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British Hist > Attlee Government 1945-51 > Flashcards

Attlee Government 1945-51 Flashcards

1
Q

What conservative problems caused labour getting elected in 1945?

A

Baldwin’s failure to deal with unemployment and economy following the depression, incoherent foreign policy of 30’s and failure of inter war govts to provide “land fit for heroes”

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2
Q

What advantages did labour have which caused them to win the 1945 election?

A

People felt labour better to reconstruction after war, experienced cabinet, imbalance electorally favoured labour, failures beforehand due to minority govt and mainly MacDonald govt, MacDonald no longer around

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3
Q

What did Harold Macmillan say about the 1945 election?

A

“It was not Churchill who lost the 1945 election, it was the ghost of Neville Chamberlain”

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4
Q

What happened to income tax and foreign investment?

A

Raised to 50%, sold £1,000 million in foreign investment

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5
Q

What happened in regards to finance and trade with the U.S?

A

U.S ended lend-lease upon Japan’s surrender, Keynes got loan of $3 3/4 billion at 2% interest in Nov 1945, didn’t have to start pay until 1951, pay over 50 years, Dalton increased exports to U.S, decreased imports, aim to make £ freely convertible into $ by July 1947

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6
Q

What was production like in Feb 1947?

A

Fell by 50%, electricity reduced to 5hrs a day

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7
Q

How did unemployment change from Jan - Feb 1947?

A

From 400k to 2.5 Million

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8
Q

How much grain was destroyed due to the winter?

A

116,000 acres

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9
Q

What exacerbated the problems with the winter?

A

Emanuel Shinwell - minister for power and fuel - didnt act quick enough as put too much faith in nationalism

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10
Q

What did the 1947 budget include?

A

More exports, less imports, taxation increased, govt spending cut, limits on imports = worse rationing

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11
Q

What happened to Britains reserves from March - September 1949?

A

Fell by 30%

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12
Q

What did the 1949 financial crisis cause?

A

Pound devalued by 30%, from $4.03 to $2.80, remained like this until 1967

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13
Q

How did the defence budget change from 1951-54? And what happened as a consequence?

A

Rose to £4,700 million, which was 14% of total income so cuts to welfare, Anuerin Bevan resigns

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14
Q

What did Atlee do in Regards to the empire?

A

Gave problem of Palestine to UN, took troops and removed financial aid from Greece, out of India as financial liability, Louis Monbatton was new Viceroy of India

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15
Q

What happened as a result of Labours Empirical policies?

A

Created power Vacuums, Atlee did those things against advice of Bevin and Chiefs of staff

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16
Q

What happened in the 1947 convertibility crisis?

A

Shares in £ dropped by 10%, decided to end convertibility and reinstitute exchange controls, Ministers on holiday - humiliation, Dalton and Cripps told Atlee he wanted Bevin to be PM

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17
Q

How much of heat and energy was from coal mines in 1947?

A

90%

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18
Q

How much money did the UK get from the 1948 Marshall aid?

A

1/4 of total money put into europe ($3 billion), over 4 years

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19
Q

What did the Pentagon want for Britain’s defence budget?

A

£6 billion by 1953, in 1950 was £2.3 billion

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20
Q

What lead to Bevan’s resignation?

A

Doubling of defence budget to £4.6 billion, suggested capping the NHS

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21
Q

Who replaced Cripps as Chancellor in 1950?

A

Hugh Gaitskell

22
Q

Who resigned over the Korea scandal?

A

Bevin, Morrison replaced him as foreign minister

23
Q

How had the budget changed from 1950-1?

A

+£300m to -£400m

24
Q

How much was the pound devalued by in 1949?

A

By 30%

25
Q

What did Ellen Wilkinson achieve as Education minister?

A

35k teachers in teaching, roughly 1,000 new primary schools in 40’s school leaving age increased to 15 in 1947, uni students went from 50k to 77k (1939-49)

26
Q

How did Wilkinson fail?

A

Less than 50 new comprehensive schools by 1950, still divide between classes, less integration @ uni

27
Q

As a result of the NHS, what happened to illnesses?

A

Illnesses involving malnutrition became rare; TB Diphtheria and pneumonia fatalities fell, death by infection reduced due to free prescriptions

28
Q

What else did Bevan achieve through the NHS or otherwise?

A

Infant mortality fell by 50% by mid 50’s, social divisions for who could and couldn’t see a doctor reduced

29
Q

What were the failures of the govt in regard to health?

A

Prescriptions went from £140m a year to £358 by 1950, introduction of prescription charges lead to resignation of ministers (1951)

30
Q

How did labour fail in social security?

A

Targeted welfare would’ve been more effective than improved general welfare, employers contribution deterrent to hire more workers, excessive welfare spending hindered economic growth

31
Q

What left wing criticism did Atlees govt recieve?

A

HOL, Public school and private medicine remained

32
Q

Why did Dalton have to resign as Chancellor in 1947?

A

He leaked some details of his budget

33
Q

Why did it not matter that policies were overly socialistic?

A

Situation called for pragmatism, not ideological politics

34
Q

What else caused labour to win the 1945 election?

A

Zeitgeist focused on collectivism and Keynesianism, the decline of the liberal party meant no other credible left wing opponents

35
Q

What strengths of the conservative party helped them in the 1950 election?

A

Lord Woolton, the chairman of the party, organised it better, local tory parties more active, £1 million raised, churchill less bold in accusations

36
Q

What were the labour weaknesses in the 1950 election?

A

Although Harold Wilson (president of the board of trade) reduced rationing, still enough to make labour unpopular, delaying of nationalising iron and steel (only profitable chains of nationalising programme) meant gave time to convince people it was an ideological move

37
Q

What other problems did the labour party have at the 1950 election?

A

Couldn’t get votes of middle classes, legislature ended - no momentum, focus on division

38
Q

What were labour’s strengths in the 1950 election?

A

The pound had recovered from the 1949 crisis, exports increased, almost full employment, people favoured nationalisation and austerity seen as necessary so Cripps not unpopular

39
Q

What labour weaknesses lead to the election of the conservatives in 1951?

A

Korean war made economic problems which undermined progress since 1949, lost big figures after death of Bevin, no Cripps, resignation of Bevan, Freeman and Wilson after Gaitskell increased tax and possible dentures in NHS, £ devalued, living costs and wage demands increased, investors lost all trust in £, forced to reinstate imports controls

40
Q

What were the Conservative strengths going into the 1951 election?

A

Lord Woolton capped donations so incentive to not just get donations from rich, offered 300k houses per year, lower taxes, better experience than 1945 front bench

41
Q

How did campaigns impact the 1951 election?

A

Focus on Bevan calling Tories “less than vermin”, labour focus on negatives of Churchill, Churchill made no bold accusations

42
Q

What other factors led to the Tories being elected?

A

1948 & 9 representation of the people acts, removed plural voting and two member constituents, changed boundaries, labour most votes for party in any other election in british history, had 50/60 of largest majority constituencies, for tories: voting increase in 1950 and 51= 3.7% but 40% seat increase, 4.5% = 8% 1951

43
Q

How many more votes did labour get in the 1951 election than the tories?

A

230,000

44
Q

Who was the treasury’s main advisor?

A

John Maynard Keynes

45
Q

What was the problem regarding the shortage of wheat in 1946?

A

Expected to be 5.5 million tons below past year, actually 8, bread proportions changed - referred to as “cattle feed”, less animal feed - less bacon, poultry and eggs

46
Q

Why did Shinwell criticise the committee looking into the coal shortage of the winter?

A

Said Dalton and Cripps weren’t quick enough to realise it was more a problem of transport than fuel

47
Q

How was the India situation handled?

A

Both Indian congress and Muslim league satisfied, only province on difficulty of settlement was Kashmir, lead to leader less civil war, approx 500k killed, big benefactor was Indian congress expecting it could turn off protests as soon as Britain quit India, Both nations becoming dominions gave defence against tories as they had always said they were in favour of giving india this status eventually

48
Q

What were the problem regarding Palestine?

A

Capping of 10k Jews P/A from 1939 onwards, British wanted Palestine for helping control Suez, colonial office as to not waste 30 years of work and get a unified Palestine, foreign office didn’t want partition - would upset arabs - main source of oil in middle east, during 1947 convertibility crisis couldn’t afford to administer palestine

49
Q

How many houses were built P/A in 1946, 47, 48, and then on average over the following 3 years, and how many per year were private?

A

51K, 127,500, 206K+, approx 170K a year, on average 20K a year

50
Q

When did the Soviets test their first atomic bomb and why was it significant?

A

1949 - U.S.A didnt expect it to happen till 1952

British Hist (12 decks)

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