Conservative Dominance 1951-1964 Flashcards

1
Q

Give 4 Factors that were involved in winning the Conservatives the 1951 General Election

A
  1. Labour weakessnes
  2. Conservative Strengths
  3. The electoral system
  4. International factors
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2
Q

How did Labour weaknesses contribute to giving the 1951 General Election to the Conservatives?

A
  • They were associated with the policies of austerity, rationing and high taxation following the great financial strains that the war had caused
  • Labour taking the country into Korea in 1950 contributed to financial strains taking money away which could have instead been spent at home
  • The party was somewhat divided, as they were forced to compromise on the NHS, charging for dental treatment, prescriptions and glasses
  • The reduction of the Labour majority to 5 in the 1950 General election sowed doubt within the party and led to further divisions as more MPs began to voice concerns about economic and foreign policy
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3
Q

How did divisions in the Labour party most clearly manifest themselves?

A
  • Gaitskell led a group of “revisionists” who wanted to modernise the party whilst Bevan led a group of the party called “fundamentalists” who wanted to maintain the traditional principles of the party
  • Bevan was expelled from the party in 1955 for challenging official Labour policy
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4
Q

Give 5 examples of post war financial strains that existed

A
  1. 4198 million pounds of debt
  2. 750 million pounds deficit
  3. Exports declined 60% during the war
  4. Inflation
  5. By the end of the 1940’s 14% of the GDP was spent on defence
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5
Q

Why could it be argued that Labour weaknesses were not significant in the outcome of the 1951 General election?

A
  • The number of votes they won in 1951 was the highest any party had won in history until that point
  • Their governments were very successful and set the post-war consensus which would be followed by all governments until 1979
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6
Q

How did Conservative strengths contribute to them winning the 1951 General Election?

A
  • Lord Woolton reformed party finances so that the party was in a stronger position to challenge Labour
  • Young, talented, politicians such as Reginald Maudling gave the party new ideas and dynamism
  • Labour’s nationalisation of iron and steel gave the party a contentious issue around which the party could challenge
  • They promised to build 300,000 homes a year seemed popular given a serious housing shortage
  • They promised freedom from rationing and regulations while keeping the key elements that had been popular since 1945 such as the welfare state and full employment policies
  • Churchill was still a much admired figure and in 1951 he did not make as many controversial speeches as he had done in 1945
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7
Q

How was the electoral system influential in contributing to the Conservative victory of 1951?

A

Despite winning over over 200,000 more votes than the Conservatives, Labour won 26 fewer seats

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8
Q

Give 3 reasons how the electoral system helped the Conservatives

A
  1. FPTP - Labour piled up votes in safe seats whilst the COnservatives won many marginal seats
  2. Boundary changes meant labour had to win 2% more of the popular vote to win the same number of seats
  3. The decline of the Liberal party - their vote share fell from 2.6 million in 1945 to 730,556 in 1951, and as a result the Liberals did not contest every seat leading to many ex-Liberal voters voting Tory
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9
Q

How did International factors play a role in the outcome of the 1951 General Election?

A
  • In 1945 there had been considerable sympathy for socialism and the admiration for the planning and state control of the USSR
  • However by 1951 the Cold War was in full wing and the USSR began to be seen as the enemy
  • Labour’s control’s and regulation made them seem increasingly like the USSR who similarity championed socialism and a powerful state
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10
Q

Give 4 factors that contributed to the period of Conservative Dominance?

A
  1. Leadership
  2. Economic Policies
  3. Social Policies
  4. Labour Weaknesses
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11
Q

Name 4 of the prominent figures of the Conservative Party

A
  1. Churchill
  2. RA. Butler
  3. Anthony Eden
  4. Harold MacMillan
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12
Q

Why can Churchill be seen to be a somewhat ineffectual leader of the party?

A
  • He only won a slim majority in 1951
  • He was 77 when he was elected meaning he was old and frail and little more than a figurehead - this was made most evident by a stroke he had in 1953 which the party kept private
  • At this point Butler was the driving force behind the party, serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Churchill
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13
Q

Name 6 things Churchill oversaw during his time in office from 1951-55

A
  1. The end of rationing
  2. The denationalization of the steel industry
  3. The Conservative Party commitment to building 300,000 homes a year
  4. A continuation of Keynesian policies
  5. The detonation of the UK’s first atomic bomb
  6. End of the Korean War
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14
Q

How did Butler act as effective figure in the Conservative party?

A
  • He helped draw up in the 1947 ‘industrial charter’ which wsaw the Conservatives accepting the principle of a mixed economy
  • His association with the 1944 Education Act indicated he was also concerned with social issues, an area that many perceived the Conservatives had ignored
  • He was seen as responsible for modernising the party and helping Eden secure victory for the 1955 General Election
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15
Q

Give 4 ways where Butler can be seen to have pursued Keynesian economics

A
  1. Aimed for full employment
  2. Expanded the welfare state
  3. Maintained a large defence budget
  4. Continued to develop nuclear weapons
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16
Q

What was Butskellism?

A

The economic policy pursued by the two chancellors (RA Butler - left of Conservative, and Hugh Gaitskell - right of Labour) during the consensus on Keynesian economics which was seen to be almost seamless

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17
Q

What did Gaitskell and Butler disagree on

A
  • Gaitskell believed in raising taxes to fund a welfare state
  • Butler believed in altering interest rates to fund a welfare state
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18
Q

In what 2 ways can Eden be considered a notable Prime Minister prior to the Suez Crisis

A
  1. As soon as becoming party leader he called a General Election for 25 May 1955 under which he saw the Conservatives expand their majority from 17 to 60
  2. His domestic policy was criticised by the press to be uninspiring and so wanted to achieve success in foreign affairs to compensate
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19
Q

When was the Suez Crisis?

A

1956

20
Q

What occurred in the Suez Crisis?

A
  • Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal
  • Eden organised backroom meetings with France and Israel to invade Egypt and reclaim the Suez Canal
  • The US disapproved of the action as they had not been consulted
  • The Russians were very hostile towards the operation
  • British opinion was very opposed to the invasion
21
Q

What 3 things did the Suez Crisis indicate

A
  1. Britain was a junior partner in their relationship with the US
  2. A tenuous relationship existed between the USSR and the UK, as the USSR threatened the UK to back down with missile attacks
  3. Aside from their veto power, Britain was very weak within the UN, as there was a unanimous call for the UK to retract from Egypt
22
Q

What impact did the Suez Crisis have in the UK

A

It caused Anthony Eden to resign in 1957 bringing Harold MacMillan in to replace him

23
Q

How can MacMillan be seen to have been a successful Prime Minister?

A
  • After taking power in 1957, MacMillan led the Conservative Party to a victory in 1959, expanding the majority to 100 seats
  • Skilled communicator, with a warm and witty personality
  • He was able to come up with memorable phrases like “never had it so good”
  • He was prepared to make changes,
24
Q

How can MacMillan be seen as a dynamic Prime Minister?

A
  • With Butler as Home Secretary, he made moves towards ending the death penalty with the Homicide Act and ended national service in 1959
  • He made his understanding that Britain would have to accept African independence clear in 1960
25
Q

What was the comment ‘never had it so good’ referring to?

A

An increase in standard of living which created a ‘feel good factor’ generally associated with the 1959 Conservative victory

26
Q

What created the increase in standard of living?

A
  • Higher wages relative to prices - wages went up 72% whilst prices only went up 45% over the 13 years
  • Lower taxes - Chancellors were able to cut taxes before both the 1955 and 1959 elections giving people more money to spend
  • Increased availability of credit
  • Increased house ownership - the number of people who owned property rose from 25% before WWII to 49% in 1964
  • There was a 500% increase in car ownership, and TV ownership went up from 4% - 91%
27
Q

What were average weekly wages in 1964 relative to those in 1951?

A
  • 1951: 8.3 pounds
  • 1964: 18.53 pounds
28
Q

How many houses did the Conservatives build?

A
  • 354,000 per year in 1954
  • 1.7 million during their whole time in office
29
Q

How can social policies have been considered influential in keeping the Conservatives in power?

A
  • Butler as Home Secretary implemented a number of reforms which made the Conservative party seem modern
  • The Conservatives promised to build 300,000 houses per year
  • Educational provisions were increased to accomodate for the new classless society
30
Q

What educational reforms were made?

A
  • 6,000 new schools were built
  • Edward Boyle pushed for the abolition of the 11+ bringing about new comprehensive school
  • 11 new universities were built
  • Larger grants were provided to university students
31
Q

Why was the new comprehensive system considered controversial?

A
  • Comprehensive schools denied intelligent students from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to benefit from a specialised school
  • As the quality of schools depended on the area in which people lived, there was now no alternative for students in deprived areas
  • Wealthy parents were able to move to move to a better area so that children could go to a better school - selection by ability was replaced by selection according to parental income
32
Q

Name 4 things the Labour Party was divided over

A
  1. Extent of socialism
  2. Influence of the unions
  3. Approach to reform
  4. Nuclear policy
33
Q

How was the Labour Party divided over Socialism?

A
  • Bevanites believed that welfare measures introduced between 1945-51 were just the first step along the road to a truly socialist Britain
  • This clashed with the more moderate direction pursued by both Attlee and Gaitskell
34
Q

How was the Labour Party divided over the influence of the unions?

A
  • Traditionalists wanted unions to have a real say in the development of party policy
  • Revisionists led by Gaitskell wanted policy to be decided by the parliamentary party
35
Q

How as the Labour Party divided over approach to reform?

A
  • Anthony Crossland on the right of the party argued that the emphasis should be on social equality rather than economic change, as capitalism had already been ‘reformed and modified almost out of existence’
  • The left of the party fought for greater commitment to Clause IV of the manifesto
36
Q

How was the Labour Party divided over nuclear policy?

A
  • Some on the left of the party wanted unilateral nuclear disarmament so that more money was available for social reforms
  • Others on the left of the party did not wish the Soviet Union to fall too far behind the west in the arms race and therefore urged disarmament
  • The right of the party were opposed to unilateralism and wanted Britain to maintain its nuclear deterrent
37
Q

How did the Labour division best manifest itself?

A

Nye Bevan was kicked out of the party in 1955 for breaking official party policy, opposing Germany’s inclusion into NATO which he feared would alienate the Soviet Union

38
Q

Name 4 factors that contributed to the Conservative Party decline

A
  1. The economy
  2. EEC rejection
  3. The Night of Long Knives
  4. Scandals
  5. Social Problems
39
Q

How did the economy contribute to the Conservative Party decline? (5)

A
  1. From 1961 onwards, the economy went downhill
  2. In 1959 they had been able to campaign on ‘Don’t let Labour ruin it’ but now it appeared as though it was the government that was failing
  3. There was a balance of payments deficit
  4. Unemployment began to rise - reaching over 800,000 by the end of 1963
  5. There was a significant increase in the number of days lost to strikes particularly in the docks
40
Q

How did the Government attempt to tackle the balance of payments deficit in 1961?

A
  • Setting up the National Economic Development Council (NEDC) - an economic planning body made up of representatives from the govenrment, trade union and industrial managers
  • Setting up the National Incomes Commission - to control incomes
41
Q

Where the government’s efforts to control the balance of payments deficit effective?

A

No

42
Q

How did the EEC rejection contribute to the Conservative Decline?

A
  • Britain’s worsening economic performance, and waning influence over its empire made it realise that in order to keep up with the world they would have to join the EEC
  • However, DeGaulle rejected Britain due to the close ties they already had to the Commonwealth and the US
  • It was humiliating for Britain as it revealed just how weak the country was
43
Q

How did the Night of Long Knives contribute to the Conservative Decline?

A
  • Following the losses in by-elections at Orpington and West MIddlesbrough Macmillan decided that a Cabinet reshuffle was required
  • The reshuffle saw a third of the cabinet replaced including 7 senior ministers
  • However, it resulted in Macmillan being seen as “Mac the Knife” and damaged the unity of the party
  • Macmillan never recovered his authority in either the party or country as shown in the opinion polls
44
Q

How did Scandals contribute to the Conservative Decline?

A
  • They undermined Conservative authority and brought back the traditional image of Tory Sleaze
45
Q

Give 3 examples of Scandals that undermined the Conservative image

A
  1. Profumo Affair - Secretary of War, John Profumo, had been involved in extra-marital affairs with Christine Keeler who was also sleeping with a Russian Soviet Naval Attache thereby indicating potential national security risks - Profumo lied and denied the accusations in the House of Commons
  2. Argyll divorce case - 2 governments ministers were among a list of 88 with whom the Duchess had been involved with sexually
  3. Philby Case - Kim Philby, a senior official in the Foreign Office, had been passing information to the USSR, and recruiting spies for them
46
Q

How did Social problems contribute to the Conservative Decline?

A
  • The influx of immigrants from the West Indies and other parts of the former empire led to race riots, such as those in Notting Hill, where the white working class expressed their frustrations over housing and job shortages
  • Youth Sub-Culture promoted deference, violence and a lack of respect towards authority
47
Q

How did Youth Sub-Culture promote Social unrest and undermine the Conservative Party

A
  • Young people who did not experience the great-depression or the world wars lost respect for their elders established behaviour of deference
  • Violence broke out between youth groups from different classes such as the ‘Mods (middle class) and the Rockers (working class)’
  • Many also lost respect towards authority because of the increasing number of scandals involving those in government or senior roles in civil service who therefore did not provide good role models
  • This undermined the Conservative party who was clearly associated with tradition and hierarchy and was satirised in popular media
  • Despite attempts to modernise its image, Douglas-Home as Macmillan’s successor appeared to confirm to many that the party was out of touch