51-64 Politics

Question 1

Churchill post WW2

Answer 1

-inactive in domestic politics
-aimed to prevent another world war
-believed he was above party politics

Question 2

Churchill’s actions

Answer 2

-went abroad holidaying or meeting world leaders
-attempted to persuade liberals to join his cabinet
-left government in butler, eden, macmillans hands

Question 3

When eden took power

Answer 3

-high hopes as he increased majority from 17 to 60
-butler made chancellor, macmillan foreign sec
-lack of experience in domestic affairs + economy
-anxious about making decisions, weak as leader

Question 4

Eden after Suez

Answer 4

-decided to take action in suez in 1956
-under heavy attack from labour and national press
-accused of lying to the house of commons
-rebellion by 40 tory MPs, chief whip heath opposed him
-eden resigns from ill health in 1957

Question 5

Macmillan as PM

Answer 5

-general election oct 1959, won 100 seat majority
-economic boom, labour in disarray
-macmillan had media on his side

Question 6

Post War Consensus

Answer 6

-agreement between parties on major issues
-belief in a mixed economy, state and private
-support for nhs and the welfare state
-ensure full employment, work with unions + employers

Question 7

Housing Policies

Answer 7

-1951 tory manifesto promised 300k houses per year
-rebuild war destroyed housing stock
-replace slum housing of before the war

Question 8

Education policies

Answer 8

-tripartite system, grammar, technical, secondary modern
-children take 11+ to decide which they go to
-most schools were actually grammar or sec modern
-by 1960s questions over fairness

Question 9

Social reforms

Answer 9

-clean air act 1956 to prevent early 50s smog
-housing and factory acts improved working conditions
-1957 homicide act restricted when death penalty used
-1957 wolfenden commission, recommended homosexuality should no longer be a criminal act

Question 10

Labour party split

Answer 10

-great wartime labour leaders were ageing
-Bevan and Gaitskell key figures in labour split
-more rw Gaitskell beat more lw Bevan in election

Question 11

Further labour divisions

Answer 11

-defeat in 1959 election was a surprise
-battles at party conferences over future
-gaitskell suggested abolishing clause IV which committed the party to nationalisation
-he backed down without putting it to vote

Question 12

Labour debate over Nuclear Disarmament

Answer 12

-Bevan stated his opposition to it in 1957
-many labour lefties joined cnd, links turned away voters
-gaitskell made speech in 1960 attempting to reject it

Question 13

Reasons for tory fall from power: Macmillans failings

Answer 13

-lost his political touch
-night of long knives july 1962 sacked 1/3 of cabinet
-weakened the cabinet rather than rejuvenated
-macmillan appeared out of date, clumsy