Conservative domination 51-64 Flashcards
The Conservatives had promised to build 300k houses per year in the 1951, did they commit to their polices of housing?
Yes! They built 354k houses per year by 1954 and built 1.7 million overall.
They also passed the 1957 Rent Act making it easier to rent out homes.
Homeowning raised from 25% to 44%
What was Butskellism?
Butskellism was the Conservative economic policy - a combination of the surnames of Labor’s Hugh Gaitskell and Conservative’s Rab Butler.
It describes the economic consensus between the two parties as the Conservatives continued Labor’s policy of spending on: welfare, health, education and housing
What were the Conservative’s stop-go policies?
If wages increase faster than production then there’s inflation. Stop-go policies were put in place to avoid a crash during the economic boom.
Controls were put in place when output got too high such as higher bank interest rates that were removed when the economy cools down.
What were the consequences of stop-go policies?
Stag-flation occured as there was a rapid changing of VAT and taxes causing a stagnant economy and inflation.
The Conservatives pledged full employment, did they succeed?
No! There was an overall increase in unemployment with 878,000 unemployed in 1963
How did the Conservatives change education?
6,000 new schools were built
11 new universities were built
Pushed to abolish 11+ tests that separated kids by class although they didn’t ultimately
1951 General Election
- Churchill & Tories get more seats but fewer votes (First Past the Post).
- Labour weakness: bad economy, rationing, fights over future of NHS, Korean war & accusations of ‘following US’, internal divisions.
- Conservative strengths: Reorganisation of party, new MPs that appeal to more people, appealing policies (e.g. maintaining NHS, ending rationing & building 300k new houses), boundary changes & location of votes.
- Death of the Liberal Party -> Liberal votes vote Conservative instead.
- Churchill as a figurehead.
