Conservative Domination 1951-64 Flashcards
What did Attlee promise?
To build a country of fair shares for all, everyone would be taken care of equally.
What was the Beveridge report?
It formed the basis for the post-war reforms known as the welfare state, which include the expansion of National Insurance and the creation of the National Health Service.
What did Truman do?
Stopped American aid for the UK ( weapons, food)
He sent a bill and it was catastrophic, UK was close to bankruptcy.
Who was John Maynard Keys and what did he achieve?
He was sent to Washington to negotiate a loan with America, he initially achieved nothing but he came out with a loan of $4b with interest.
What was the Washington condition?
Exchange controls must come down 12 months after the loan begun.
What was Labour relying on to pay debts?
Exporting what the country produced which left nothing in the dope, causing extreme rationing.
What was the purpose of Ealing Studios?
To preserve English culture, optimism and cultural nationalism.
What was the squatting revolt 1946?
1000 people got impatient and seized houses.
What did Attlee and Churchill think about the British Empire?
Attlee-Knew the UK could not sustain the colonies and wanted to grant Indian independence.
Churchill-The UK has collapsed and the USA is the nation of the future. UK’s loss of status.
What was the British nationality act?
1948- Gave rights for 800 000 people worldwide to live in England.
Who was Manny Shinwell?
Served as a government minister under Ramsay McDonald and Attlee as the Minister of Fuel and Power, he was a member of the labour party for 40 years.
1946- nationalisation of the mining industry.
1947- Veteran socialist who led the battle to nationalise the coal industry/ electricity.
What was labour’s economic vision?
Nationalising coal, steel and railways.
1947 turning point.
Coldest winter recorded.
The coal remained buried and frozen causing power stations to close down.
What was the convertibility crisis?
1947- the British economy in 1947 was hurt by a provision that called for convertibility into dollars of the wartime sterling balances the British had borrowed from India and others, but by 1948, the Marshall Plan included financial support that was not expected to be repaid
What was Attlee’s govt known for?
NHS. Health service for all that was free at the point of utility.
What was the significance of Korea?
Defence spending to defeat the red army disrupted the fragile economy and damaged the NHS.
What was Bevin’s role in the Marshall plan?
Withdrew English troops, England received the biggest share but the plan was a lifeline.
What were Labour’s weaknesses? 1951
Difficulties of dealing with the post-war economy/finances, these problems exhausted the cabinet.
Associated with austerity, rationing (ended in ‘54) and high taxation.
Backtracked on promises by charging for “free” NHS services
Internal divisions:
- Bevan- represented the political left
- Gaitskell- represented the political right
Despite ongoing weaknesses, labour recieved more votes indicating that they remained a popular choice, thus electoral system most important as without weighted votes labour would’ve won.
What were the conservative strengths? 1951
Lord Woolton reorganised the party (strengthened).
Promised to build 300,000 homes compared to labour’s 200,000 and “red meat”.
Successful prop.
Would consolidate welfare state.
Churchill was popular.
Why was the electoral system important? 1951
1945 only needed 30,000 votes for a seat, by 1951 inc. to 47,000
boundary changes meant seats were unevenly distributed so Labour needed 2% more of pop. vote to get same no. seats as tories
decline of Lib. party - many ex-lib. voters turned to tories, helping them win labour seats
Most important.
What is Butskellism?
A term coined in the 1950s, political consensus that favoured a mixed economy, strong welfare state and full employment. Shared between the conservative and labour party.
What were stop-go policies?
Govts responded to economic developments rather than developing a strategy that created economic growth.
Examples: raising interest rates, curbing government spenditure and imposing wage freezes.
What was stagflation?
Industrial output declined but inflation remained?
How were the people well off? 1951
Increase in industrial growth.
Wages rose faster than prices.
Chancellor’s cut tax.
Purchasing power increased- 500% increase in car ownership.
Availability of credit.
Conservative party consistent.
More housing.
How were the people worse off?
Decline in shared trade.
Govts failure to modernise.
Unemployment rates fluctuated.
Inflation.
Balance of payment deficit slowed down recovery and growth.
Lack of investments.
Borrowing money= economically dangerous.
Churchill as a leader 1950s.
S-Led and won the war so was portrayed as a war hero.
F- Butler was the driving force of the conservative party, he strengthened and handled the party because Churchill was too old.
Eden as a leader 1950s.
S- Personal appeal was strong.
F- Suez crisis of 1956, heavily criticised by the labour party. forced to resign, withdrawal= lack of political will.
Macmillian as a leader 1950s
S- won the ‘59 election and increased the Conservative majority to 100.
-fortunate to preside over a period of growing prosperity, but in his later years in office, his personal appeal to the electorate played a crucial role.
won support for his numerous appearances on television, turned the satirist image ‘super-mac’ to his advantage and stated that Britain had ‘never had it so good’.
However, not all this success should be attributed to Macmillan, Butler (as Home Secretary), changed the appearance of the party, with things such as the Homicide Act.
-1959 election was the high point for Macmillan.
F- After 1959 elections, things went downhill:
- By 1961, a balance of trade deficit was a sign of a downturn in the economy as the country was important more than it was exporting
-By 1962, unemployment was rising and the number of days lost to strike was increasing.
-reshuffled his cabinet in July 1962, he sacked 7 cabinet ministers and 9 other ministers. compared to ‘the Night of the Long Knives’ and gained Macmillan the nickname ‘Mac the Knife’. = opinion polls showed that the popularity of the Tories was falling
. Harold Macmillan was an effective leader during a period of economic growth, with his policies improving living standards and his pragmatic approach stabilizing Britain after World War II. However, his leadership faltered in the face of scandals like the Profumo Affair and the challenges of managing Britain’s declining global influence, revealing his limitations as a leader in the changing political and social landscape of the 1960s.
Douglas-Home as a leader 1950s.
F- not chosen by the public, chosen by Macmillan = brought a man of aristocratic background to power, viewed as out of touch with the ordinary people. This made it clear the Conservatives were still routed in the past.
resentment among some MP’s, Enoch Powell and Iain Macleod refused to serve under Douglas-Home.
also faced a new dynamic Labour under the youthful leadership of Harold Wilson. It was no shock that Labour won the 1964 election, however the narrowness of Labour’s victory was a shock.
Why was labour to blame for their loss at the 1959 election?
Internal divisions.
Attitudes towards social reform and economic change.
Nuclear policy.
Attitudes towards Europe and prior unfulfilled promises.
Why was labour NOT to blame for their loss at the 1959 election?
Split between Gaitskell and Bevan’s supporters.
Attlee was ill and tired in contrast to Eden.
Unfulfilled promises.
Conservative public appeal.
1951 election
Labour strengths- introduced the welfare state/NHS and industrial increase.
Labour weakness- Difficulties in dealing with the problems post-WW2, internal divisions associated with high taxation, rationing and austerity.
Conservative strengths- Lord Woolton reorganised the party, promised to build 300k houses and end rationing.
Conservative weakness- Churchill’s age.
1955 election
Labour strengths- campaign appealed to the public.
Labour weakness- Leadership struggles caused tensions between Gaitskell and Bevan, supporters also in conflict.
Conservative strengths- Voters were happy with better living standards and less unemployment, Eden called just before the election so his effectiveness could not be judged.
Conservative weakness- Eden was new to leadership.
1959 election
Labour strengths- 3 years after the Suez Crisis, Gaitskell’s victory led the party away from unfavourable policies.
Labour weakness- Exhausted cabinet and internal divisions.
Conservative strength- Economic boom boosted Macmillain’s popularity.
Conservative weakness- 3 years after the Suez crisis and budgetary policies were unsound.
Economy- reasons for conservative decline
Balance of trade deficit and government efforts to reduce it such as the NEDC had little impact.
Unemployment had increased to 800k by the end of the century.
Union strikes.
EEC rejection- reason for conservative decline
Britain’s status as a world power questioned.
The rejection was humuliating because it highlighted Britain’s weaknesses.
“Night of the long Knives”- reason for conservative decline
Reshuffled the cabinet to younger members.
1/3 of the existing cabinet was replaced which damaged the unity of the party.
Macmillain never recovered his authority.
Vassall Affair
1954.
Vassall was blackmailed into handing over secrets from the British Admiralty to his Soviet handlers, both in Moscow and in London, for more than seven year
Suggested the govt had little control over its departments.
Philby case
Took blame for the security service’s failure
1951.
Argyll divorce case
- This and the “headless man” scandal, lead to questions about infedelity and a potential lead to security concerns and a reassessment of government figures.
Profumo affair
1961.
Profumo’s relationship with partner was linked to the Russian embassy.
Risks to national security, there were doubts about the safety of government.
Reflected badly on parliament and party about capabilities to run a country.
Confronted by the publicity craze of the 1960s.
Tensions and riots
1958-59.
Immigrants were blamed for job shortages.
Riots in London, Bristol, Nottingham.
Notting Hill- white youths tried to attack black-owned properties and businesses.
Police struggled to maintain order, shows the government as unstable and unable to control a free country, bad reflection.
Salmon inquiry/ letters
1966
Public inquiry that blamed immigrants for riots, didn’t include the racism or discrimination people suffered.
Commonwealth immigrants act 1
1962.
Limited the number of immigrants depending on ethnic origin.
Youth sub-culture
Interests and beliefs that didn’t conform.
Sometimes violence between “mods and rockers”.
Some affluent, some felt alienated.
Caused fights in the summer of 1964.
Many of the young lost respect for those in authority.
Theatre revolution of the 1960s
Sick of how working class people were hidden away, expressed frustrations. (Macmillans Britain)
Close knit-group, challenged those running the country.
Music, European influence.
Industry created.
The mini was mass-motorised and began to symbolise modernity and youth.
What happened in 1958?
Mass immigration in search of employment.
Multicultural societies.
Racial tensions exacerbated resulting in riots and increased discrimination and assault.
MacMillan and polaris
American nuclear weapon, lethal submarines stored in Scottish waters collab with Eisenhower.
Reactions of the people in Scotland were against the Polaris operation, fuelled anti-establishment campaign.
Mac Ilian turned to the EEC, but was rejected as they wouldn’t allow Europe to “drown in the Atlantic”.
‘Mac the Knife’
Removed 1/3 of cabinet ministers.
‘ the night of the long knives’
Why was the Profumo affair the perfect political storm?
First affair not hidden from the public.
Discovered by a Russian spy.
Raised in the commons and relentlessly interrogated.
Media and press evolution.
‘World committed suicide’ Others resigned.
Aroused national interest.
Evidence to claim decline in living standards was because of tory policy
rent act abolished rent controls = rents increased, harder for ppl to afford
stop - go policy didn’t allow for a coherent l-t growth plan
overall trend of increasing unemployment, by ‘64 = 501000
industry = expanding but production costs v high & goods expensive
The 4 tory leaders between 1951-64
Winston Churchill (1951-55) won the 1951 election
Anthony Eden (1955-57) won the 1955 election
Harold Macmillan (1957-63) won the 1959 election
Alec Douglas-Home (1963-64) lost the 1964 election
