Economics (1945-1967)

Question 1

What percentage of UK overseas investment were in Empire companies and governments in 1956

Answer 1

58%

Question 2

How did the percentage of British imports differ in the commonwealth/Western Europe between 1954 and 1965

Answer 2

1954- 48% (commonwealth), 24% (W Europe)

1965- 29% (commonwealth), 30% (W Europe)

Question 3

How did the the percentage of British exports differ in the commonwealth/W Europe between 1954 and 1965

Answer 3

1954- 48% (commonwealth), 28% (W Europe)

1965- 28% (commonwealth), 33% (W Europe)

Question 4

How much did WW2 cost Britain

Answer 4

£120 million

Question 5

When was the second Colonial Development and Welfare Act

Answer 5

1945

Question 6

What was the nature of the second CD+W act

Answer 6

increased the aid available to colonies to £120 million over 10 years

Question 7

How much of British mineral oil did Middle East provide

Answer 7

82%

Question 8

How much of British wool, butter and meat did Australia provide

Answer 8

66%, 50%, 29%

Question 9

What did Tropical colonies provide large quantities of for Britain

Answer 9

vital metals (tin, cobalt and gold) and palm oil

Question 10

What do the large amounts of Empire imports to Britain show about Empire bonds straight after WW2

Answer 10

meant ties were stronger between colonies and Britain3- more so than after WW1

Question 11

What was the Lend Lease

Answer 11

an arrangement during WW2 by which the US supplied Britain with weapons, food and other necessities

Question 12

Who was John Maynard Keynes

Answer 12

was an eminent British economist of the inter-war period

Question 13

What did John Maynard Keynes negotiate in 1945

Answer 13

a massive US loan (approx £900 million)

Question 14

When was the pound sterling made freely convertible to dollars (Sterling Crisis)

Answer 14

Spring 1947

Question 15

Why was Malaya economically beneficial to Britain

Answer 15

tin and rubber industry

Question 16

Which colonies did the British decolonise right after the war which were no longer economically beneficial

Answer 16

India, Burma, Palestine

Question 17

When was the EEC created

Answer 17

1957

Question 18

When did the British apply to join the EEC for the first time

Answer 18

1963

Question 19

When did the British apply to join the EEC for the second time

Answer 19

1967

Question 20

What was the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

Answer 20

reduced tariffs among the ‘seven’- Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Britain

Question 21

When was the European Free Trade Association formed

Answer 21

Nov 1959

Question 22

Why was Britain’s first application to join the EEC rejected

Answer 22

Charles de Gaulle- Britain not European enough due to its close links with commonwealth and America

Question 23

What do the 1945 CD+W acts demonstrate about attitudes to Empire at the time

Answer 23

• shows that whilst Britain were ready to give self-gov to colonies still aware of how empire reflected directly on Britain- need to develop them otherwise no retrospective justification of rule
• Britain didn’t think certain colonies would be able to fend for themselves unless Britain helped develop them
• still thought they were inherently better than natives- ‘it is clear that in Africa the period before self-gov can be granted will be longer than in most’

Question 24

When did the Tanganyika groundnut scheme begin

Answer 24

1948

Question 25

What was the outcome of the groundnut scheme

Answer 25

• seen as an expensive mistake
• showed the incompetence/naivete of the British gov in colonial affairs
• only 46,000 acres of land had been cleared in the first two years at cost of £21 million (estimate in the white paper was a lot less)
• ultimately failed- overall cost was £36 million to produce 9,162 tons of shelled nuts (less than was imported in seeds)

Question 26

What was the nature of Gambian Poultry Scheme

Answer 26

• failure
• forced to abandon scheme after just two years as they only produced 34,500lbs of meet and 28,440 eggs (wanted to produce 20 mil eggs a year)

Question 27

Why was the European recovery from the war quicker than expected

Answer 27

US Marshall Aid as well as changes in industrial relations

Question 28

What was the Marshall Plan

Answer 28

a programme of US economic aid for the reconstruction of post WW2 Europe (1948-1952)

Question 29

When was the Colonial Development Corporation set up

Answer 29

1948