Conservative Dominance 1951-64 Flashcards
What conservative leaders were during this time?
- Churchill 51- 55
- Eden 55-57
- MacMillan 57-63
- Douglas Home 63-64
Explain churchills leadership
Churchill continued the post war census
+ war hero so public want to thank him
- poor health
Explain edens leadership
- unpopular with colleagues
- lackluster of domestic policy
- criticised for suez crisis 1956 (HUMILIATING)
Explain MacMillan leadership
+ won the 1959 election with 100 seat majority “super mac”
+ gained trust post-suez crisis
- weakened foreign policy
- night of the long knives cabinet reshuffle lost him authority
Explain Douglas Homes leadership
- aristocratic so was out of touch with modernisation of Britain
When was Nye Bevan expelled?
1955
What was labours 1959 election campaign
Poor
What did Labour make mistakes around which lost them the 1959 election?
Made mistakes around pensions as promised to raise pensions with no clear answer how = look economically weak
What was Labour divided over?
- Clause IV
- nuclear disarmament
- party direction
= unstable
What were the left and right of Labour known as
Bevanites and Gaitskellites
How many homes were built by 1954?
354,000
What percentage of family’s had a tv?
70% by 1959
How many family’s had a car?
1 in 3
What was there an increase in in Britain in?
Holidays in Britain and abroad (eg. Caravan parks)
What was there throughout the conservative domination in terms of economy?
Affluence, so more spending and lower taxes
What was Macmillans famous quote for this period?
“Never had it so good”
What was unemployment at?
Remained low at 2% = more spending
What did increase in spending lead to?
More ownership of luxuries eg. Washing machines
What is Butskellism?
Symbolises where Labour (gaitskell) and conservative (Butler) agree over socio-economic policies
What 3 factors do we look at?
- conservative dominance/leadership
- labour weakness
- socio-economic developments
How was the Labour divided over party direction?
LEFT -
believe 1945-51 reforms were just the first step towards socialism AND they think unions should ahve more say in party
RIGHT-
Want policy to be decided by the parliamentary party not the unions
