ADV INFO - 1951 General Election Flashcards
how many seats did the conservatives win
321
how many seats did Labour win
295
How many votes did the Conservatives win
13.72 million (48.0%)
How many votes did Labour win
13.95 million (48.8%)
What acts were passed in 1948 and 1949
the representation of the people acts
what did the representation of the people acts do
abolish plural voting and also the separate university seats
they abolished two-member constituencies
they substantially redrew constituency boundaries much to Labour disadvantages
What was the issue with the introduction of postal voting for the Labour party
according to Herbert Morrison, these were cast 10-1 in favour of the Conservatives.
what were the three principles Attlee considered central in politics
morality, morality and morality
What was the average age of the Labour government in 1950
60
who were the young leaders in the Labour cabinet
Harold Wilson (born 47 years after the cabinet’s oldest member)
What was happening to the size of the working class
it was shrinking - 78% of British society identified themselves as working class in 1931 but only 72% by 1951
What did Labour lose due to the parliamentary reforms of 1949
many of their safe seats
what had happened to Labour internally
they became riven by ideological and policy disagreements
What caused dissatisfaction within Labour
taxation - the standard rate of taxation in 1949 was 9 shillings in every pound (45%) and the top rate of graduated tax for high earners was 90%
What were divisions in the Labour party over
Morrison wanted consolidation whilst Bevan and Labour fundamentalists wanted further bold reforms, such as nationalisation
what did Bevan resign over
the imposition of health service charges (for glasses and dentistry)
what was economically limiting on the Labour government
the Korean war
Where was the Labour government humiliated
the nationalisation of the Abadan refinery in Iran
What rationing continued during peacetime
food and fuel continued during peacetime and some items such as bread not rationed during the war were rationed during peacetime
What was the country still in under Labour
an age of austerity
what did the Conservatives accept in their manifesto
the majority of labour reforms
what did the conservative manifesto say
they would “maintain and improve the health service”
they would free “the productive energies of the nation from the trammels of overbearing state control and bureaucratic management”
What did the Conservatives promise to do
build 300,000 houses per year
What charters did the Conservatives accept
the industrial charter, which was adopted at the 1947 annual conference, drawing from Anthony Eden the statement that ‘we are not a party of unbridled, brutal capitalism and never have been’
Who were the political heavyweights in the conservative party
Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Rab Butler, Oliver Stanley and Oliver Lyttelton
What did Churchill do to capture the public mood
he promised ‘more red meat’ and his reputation as a statesman was appealing as the Korean War started
How old was Churchill in 1950
76
What was established in 1946
the young conservative movement and it grew rapidly at the grassroots level
What was conservative party membership in the 1950s
3 million
who supported the Conservatives
the great majority of newspapers
How many people qualified as constituency agents for the party
300
who helped revitalise the Conservatives grassroots and what did he do
Lord Woolton. He helped by setting local party workers the energising task of raising £1 million
what did the spectator say
that the tories of 1950 are not the tories of 1935
what happened to the conservatives in 1945
despite being defeated their popular vote was virtually 40 per cent
who were the conservatives appealing to
they attracted large donations from businessmen
why had the labour government become unpopular
due to continued rationing and housing shortages, combined with an extended period of austerity, meaning that the public was ready for change
why did the conservatives have a wider appeal than they did in 1945
the party promised 300,000 new houses
How did the Liberals benefit the conservatives
they only stood in 109 constituencies. In the other seats, Liberal voters tended to vote Conservative rather than Labour
what did Reinglad Maudling do in 1947
he prepared an industrial charter, which announced the party’s commitment to a mixed economy and a corporatist approach to the industry.
