Britain Tories 1951-1964 Flashcards
Between which years was Churchill Prime Minister?
1951-1955
What percentage of the votes did the Conservatives get and why did they still win in 1951?
The Tories got 48% of the vote compared to Labour’s 48.8% but won a majority due to first past the post
Between which years was Anthony Eden Prime Minister?
1955-1957
Between which years was Macmillan Prime Minister?
1957-1963
What is a one-nation Conservative?
All classes in society have obligations to one another and those who are better off have a responsibility to help those worse off.
Who was Rab Butler under Churchill?
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Who was Macmillan under Churchill?
Housing Minister
Who was Macmillan under Eden?
Foreign Secretary and Treasury as of October 1955
What happened to Churchill in 1953?
He had a stroke
What percentage of the vote did the Conservatives win in 1955?
49.7% to Labour’s 46.4%
Why was Macmillan more popular than Butler?
Due to Butler’s previous strong support for the policy of appeasement
Macmillan called an election in 1959, after Eden’s resignation, what percentage did the Tories win?
48.8% to 44.6% but with 365 seats to Labour’s 258.
What is post-war consensus?
- Supporting a mixed economy of 2. nationalised and private industry
- Support for the NHS and welfare
- Aimed for full employment
- Co-operating with trade unions.
What is another term for post-war consensus?
Butskellism after Conservative politician R.A Butler and Labour Leader Hugh Gaitskell, who co-operated closely.
Who was Nye Bevan and Hugh Gaitskell?
Nye Bevan had been Minister of Health and resigned in 1951 over prescription charges, whilst Gaitskell introduced them. One was left-wing and one was more right-leaning and this lead to a split in the Labour Party that would only worsen
What was the CND?
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament supported by many left-wingers
Who was Frank Cousins?
A left-winger, who was leader of the Transport and General Workers Union(TGWU)
How did the CND and Frank Cousins affect the Labour Party in the 50s?
Turned voters and unions away due to both Bevan and Gaitskell’s opposition to unilateral nuclear disarmament
What was Clause IV of the Labour Party
It committed Labour to nationalisation and Gaitskell proposed to remove it only to be met with hostility.
What happened in 1963 for Labour?
Gaitskell died and Harold Wilson was elected leader.
What happened to the Conservatives’ application to join the EEC in 1961?
It was rejected by de Gaulle.
What was Macmillan’s Night of the Long Knives?
In July 1962, he sacked a third of his cabinet, intended to revitalise his government but weakened it instead.
Who was George Blake?
A Soviet double agent who was convicted in 1961
Who was John Vassal?
A civil servant who was blackmail by the Soviets for his homosexuality.
What was the Profumo affair?
John Profoumo, Secretary of State War had an affair with Christine Keeler, who was also sleeping with Ivanov, a Soviet spy
When did food rationing come to an end?
July 1954
How many more people were there in the UK in 1961 compared to ‘51?
2 million more with 51 million people in Great Britain.
What was achieved in 1955 in regards to workforce?
Full employment with only 200,000 unemployed, 1%< of the workforce
What percentage was annual wage increase at in 1960?
8%
How many people/what percentage of the population were employed in service industries?
5 million people or 1/5 of the population
How much more goods was Britain importing compared to 1951?
29% more imports.
What is ‘stop-go’ economics?
Low interest rates + rising consumer spending(go) leads to overheating economy and leading to higher interest rates, spending cuts and general deflation.
What is balance of payments?
Similar to balance of trades but includes invisible imports and exports, such as financial services(e.g banking)
Who was Peter Thorneycroft?
Macmillan’s Chancellor who advocated for what would go on to be Monetarism but was pushed back by other Conservatives due to Post-war consensus
What occurred right after the Suez Crisis
A run on the pound
What did the April 1959 Tory budget provide?
Tax cuts of 370 million pounds
What did Britain have to request for the overheating economy in 1961?
A loan from the IMF
What was the 1963 Beeching report?
Published in november, it recommended massiv cuts in Britain’s railway. Going as far as suggesting 30% of the rail be closed. This was very unpopular with the public and left rural areas isolated.
How many houses did Macmillan aim to build as Housing Minister?
300,000 per year and he exceeded this. At the cost of quality
What was men’s weekly wage in 1951 compared to ‘61?
£8.30 to £15.35
What is hire purchase?
People place a deposit on an expensive item and pay it off in monthly installment
How much did car ownership increase by between 1957 and 1959?
25%
How many miles of new or upgraded roads were completed between 1957-63?
1,200
How many people on average holidayed at Butlins every week in the 1950s?
60,000
What percentage of the population enjoyed foreign holidays in the 50s?
Less than 2%
In the 1951 election what percentage of the working class voted for Labour?
65%
In the 1951 election, what percentage of middle-class voters voted for the Tories?
80%
What percentage of all women were married?
75%
What was the average age of marriage for women?
21
What was family allowance?
A weekly benefit for each child in a family, renamed child benefit in 1957 and was intended to keep women from working
What did trade unions think of women working in the 50s and early 60s?
That they would lower wages(What the actual fuck?)
Which two groups got “equal pay” in the early 50s?
Teachers(1952) and civil servants(1954)
How much did household ownership of washing machines rise by between ‘57-‘59
54%
How much did household refrigerator ownership rise between ‘57-‘59?
58%
What was the Empire Windrush?
A ship from Kingston, Jamaica to London in May 1948, carrying 492 migrant workers seeking a new life in Britain.
How many immigrants had settled by 1958?
210,000 Commonwealth immigrants
What percentage of the Commonwealth immigrants in the 50s were male?
75%
How many people did Britain receive seeking a permanent place of residence in the 1950s?
676,000
How many people emigrated from Britain in the 1950s?
1.32 million
When the Nottingham n-word hunts?
August 1958
When were the Notting Hill riots?
1958
Who was Oswald Mosley?
Leader of the British Union of Fascists
When was the Commonwealth Immigrants Act passed?
1962
What was the Commonwealth Immigrants Act?
Restricted immigration from the Commonwealth
When was National Service ended?
1960
How many teenagers were there estimated to be in 1959?
5 million
What were Teddy boys associated with?
Edwardian fashion and rising crime
What two groups developed in the late fifties/early sixties?
Mods and Rockers
What was the first English language film to mention the word ‘homosexual’?
Victim b
When was the Victim movie made?
1961
What sexually explicit novel led to a court case under the Obscenity Act?
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Who was Mary Whitehouse?
She was a Birmingham housewife who started a moral crusade in 1963 against ‘immorality and indeceny’?
What was the Schuman Plan of 1950?
Outlined the plans for a Coal and Steel Community to share French and German heavy industry
When was EFTA formed?
1959
When was the first application to join the EEC?
1961
Who was Macmillan’s chief negotiator with the EEC?
Edward Heath
When did Charles de Gaulle veto Macmillan’s application?
1963
When was the Suez Crisis?
1956
When did Britain test their first atomic bombs?
1952
When was Britain’s ‘H’ bomb first tested?
1957
What was the CND?
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
When was the CND formed?
1958
How many people took part in the demonstration at Aldermaston(a weapons research base) in 1958?
8000
When was the Mutual Defence Agreement?
1958
What was the Mutual Defence Agreement?
An agreement between the US and the UK to share nuclear technology
When was the Britain’s nuclear rocket ‘Blue Streak’ abandoned?
1960
What replaced ‘Blue Streak’?
The American Polaris submarine weapons system
When was the Korean War?
1950-1953
How many troops did Britain supply for the Korean War?
90,000
How many British troops died in the Korean War?
Over 1000
What percentage of Western Europe’s oil imports passed through the Suez canal before 1956?
80%
When was India granted its independence?
1947
In which countries did Britain fight national independence movements?
Malaysia, Kenya and Cyprus
When did the Mau Mau rebellion outbreak?
1952
Which African colony was the first to gain independence?
Ghana(formerly the Gold Coast)
When did Ghana gain independence?
1957
When did Nigeria and Cyprus gain independence?
1960
When did Sierra Leone gain independence?
1961
When did Uganda gain independence?
1962
When did Kenya gain independence?
1963
