Britain in 1951

Question 1

What were the strengths of the military/defence around 1951?

Answer 1

• Royal Navy and Royal air force second in size and power after US
• four times as many servicemen in early 1950s than today
• 1952 Britain became third world nuclear power detonating an atomic bomb off Australia coast
• US alliance in Cold War context

Question 2

What were the strengths of industry around 1951?

Answer 2

• accounted for quarter of world trade in manufactures
• foremost producer of ships
• industries like electronics, engineering and oil and chemical refining grew rapidly, e.g. first jet liner (The Comet), Rolls Royce
• synthetic fibres like nylon, 1950 Leicester was hosiery trade centre
• Nationalisation of key industries: early 1950s state owned industries employed over 2 million people
• car sales boosted end of petrol rationing 1950, one car per 16 people
• electric trolleybuses and petrol buses, cheap and frequent, 1 of 3 vehicles bus or lorry

Question 3

What were the strengths of work around 1951?

Answer 3

• 1947 Agriculture Act provided subsides for cereal production and livestock and tractors replaced horses, farmers incomes boosted
• strong support from trade unionists: half of male workers and quarter of female workers were part of one
• men’s wages increased from £8.30 in 1951 to £15.35 in 1961

Question 4

What were the strengths of infrastructure around 1951?

Answer 4

• US money (Marshall Plan) allowed for industrial investment and dawn of a rise in standards
• New Towns Act of 1946 led to expansion of towns around London, like Harlow
• new industrial centres like Peterlee in County Durham

Question 5

What were the strengths of British culture and entertainment?

Answer 5

• continuance of ‘make-do-and-mend’ culture due to rationing
• English faith and heritage restored through Nikolaus Pevsner’s lectures on ‘The Englishness of English Art’ and books published by Collins
• BBC programmes dramas like ‘Under Milk Wood’ by Dylan Thomas and comedies like ‘The Goon Show’.
• 1950 nearly 5000 cinemas, audience 4x larger than in 1970s e.g. Producer Michael Balcon Ealing Comedies like Lavender Hill Mob in 1951
• children’s British comics like Beano and Dandy and American action-heroes like Batman and Superman
• Festival of Britain sponsored by Labour government, 8 million visited
• 1948 British Nationality Act confirmed unrestricted entry to Commonwealth citizens (800 million people)

Question 6

What were the strengths of the Royal family around 1951?

Answer 6

• trade across empire increased due to large scale emigration and the monarchy: Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya when she succeeded to the throne in 1952 and her coronation had imperial flavour
• Dented by 1936 abdication crisis, monarchy recovered prestige thanks to wartime role and dutiful conduct of the Royal Family

Question 7

What were the weaknesses of Britain’s infrastructure around 1951?

Answer 7

• new towns and slums cleared meant traditional communities broken up
• rural homes lacked water sanitation, electricity and only few had telephones
• local authorities lacked resources to overcome housing shortages: nearly half of the population lived in private rented accommodation

Question 8

What were the weaknesses economically in Britain 1951?

Answer 8

• state regulations and high taxation
• butter, meat, tea and coal still rationed and sweets had to be re-rationed
• paying off wartime debts of £21 billion and a further £4 billion loan from US (60% of the US citizens didn’t want to give loan), paid off loan in 2006
• condition of loan pound had to be devalued (1949) in 12 months
• huge fall in naval spending

Question 9

What were the weaknesses of British culture and society around 1951?

Answer 9

• authors feared traditional English culture was being lost
  e. g. Evelyn Waugh and John Belieman
• increasing gulf between older political class and changing people

Question 10

What were the weaknesses of coal around 1951?

Answer 10

• reliance on coal for heating (90% of country’s energy)
• resulted in chronic atmospheric pollution: london smog of 1952 lasted 5 days killing more than 4000 people
• coal production hindered by shortages of miners and investments, but twice the level of mid-1980s

Question 11

What were the opportunities for Britain around 1951?

Answer 11

• diverting money from empire and defence (1950 6.6% GDP on defence) to domestic spending
• make strikes legal, illegal in 1951
• use Festival of Britain for new hope and encouragement
• immigration law: 1951 census only 3% of population born overseas, largest group was the Irish (over half a million) that helped staff the NHS, 160,000 poles and jews
• abortions illegal, legalise ‘baby boom’ after war meant classes of 50

Question 12

What were the threats for Britain around 1951?

Answer 12

• growing social tensions through immigration
• Korean and Cold war increased government expenditure and reduced potential for domestic improvements
• lack of independence from US
• lack of technological innovation threatening further currency, inflation and trade problems
• black markets due to austerity
• divided Labour party allowing Conservative rule