20. Britain By 1951 Flashcards
The festival of Britain: when was it
Summer 1951
The festival of Britain: aims
Cheer people up after post war austerity, raise British morale and promote the feeling of recovery
What was it’s symbol
The skylon tower
The festival of Britain: main purpose according the Gerald Barry, director general
To put Britain on show and exhibit what the country had achieved since the war
The festival of Britain: dome of discovery
One of main centrepieces showing scientific progress
Could see synthetic dyes, electrical instruments and a developing embryo
The festival of Britain: what could visitors learn about in the health pavilion
Blood, the nervous system, vaccination, training of nurses and surgical instruments
The festival of Britain: what did it consciously imitate
The 1851 great exhibition
The festival of Britain: how many visitors were there
8.5 million
The festival of Britain: what was there at battersea Park
AmericAn style rides on the sky wheel, bubble bounce and flyo plane
The festival of Britain: when did festival close
September 1951
The festival of Britain: how did right wing daily express
Social extravagance
The festival of Britain: what did actor Kenneth Williams think
Madly educative and very tiring
Continuing austerity: when did bread and potato rationing end
1948
Continuing austerity: when we’re eggs and soap no longer restricted from
1950
Continuing austerity: what we’re still rationed
Meat, cheese, fats, tea sugar and sweets
Continuing austerity: what led to a weekly meet ration of four ounces beef or five ounces lamb chop per person
Mistakes over imports made my ministry of food in 1950
Continuing austerity: austerity other than food
Another fuel shortage, food import prices went up following devaluation in 1949 and the housing shortage remained severe
Continuing austerity: what was official gov estimate of houses a shortfall of
700.000 but independent experts thought it was higjer
Continuing austerity: what did bevan minister of health concentrate on
Council house building and quality rather than quantity
Continuing austerity: how many council houses built between 1945-51
807,000
Continuing austerity: how did fall in poverty become knows
Rowntree’s survey in 1950
Continuing austerity: how did poverty fall
Welfare reforms financed by high taxation helped poorest part of working class and labour gov achieved clviteually full employment over time in office
Labour divisions: who were contrasting opinions held by
Herbert Morrison and aneurin Bevin
Labour divisions: what did bevan want to continue further with
Nationalisation and bring out a more fundemebtak reorganisation in society
Labour divisions: what would bevans ideas on nationalisation appeal to
The working classes
Labour divisions: what did Morrison want to focus on
Consolidation to ensure that labour continued to win the support of middle class voters
Labour divisions: why did Morrison win the argument to hold back on promising more nationalisation in the 1950 election
His ideas were more representative of the cabinet
Labour divisions: who else did bevan fall out with
Hugh Gaitskell, chancellor of the exchequer
Labour divisions: what did the bevanites criticise
Charges for spectacles dental treatment and prescriptions
Labour divisions: what did bevan argue that charges contravened with
The founding principle of NHS that it should be free at point of treatment
Went against basic labour values
Labour divisions: how did bevan criticise the rearmament programme
He and his supporters felt attlees gov had developed too close an association with Cold War politicise of US
Labour divisions: when did bevan resign
23 April 1951
Labour divisions: why was bevanite rebellion disastrous for labour
Encouraged other labour MPs to speak out openly which further encouraged conservatives in their attacks
Labour divisions: what was labours lajority after 1950 election
5
Conservative reorganisation and elections of 1950 and 1951: why were conservatives in much better shape by 1951
Lord Woolton reorganised party’s electoral machine and began a great fundraising scheme and a new membership drive
Conservative reorganisation and elections of 1950 and 1951: what did conservatives exploit and oppose
Labours setbacks and opposed nationalisation of road haulage and steel
Conservative reorganisation and elections of 1950 and 1951: how did conservatives effectively agree to a post war consensus
Committed to Preservig NHS and other welfare reforms as well as maintaining most of nationalised industries in state hands
Conservative reorganisation and elections of 1950 and 1951: how many houses did they agree to build per year
300,000
Conservative reorganisation and elections of 1950 and 1951: what did Hugh dalton state about labours positok in 1950
We have office without power
Conservative reorganisation and elections of 1950 and 1951: why did Attlee call a new election in October 1951
Carrying on governing with such a small parliamentary majority proved very difficult
Conservative reorganisation and elections of 1950 and 1951: who won overall majority 1051 election
Conservatives
Reasons for labours loss of support: what did result of 1950 election prove despite labour not suffering a sudden or massive drop in voter support
A serious handicap
Reasons for labours loss of support: what was the issue with the election being held in February
It was before the full extent of recovery was fully realised
Reasons for labours loss of support: what were many voters still influenced by at 1951 election
1949 devaluation
Reasons for labours loss of support: why else was economic recovery faltering again in 1951
Impact of Korean War
Reasons for labours loss of support: which gov controls had some voters grown tired of
Associated bureaucracy, red tape and high levels of taxTion
Reasons for labours loss of support: what did many years of strict rationing and austerity convince people that
It was time for a channge
Reasons for labours loss of support: how did conservatives play on fact that it was time for change
Promises more freedom and home ownership with a property owning democracy
Reasons for labours loss of support: why were many labour leaders ill and exhausted
Attlee, Morrison and Bevin had been continuously in gov, in high pressure situations since formation of Churchill’s wartime coalition gov
Reasons for labours loss of support: how many voters had conservatives gained 1945-51 to
Labours 2 million
4 million
Reasons for labours loss of support: how did conservatives benefit from liberals decision to only put up 109 candidates
Nearly 2 million ex liberal votes that became available went largely to conservatives
Reasons for labours loss of support: impact of internal divisions over economic, welfare and foreign policies
Weakened positions
Reasons for labours loss of support: what was defeat of labour by in 1951
A relatively small margin
Reasons for labours loss of support: what wa labours defeat largely down to
First past the post
