs but that US was still a greater power
what happened in the suez crisis
Egypt nationalised the suez canal Israelis, British, and French forces invaded Suez. America told them to stop and evacuate because Egypt might ally with the Soviets for help. Britain pulled out
what did the suez crisis show about britain
britains reputation as a force for good was questioned
highlighted britains inability to act without the US
undermined that britain was still a world power
what was britains and south africa’s historic relationship
very good- developed trade to their common advantage. Took 1/3 exports and supplied 1/3 exports
what did the winds of change speech 1960 show
clear shift of policy from maintaining control to decolonisation and recognition of independence movements
what countries gained independence 1957-63
Nigeria, uganda, kenya, ghana
what did the 1952 mau mau rebellion show
difficulty in dealing with it showed problems with Britains colonial policies
