Britain 1951-64 (KO)

Question 1

When was the UK’s first atomic bomb tested?

Answer 1

1952

Question 2

When did the Korean war end?

Answer 2

1953

Question 3

When was the Suez affair?

Answer 3

1956

Question 4

When was the Homicide + Rent Act?

Answer 4

1957

Question 5

When were life peerages introduced?

Answer 5

1958

Question 6

When did Britain become a founding member of EFTA?

Answer 6

1959

Question 7

When did the Labour party adopt unilateralism?

Answer 7

1960

Question 8

When was the commonwealth immigration act + Cuban missile crisis?

Answer 8

1962

Question 9

When was Britain’s application to join the EEC rejected?

Answer 9

1963

Question 10

When was the Profumo Affair?

Answer 10

1963

Question 11

What seat majority did the Conservatives get in the 1951 election?

Answer 11

19 seats

Question 12

What seat majority did the Conservatives get in the 1955 election?

Answer 12

58 seats over Labour

Question 13

What seat majority did the Conservatives get in the 1959 election?

Answer 13

107 seats over Labour

Question 14

What is a mixed economy?

Answer 14

A system in which both private and public sectors of the economy operate.

Question 15

What are examples of ‘Mod Cons?’

Answer 15

Central heating, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, washing machines.

Question 16

What is a property-owning democracy?

Answer 16

People are encouraged to become homeowners as this is a necessary part of democracy.

Question 17

What is the ‘special relationship?’

Answer 17

Churchill’s term to described the common values shared between the U.K. and U.S. which made them natural allies.

Question 18

What is Unilateralism?

Answer 18

The belief that Britain should give up its nuclear weapons without waiting for a multilateral agreement between nuclear powers to do so.

Question 19

What did ‘CND’ stand for?

Answer 19

Campaign for nuclear disarmament.

Question 20

When did rationing end?

Answer 20

1954

Question 21

When did Macmillan assert that Britain had ‘never had it so good’?

Answer 21

July 1957

Question 22

What was the wage rise for a weeks pay of the adult male workers from 1951-1964?

Answer 22

£8.30 -> £18.35

Question 23

What was the increase in sale of private cars from 1951-65?

Answer 23

1.5 -> 5.5 million

Question 24

How many houses were built annually? How many were private dwellings?

Answer 24

• 300,000
• 60%

Question 25

What did the 1957 Rent Act do?

Answer 25

Abolish rent controls - perfect for property owning democracy.

Question 26

When was the Robbins report? What did it do?

Answer 26

1963 - extended comprehensive ideas into higher education.

Question 27

What happened to social mobility in this period?

Answer 27

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’

Question 28

When was Windrush?

Answer 28

1948

Question 29

When and where were the race riots of this period?

Answer 29

• 1958
• Nottingham, Bristol, London

Question 30

What were the groups in youth subculture?

Answer 30

Mods and Rockers

Question 31

What kind of comedy became popular?

Answer 31

Satire e.g. MacMillan went to a ‘Beyond the fringe’ performance in 1962 where he was mocked in an impersonation.

Question 32

What was Macmillan’s nickname?

Answer 32

‘Super Mac’

Question 33

What were the scandals that marred this period?

Answer 33

• 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)

Question 34

What was the system Douglas-Home came to power through?

Answer 34

• 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

Question 35

What were the problems with party unity for Labour in this period?

Answer 35

• Gaitskell led from centre-right, but opposed by Bevanite left.
• Unilateralists and CND

Question 36

Why did Labour lose the 1959 election?

Answer 36

• Internal divisions
• Rising prosperity in Britain
• poor campaign

Question 37

How did Labour’s 1959 election loss intensify internal issues?

Answer 37

• 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.

Question 38

What happened in Suez?

Answer 38

• 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.

Question 39

What was the ‘end of the empire’?

Answer 39

• MacMillan makes ‘winds of change’ speech in 1960 suggesting it is the moral choice to give Africa independence.

Question 40

When did Britain grant independence to nearly all colonies? Where were there tensions?

Answer 40

• 1957-68
• Kenya and Zimbabwe

Question 41

What happened with Europe in this period?

Answer 41

• 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.

Question 42

What were reasons for Labour 1951 defeat?

Answer 42

• Attlee’s government worn out, divided left and right wings, low morale.
• Resentment among the trade unions.
• Image of austerity.

Question 43

What were reasons for Conservative 1951 victory?

Answer 43

• 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.