Britain 1951-64 (KO) Flashcards
When was the UK’s first atomic bomb tested?
1952
When did the Korean war end?
1953
When was the Suez affair?
1956
When was the Homicide + Rent Act?
1957
When were life peerages introduced?
1958
When did Britain become a founding member of EFTA?
1959
When did the Labour party adopt unilateralism?
1960
When was the commonwealth immigration act + Cuban missile crisis?
1962
When was Britain’s application to join the EEC rejected?
1963
When was the Profumo Affair?
1963
What seat majority did the Conservatives get in the 1951 election?
19 seats
What seat majority did the Conservatives get in the 1955 election?
58 seats over Labour
What seat majority did the Conservatives get in the 1959 election?
107 seats over Labour
What is a mixed economy?
A system in which both private and public sectors of the economy operate.
What are examples of ‘Mod Cons?’
Central heating, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, washing machines.
What is a property-owning democracy?
People are encouraged to become homeowners as this is a necessary part of democracy.
What is the ‘special relationship?’
Churchill’s term to described the common values shared between the U.K. and U.S. which made them natural allies.
What is Unilateralism?
The belief that Britain should give up its nuclear weapons without waiting for a multilateral agreement between nuclear powers to do so.
What did ‘CND’ stand for?
Campaign for nuclear disarmament.
When did rationing end?
1954
When did Macmillan assert that Britain had ‘never had it so good’?
July 1957
What was the wage rise for a weeks pay of the adult male workers from 1951-1964?
£8.30 -> £18.35
What was the increase in sale of private cars from 1951-65?
1.5 -> 5.5 million
How many houses were built annually? How many were private dwellings?
- 300,000
- 60%
What did the 1957 Rent Act do?
Abolish rent controls - perfect for property owning democracy.
When was the Robbins report? What did it do?
1963 - extended comprehensive ideas into higher education.
What happened to social mobility in this period?
The gap between affluent and the poor increased, however the poor had access to resources those before them had not - as R.A. Butler said in 1960, the ‘have’ and ‘have more’ instead of the ‘have’ and ‘have not’
When was Windrush?
1948
When and where were the race riots of this period?
- 1958
- Nottingham, Bristol, London
What were the groups in youth subculture?
Mods and Rockers
What kind of comedy became popular?
Satire e.g. MacMillan went to a ‘Beyond the fringe’ performance in 1962 where he was mocked in an impersonation.
What was Macmillan’s nickname?
‘Super Mac’
What were the scandals that marred this period?
- Profumo (backed by Macmillan - only to be lying)
- Vassall inquiry (Spying cover up)
- Kim Philby (Soviet spy)
- Argyll divorce (minister in porno photo in court)
What was the system Douglas-Home came to power through?
- very antiquated
- based on ‘old boys network’ vibe
- chosen by the previous prime minister, not by formal vote
- the last prime minister to be elected via this system
What were the problems with party unity for Labour in this period?
- Gaitskell led from centre-right, but opposed by Bevanite left.
- Unilateralists and CND
Why did Labour lose the 1959 election?
- Internal divisions
- Rising prosperity in Britain
- poor campaign
How did Labour’s 1959 election loss intensify internal issues?
- 1960 party conference saw trade union block vote used to force unilateralism on the party as a policy, which was then rejected again in 1961.
What happened in Suez?
- Nasser nationalises canal which we owned 40% of.
- Eden secret plans with France and Israel after diplomatic route failed.
- UN (Eisenhower furious) and USA condemned British actions.
- Eden disengages at threat of Soviet rockets.
- Damaged Britain’s currency reserves.
- Showed how post-war Britain could not act alone.
What was the ‘end of the empire’?
- MacMillan makes ‘winds of change’ speech in 1960 suggesting it is the moral choice to give Africa independence.
When did Britain grant independence to nearly all colonies? Where were there tensions?
- 1957-68
- Kenya and Zimbabwe
What happened with Europe in this period?
- The Treaty of Rome signed by ‘the six’ creating the EEC (1957)
- Labour still opposed, but failure of EFTA, Suez crisis and doubts about the ‘special relationship’ led MacMillan to announce intent to apply in 1961.
- Attachment to commonwealth led De Gaulle to veto in 1963.
What were reasons for Labour 1951 defeat?
- Attlee’s government worn out, divided left and right wings, low morale.
- Resentment among the trade unions.
- Image of austerity.
What were reasons for Conservative 1951 victory?
- Reorganisation and rejuvenation of the party with young, talented members like Butler coming in.
- Lord Wilton had reformed the finances and organisation of the party.
- Attack on steel and iron being nationalised had made them popular.
- Projection of image of upholders of individualism in a state of centralisation and collectivism.
