Conservative Governmant : britain 1951-64

Question 1

who was winston chruchill?

Answer 1

-1951-1955 prime minister

Strentgh:
•met with other world leaders
•beliebed to prevent new conflic
•use non-conservative peer to over see ministires

Weakness
•impaired speexh
• abstenteeism
• radical breal from post war consensus rejectez( limited gov role)
•butler, eden, macmillar not get on well
•most school either grammar/ secondary

Question 2

who was anthony Eden?

Answer 2

-1955-1957 prime minister

ST:
increased conservative majority from 17 seats to 60
foreighn policy political
experiancd
-try to promote greater emphasise on technical educatiom

WK:
-lack of intrest and experianxe in domestix affairs
-anxious making decisions
-consciuos of lack of knowledge on ecenomic issues
-too concilictory with trade unions
-distater in leading milatery action in suez crisis
-accuded of lying to house of commons
-caused rebellion of nearly 40 conservtive mps

Question 3

who was harold macmillan?

Answer 3

-prime minister 1957-1963

ST:
-lead conservatives to comftorable victory (up to 100 seats in election
-oberssw succes of rebuilding houses, from promised build 300,000 houses in 1951
- clean air act 1951 prevent smog & housing factories aim to improve work conditions
-1957 homocide act restricted when death penalty imposed

WK:
-rejected application to join EEC in 1963
-1962, sacked third of cabinet (looked clumsy)
-image of edwardiam gentleman and martaige to arristocracy= out of date
-bad economic situatiom
-spy scandals: george blake 1961, preffumo affair 1963

( preffumo was secutary state of war, who lied about his actions)

Question 4

who was alec dougles-Home?

Answer 4

-1963 -1963 prime minister

ST:
-resale price maintainance: system where manufacturers fix price of goods sold to public was abolished
-skeptical on higher levels of governmant expendature( more than presescesors)

WK:
-not likely to move party away from centrist approach
-little recent experiance in domestic policies

Question 5

why did the conservatives win in 1951?

Answer 5

-labour weaknesses
-conservative strengths

Question 6

what were the weakness of labour causing then to lose 1951 election?(6)

Answer 6

-atlees gov worn down by ecenomic and financial difficulties
-division develop between left and right wing in labour party
-shrinking in 1950 election
-attack of governmant nationalization of iron and steel
-difficult for labour to shake party image of austerity, rationing, high taxes
-resentment among trade unions from slow labour response to workers demand

Question 7

what were the strength of conservatuves to make then win 1951 election?(3)

Answer 7

-1950 election seen influx of bright young conservative mps
-electorates impressed by conservatives projection of thenselves as upholders of liberty and individualism afainst state centralization
-under lord woolton, party reformed its finances and organization. became in better position to fight for seats

Question 8

who was R.A. Butler?

Answer 8

chancellor of Exchequer 1951-1955
-played key role in party reorganization
-conservative supporter
-experiances for high profile cases
-bad=divisive

Question 9

what the reasons for the conservatives governmants political dominace?

Answer 9

-embourgeoisement thesis
-conservatuve nore central
-Butskellism
-increased housing
-mixed economy
-internal labour divisions
-labour lack strong economy policy ideas
-funds to nhs
-trade union relations

Question 10

what is embourgeoisement?

Answer 10

more poeple in an increasingly prosperous socioety aspire to reach status of ‘middle class,

Question 11

what is a one nation conservation?

Answer 11

support for moderte (ish) reforming toryism to encoursge docial cohesion and avoid divisive policies

Question 12

what is reffered to the ‘robot’ plan?

Answer 12

was to abandond pound’s fixed exchange rate, so it could find its own level in market

Question 13

what is evedance of mixed economy?

Answer 13

denationilisation of iron and road haulage and nationilisation if key industries like coal during labour gov of 1950

Question 14

what is butskellism?

Answer 14

when there was political consensus between butler and gaitskell

Question 15

what was labour divided from?

Answer 15

-prescription charges
-nuclear weapons
-commitment of major industries

Question 16

hiw did prescription charges create labour division and its consequences?

Answer 16

-the left supported a free NHS
-the right thiugh it was necacary to introduce charges to respond to financial pressure

leading to division in party 45-52 and tivalry between bevan and gaitskell

Question 17

how did nuclear weapons cause labour dividions and consequences?

Answer 17

the leftwingers wanted ti disarm nuclear weapons

rightwingers opposed unilateral nuclear disarmanent

lead to greater division ( frank cousin became leader of Transport and general workers union and led fierce opposition for nuclear weapons )

aAnd scarborough conference (1960) where gaitskell made emotional speech to convince conference rejecting unilateral nuclear disarmament. lost but managed to overtun it next year

Question 18

how did nationalisation cause labour divisions

Answer 18

left: though key industries should remain nationalised

right: thought to nationalise where appropriate (mixed economy)

consequently
gaitskell tried to amend in 1959 blackpool conferncen but backed down in face of opposition

Question 19

What were the achievements in the development of London in affluent society? (9)

Answer 19

-Decentralisation of London (10 new satellite towns) =remove busy town centre

-new modern flats in landscaped green parks

-flats for different tenants include shops, churches, public houses, school

-high rise flats were popular

-more people moved out of city centre 6.2 mil in London by 1981, 8.2 mill in London in 1951

-1961 over 130000 people into new towns like Basildon,crawly, Harlow,Bracknell

-more settlement in surrounding towns like tunbridge and Maidstone

-exodus peak imma- grants of Cyprus in 1960

-1956 clean air act legislate smokeless fuels and develop power stations away from towns

Question 20

What were the problems of London in the affluent society?(6)

Answer 20

-Houses from post world war that survived were in poor conditions

-Notting hill include cheap lodging houses with rats

-Notting hill had serial killer John Christie

-Peter rachman exploit house shortage, put lots of Caribbean’s in one house, earning £10,000 of rent when usallly £15000 rent

-1959 kelso cochrane, 32 year old carpenter from Antigua stabbed by young white youth gang, who weren’t convicted for murder

-book ‘L shaped room” depicted heroine pregnant and unmarried, thrown out by parents, living in Fulham where houses had rats and occupied by ‘outcasts,

-1957 Herbert commission looked at perennial issues of governing London and proposed ring roads

Question 21

What domestic policies did the conservative government focus on?

Answer 21

-Housing
-Education
-Social Reforms

Question 22

What were the conservatives government domestic policies towards housing?

Answer 22

During MacMillan prime minister reign
The conservatives were able to see the success in there plan to build 300,000 houses a year and replace slums

Question 23

To What extent were the conservatives government domestic policies towards Education successful ?

Answer 23

-the tripartite system from butler (1944) act continued

-not entirely successful through Churchill’s administration as financial constrains limited its focus on grammar and secondary moderns

-although there was some growing focus of technical education under edens reign

Question 24

What were the conservatives government domestic policies towards social reforms?

Answer 24

-Clean Air Act (1956) to prevent smog
-housing & factory Acts improve living/ working conditions
-Homicide Act (1957) restricted death penalty imposed

Question 25

Who were the two key figures of the Labour Party in the 1950s?

Answer 25

-Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan
-Hugh Gaitskell