CHAPTER 1-REASONS FOR CONSERVATIVE DOMINANCE 3-4 Flashcards
How did Conservative policies help with their political dominance?
A
B
C
D
A) The Conservatives pursued the domestic policies of the Labour Administration. The Conservatives accepted and developed Atlee’s reforms, this contradicted the LP’s entire election campaign which ran on the idea that a C win would lead to the dismantlement L S+E achievements.
B) Churchill knew he wasn’t going to be the dynamic PM he was in WII, and the conservatives were aware of the popularity of L reforms. So, Churchill appointed R.A Butler as chancellor.
C) R.A Butler represented a compassionate and progressive brand of conservatism.
He epitomised the moderate and centre ground politics referenced as ‘one nation conservatism’.
(Modernised Conservative Party policy)
(Prepared to accept the post war consensus which focused on (WUMTU)
As president of the BOE he was responsible for the Education Act (1944), WHICH FORMED THE BASES OF THE POST WAR SCHOOLS POLICY IN INCLUDING SELECTION AT AGE 11.
D) In 1952, R.A BUTLER offered his backing to Treasury Officials who proposed a scheme code named ‘Robot’ he was met with fierce opposition from other cabinet members because Robot’ would have led to a rise in unemployment-It was consequently dropped.
This was a key moment in defining 1950 conservatism. The Conservative government were prepared to use highly interventionist schemes to keep unemployment low(such measures associated with the PL)
1955 TMAFoRU dropped to 1% of the workforce.
How was the industrial relations (nationalisation) of the Conservative Party a reason for their political dominance.
A) One of the KEY CHANGES enacted by Atlee’s government was the states role in British industry. TLP nationalised many industries: THE BANK OF ENGLAND( 1946) COAL(1947) STEEL (1951).
B) The Conservative’s only made minor changes to line separating state and private ownership of industry:
The privatised STEEL which proved to be uncontroversial.
They found buyers for the road haulage industry but denationalisation went no further!
C) This showed that the Conservatives accepted the notion of the mixed economy-
Mixed economy (along side a flourishing private sector, government should have responsibility for running other industries that may struggle to generate profits in the marketplace but are vital for the life to the nation)
How was Housing a reason for Conservative dominance?
A) Churchill appointed Harold Macmillan as Minister of Housing. Churchill ambitiously promised 300,000 houses to be built under a Tory government. This goal was met in 1953 by HAROLD Macmillan.
B) HOWEVER, the parties had some differences over the housing policies.
C) The Conservatives STRESSED the PRIVATE SECTORS role in building the required homes.
D) Labour favoured (P)ublic (P)rovisons and wanted to protect tenants from exploitation in the PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR.
E) TTRA (1957) lifted controls over the rents of 400,000 houses. This provoked Labour opposition.However, their policies were part of a humane concerto for the needs of the ppl like most of their economic and social policies ATT.
Progress had been made in the field of slum clearance.
How was the industrial relations (Trade Unions) of the Conservative Party a reason for their political dominance?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)
A) Churchill appointed Walter Monckton to the Ministry of Labour (1951).
B) A conservative spokesman (DAVID MAXWELL-FYFE) had hinted that his party would introduce legislation that would limit trade union power.
C) However, Walter Monckton was not planning to take such a confrontational stance instead he tried to bring both parts of the industry together to avoid strike action.
D) He kept the peace by granting INFLATIONARY PAY AWARDS.
E) WALTER MONCKTON’S ability to keep industry peace got him the nickname ‘oil can’ lubricating away any potential strife.
F) People who thought his methods would lead to a economic decline were a minority.
How was Conservative policies in Health and education a factor in their political dominance.
A)
B)
C)
D)
A) The Conservatives knew the NHS was popular among people. So, Tory Ministers made sure to bury the notion that their party wanted to dismantle Labour’s social reforms.
B) In fact they did the opposite.
The GUILLEBAUD COMMITTEE concluded that the NHS was good value for money and URGED additional funding.
C) The government considered theses findings and as the economy grew, they increased funding in social services, including the NHS.
D) Total NHS funding doubled between 1951-62.
Health Minster, Enoch Powell in the early 60s embarked on a mission of Hospital building
E) Conservative policy regarding education further highlighted the political consensus between the two parties.
The Tories continued to implement the PROVISIONS of the WARTIME BUTLER EDUCATION ACT (1944).
How did the divisions in the Labour Party influence Conservative dominance?
A) A split emerged within the Labour Party after the introduction of prescription fees in 1950.
This led to the resignation of 3 ministers:
John Freeman. Aneurin Bevan, Harold Wilson- who represented the left wing of the LP.
The resignation of Atlee in 1955 and his successor Hugh Gaitskell (who represented right wing of LP) exacerbated this split.
This split between the socialist and centrist elements in the LP ruined its electoral chances.
Through the 1950s:
The left of the LP; advocated for unpopular policies e.g Unilateral nuclear disarmament, Trumpeted clause IV
The right of the LP; failed to look significantly different from the Tories (A theme picked up in the press with the satirical character of Butskellism)
Between 1951-59 Labour lost votes. The conservative policies together with the growing affluence of the country, consolidated their party’s position in the electorate esteem. Some of their core voters turned to the Conservatives as well as floating voters.
How was a rise in living standards a reason for Conservative dominance?
A) The 1950s (a golden age) was the beginning of the post war BOOM.
There was an unprecedented rise in living standards and lifestyle changes that materially improved the lives of millions of ordinary people.
The end of the Korean War (1953) led to= a dramatic fall in WORLD RAW MATERIAL PRICES.
This produced= a favourable transformation in Britain’s terms of trade=
Which endeavour Britain to secure a windfall profit on its trading activities
THEREFORE IN 1953: -Britain could afford 13% more imports by value For the same number of exports
So it then gained around 400 Million per annum in extra spending power
This economic climate = helped keep unemployment low/ explanation of social services
Luck was an essential factor in the Conservatives economic and therefore political success yet the CP room full credit or the changing economic conditions.
How did affluence and consumerism help Conservative dominance?
More ordinary people could buy things that were previously only accessible to the middle and upper classes:
Annual holidays
Refrigerators
TV’s
He number of motor cars in British roads increased from:
2.5 mil (1951) —-> 3.3 mil (1955)
The 1950s were described as a golden age for social mobility.
What is Butskellism?
A satirical term to refer to the political consensus that existed between the 2 parties. The economist invented the composite figure Mr Butskell a combination of the Conservative chancellors (R.A Butler) and Labour Chancellors (Hugh Gaitskell). ( a mockery of the fact that their policies were too similar)
But they didn’t actually have identical policies: Different ways wealth should be distributed.
Reasons for consensus:
Circumstance rather than conviction
The Conservatives knew their electoral victory (1951) was narrow and that they only made little advancement into labours core vote. So they’re anted to play it safe and convince people they didnt want to dismantle Labour reforms.
