Conservative government and reason for political dominance

Question 1

What meant the conservative government won the most seats in 1951?

Answer 1

The first past the post electoral system
- labour actually won more votes than Conservative party

Question 2

What did many labour politicians believe?

Answer 2

• convinced labour would soon return to power
  -conservatives would struggle with the intense economics difficulties Britain faced

Question 3

What years did winston Churchill become prime minister for?
-Churchill led Britain to victory by 1945 (wartime leader)

Answer 3

1951-55

Question 4

Winston Churchill as prime minister (1951-55)

Answer 4

-old man (80 when retired in 1955)
-suffered serious stroke in 1953
-saw himself as international statesman not a domestic politician
- spent more time abroad, meeting wood leaders than in Downing Street
- key priority:ensure no new conflict break out because of dangers of nuclear war

Question 5

Why did Churchill believe he was above party politics?

Answer 5

-started of as conservative but joined liberals in 1904
-served as liberal cabinet minister before Ww1 rejoined conservative in 1924
-prime minster in 1950s attempted to persuade liberals to join cabinet
- used non-conservative peers to oversee ministries

Question 6

Churchill’s absenteeism meant day to day government often left with?

Answer 6

-acting prime minister- Anthony Eden
- key ministers such as Rab Butler who was chancellor of the exchequer
- harold Macmillan - minister for housing

Question 7

Rab Butler = chancellor of the exchequer what does this mean?

Answer 7

the government minister responsible for economic and financial policy, the chancellor most powerful person in the government after the prime minister

Question 8

who had limited roles in Churchill’s government?

Answer 8

conservatives who were more critical of the post-war consensus + suggestions of a radical break from the post-war consensus were rejected

Question 9

tensions in Churchill’s government

Answer 9

butler, Macmillian, and Eden did not get on well rivalries lasted throughout 13 years of conservative rule/
–> relations between Churchill and Eden strained, eden= churchill’s apparent heir, so became impatient waiting churchill to step down.

Question 10

Eden as prime minister (1955-1957)

Answer 10

-took power 1955 initial high hopes in the conservative party
-almost all previous experience had been in foreign policy
-within 6 months, some in the conservative party voicing disquiet with his leadership as his lack of experience + interest in domestic affairs became more apparent
-anxious decision-making, particularly conscious of his lack of knowledge of economic issues

Question 11

when Eden called for a general election what did he increase the conservative majority to?

Answer 11

Eden increased the conservative majority from 17 seats to 60 seats

Question 12

what did butler become when Eden was prime minister?

Answer 12

butler became chancellor and Macmillian became foreign secretary

Question 13

like Churchill what did eden aim to prevent?

Answer 13

industrial conflict led to criticism he was too conciliatory with trade unions

Question 14

example of weakness in Eden’s leadership

Answer 14

his attempt to move Macmillian from the foreign office to the treasury in October 1955
-Macmillian did not want to move managed to delay it until December

Question 15

what event really soured eden’s reputation as leader?

Answer 15

-eden’s decision to take military action during the Suez crisis in 1956- ending in disaster

Question 16

suez crisis

Answer 16

-diplomatic and military fiasco, turning poiint for Britain’s illusions of imperial power
-political crisis

Question 17

why was eden’s reputation badly damaged?

Answer 17

-came under heavy attack from the Labour Party in parliament and sections of the national press(Manchester Guardian)
-accused of lying to the house of commons and his reputation badly damaged

Question 18

what problems did Suez cause within the conservative party?

Answer 18

-colonial minister Anthony Nutting resigned from cabinet
-the rebellion of nearly 40 conservative ps
-Chief Whip, Edward Heath strongly opposed Eden’s actions
-pressure from the USA exposed Britain’s financial weakness
-Eden never recovered from Suez resigned in 1957,over ill health

Question 19

the conservative party however not seriously damaged by suez, Macmillian succeeded Eden as prime minister even though

Answer 19

he had initially supported the intervention into suez

Question 20

Macmillian vs Butler

Answer 20

-butler not as popular within the conservative party as he was with the country = reputation damaged by introducing tax cuts shortly before the 1955 election which then was reserved after election as economy overheated
-most of Eden’s cabinet preferred Macmillian so he ‘emerged’ as the new leader
-macmillian=safe choice, few enemies

Question 21

key differences between Macmillian and Butler

Answer 21

-Macmillian disagreed with conservative government in the 1930s on both policy of appeasement and way to deal with great depression and high unemployment
-butler however closely linked to policy of appeasement

Question 22

Macmillian as prime minister

Answer 22

-party unity was restored, and apparent economic prosperity continued to gain approval from the voters
-was Churchill’s military liaison officer during the Second World War
-housing minister in Churchill gov from 1951 + foreign secretary in Eden gov
-his politics shaped by two world wars and great depression

Question 23

Macmillian was very much a

Answer 23

one-nation conservative believes that all classes have obligations to one another

Question 24

why was Macmillian named ‘supermac’

Answer 24

-led conservatives to comfortable victory pushing conservative parliamentary majority up to 100 seats in October 1959
-post-war economic boom was continuing
-had media in the palm of his hand,using new political opportunities provided by television with flair