Booklet 1: 1951-64 Flashcards
Results of the 1951 election:
- conservatives 321 seats and 48% vote
- labour 295 seats and 48.8% vote
Results of the 1955 election:
- conservatives 345 seats and 49.7% vote
- labour 277 seats and 46.4% vote
Results of the 1959 election:
- conservatives won 365 seats and 48.8% vote
- labour won 258 seats and 44.6% vote
Social reform acts under the Conservatives:
- Clean Air Act 1956 (smog)
- Housing and Factory Acts
- Homicide Act 1957
What did the Homicide Act 1957 do?
It restricted the use of the death penalty for murder.
Inflation
The increase in the price of goods and services which occurs when people have more money to spend than there are good available.
Deflation
A fall in the prices of goods and services.
When did rationing come to an end?
July 1954
Population numbers in 1961
51 million people - 5% more than in 1951.
When was full employment reached and how many remained unemployed
1955 - only 200,000 unemployed
How many people were employed in service industries by 1960?
5 million - 1 in 5
Why did Thorneycroft resign in 1958?
His proposals for drastic spending cuts were overruled by Macmillan
Balance of trade
the difference between the goods that a country imports and what it exports
Balance of payments
the difference between the goods that a country imports and what it exports, but includes invisible exports and imports i.e. services such as shipping, banking
What was the Festival of Britain?
was intended to mark Britain’s recovery from the war and to look forward to the future celebrating new design, culture and industry
Examples of new towns built:
- Harlow in Essex
- Kirby in Merseyside
What was the increase in men’s weekly wages?
£8.30 in 1951 to £15.35 ten years later
When did ITV launch and what were the impacts?
1955
people saw more advertisements
How much did TV ownership increase?
- between 1957-59 rose by 32%
- by 1960 there were 10 million tv sets in use
- estimated 50% of population watched TV in the evening
What was the increase in car ownership?
25% between 1957-59
How much road was upgraded or built?
1200 miles between 1957-1963
How many working class voters voted Labour in 1951?
65%
How many middle class voters voted conservative in 1951?
80%
Satire
- Beyond the Fringe
- Private Eye magazine 1961
- That was the week that was 1962 BBC
How significant was marriage considered for women?
- average age of marriage was 21
- 75% women married
How many women were in work in 1951?
only 1 in 5
What was the family allowance and what did it aim to do?
a weekly benefit paid for each child in a family - was supposed to ensure that women did not need to work.
Improvements for women in work:
- equal pay for teachers 1952
- equal pay for civil servants 1954
The Empire Windrush
Sailed from Jamaica to London in 1948, carrying 492 migrant workers seeking a new life in Britain. Became a symbol of a new period of African-Caribbean immigration into Britain.
How many Commonwealth immigrants had settled in Britain by 1958?
210,000 - 75% male
Number of immigrants vs number of people leaving Britain:
676,000 immigrants and 1.32 million Britons left
Notting Hill Riots 1958
Violent outbreaks in Notting Hill, which had a large African-Caribbean population. Large mobs of white youths attacked African-Caribbeans. The police response was discriminatory.
Beliefs of the Bevanites (left-wing of Labour)
- anti-nuclear weapons
- pro-EEC
- anti-NATO
- pro-nationalisation
- anti-prescription charges
Beliefs of Gaitskellism (right-wing of Labour)
- pro-nuclear weapons
- anti-EEC
- pro-NATO
- anti-nationalism
When did the economy peak?
between 1960-64
What was the 1963 Beeching Report?
Announced massive cuts in railway networks which caused a public outcry with 67,000 rail jobs lost
What were the 4 features of the post-war consensus?
- mixed economy
- working with trade unions
- full employment
- upholding the NHS and welfare state
What was the education system in the 50s and early 60s?
Tripartite system: had to take an 11+ exam to determine what school you would go to.
Grammar school, secondary modern, technical schools.
What was the ‘night of the long knives’?
Macmillan’s 1962 reshuffling of the cabinet where he sacked 1/3 of it.
Spy scandals in the early 1960s:
- George Blake convicted of being a Soviet double agent in 1961
- John Vassall (civil servant) was discovered to have been blackmailed on the basis of his homosexuality to pass information onto the Soviet Union in 1962
- Profumo Affair 1963 - sleeping with Christine Keeler who was also sleeping with a soviet spy
When was National Service stopped for boys?
1960
How many teenagers were in Britain by 1959?
5 million (10%)
Examples of breaking down censorship and social taboos in the film/tv industry:
- ‘Victim’ 1961: first English language film to use the word ‘homosexual’
- ‘Taste of honey’ 1958: play that told the story of a young unmarried woman who became pregnant from a black sailor
What are some reasons that Britain did not join the EEC when it was established?
- The left were suspicious of free-market principles behind the common market
- The right preferred the traditional trade links with Australia, Canada and New Zealand
- There was an assumption that Britain was still a great world power
- Wanted to balance its involvement with Europe and maintaining the ‘special relationship’ with the USA
What did Britain think it would gain from joining the EEC when they applied in 1961?
- boost industrial production for a large-scale export market
- increase industrial efficiency with greater competition
- stimulate economic growth with the rapid economic expansion already seen in the EEC
When were Britain’s first tests of the atomic bomb?
1952
When was Britain’s H-bomb tested?
1957
When was CND formed?
1958
How many people took part in the Aldermaston march (CND) in 1958?
8000
How many soldiers did Britain send to the Korean War?
90,000
How man British troops died in the Korean War?
Over 1000
When was the Mau Mau rebellion and why was it significant?
1952 Kenya
Was one of several violent nationalist uprisings against British colonial rule.
The difficulty to contain the rebellion demonstrated the problems with Britain’s colonial policies.
What was the first African colony to be declared independent and when?
Ghana 1957
When was Kenya declared independent?
1963
What was the National Economic Development Council (Neddy)?
Was responsible for long-term economic planning.
Consisted of government representatives, academics, employers and trade unionists.
Set up in 1962.
What was the National Incomes Commission (Nicky)?
Kept an eye on wages and prices.
Added in 1962.
