chapter six

Question 1

roy jenkins role 1956

Answer 1

labour home security

Question 2

societal changes that influenced the breakdown of ‘civilised society’

Answer 2

technology, youth culture, increased affluence and consumerism

Question 3

examples of liberal reforming legislation

Answer 3

abolition of capital punishment
the abortion act
the sexual offences act
divorce reform

Question 4

free votes

Answer 4

individual mps can vote according to their own conscience rather following an official party line

Question 5

what did free votes enable

Answer 5

backbench mps to push forward legislation

Question 6

what influenced the end of capital punishment

Answer 6

ruth ellis; young mother accused of killing her abusive boyfriend in 1955; became last woman to be hanged

Question 7

when was the abolition of capital punishment

Answer 7

1965; hanging abolished on trial period for five year
1969; abolition made permamanent

Question 8

other judicial reforms under jenkins

Answer 8

refused to authorise beatings of prisoners; 1967
brought back majority verdicts in jurys rather than just unanimity

Question 9

when was divorce reform act passed

Answer 9

1969

Question 10

divorce reform act

Answer 10

allowed for a ‘no fault divorce’
not all mps were in favour

Question 11

how many marriages ended in divorce by the mid 1970s (ratio)

Answer 11

1 in every 100 marriages

Question 12

how many illegal abortions roughly were done annually before 1967

Answer 12

100,000 to 200,00

Question 13

how many women died from backstreet abortions between 1958 to 1960

Answer 13

82

Question 14

who led the reform campaign for legalisation of abortion and what did it show about the labour government

Answer 14

david steel; liberal mp
showed other parties were still having an impact and that labour cant be fully credited for the liberalisation of britain

Question 15

the thalidomide disaster and its impact on opinion of abortions

Answer 15

occured in the 1960s; a morning sickness treatment caused massive deformities in the babies; in reaction opinion polls started to show a majority supporting abortion when abnormalities were present

Question 16

previous conservative governments action on homosexuality

Answer 16

had rejected the recommendation to decriminalise it

Question 17

labours opinions on legalisation of homosexual relations

Answer 17

divided

Question 18

sexual offences act

Answer 18

1967; decriminalised some homosexual relationships; if they were both over 21, consensual and in ‘private’

Question 19

who pushed for the 1967 sexual offences act

Answer 19

leo abse; labour backbencher

Question 20

loophole in the sexual offences act

Answer 20

the requirement for the relations to be in ‘private’ was ambigious; and meant that gay men were still able to be prosecuted

Question 21

issues with the education system before liberal reforms

Answer 21

the tripartite system led to massive opportunity and class divides; with the grammar schools being made up of majorly middle class students vs the secondary moderns who were already seen as failures by age 12

Question 22

comprehensive school

Answer 22

one which provides secondary education for all the children in a given area; it does not select its pupils

Question 23

how many more students were going to comprehensive school from 1951 to 1964 (x times as many)

Answer 23

10 times as many

Question 24

the open university

Answer 24

example of the advance in technology wilson promised
the university used radio and television for long distance learning

Question 25

how many students in the open university by 1980

Answer 25

70,000 (more than oxford and cambridge combines)

Question 26

when was the open university opened

Answer 26

headquarters set up in 1969
first year of studies 1971

Question 27

how many universties made under wilson

Answer 27

over 20 (including lots in more rural/northern places with less previous access to further education)