Election Factors Flashcards
Why did the Conservatives win the 1951 election?
Labour Weakness : Labour was associated with Austerity, rationing and high taxation
The Korean War June 1950
Divisions in the Labour party emerged e.g. prescription charges and Nye Bevan
Conservative Strength : economics and local organization reformed by Lord Woolton
Churchill was still an admired figure Young talented politicians like Reginal Maudling
Popular policies e.g. 300K new houses each year, an end to rationing red meat and opposing steel nationalization
The Electoral System : The Liberal Party had financial problems and was unable to campaign and many Liberal voters instead voted Tory.
Despite Labour getting 2m more votes, more seats went to Tories due to swing seats.
1948 Representation of the People Act - Labour had to win 2% more of the vote.
Why did the Labour Party win the 1964 election
Labour Strength : Harold Wilson found a middle ground of the party
Popular Manifesto e.g. full employment and housing
Wilson himself was seen as a man of the people being a Yorkshire-born, grammar school boy - contrasting Douglas-Home as an old Etonian
Tory Weakness : The Tories were blamed for rising unemployment, inflation and industrial unrest.
The Conservatives seemed out of touch and were seen as old fashioned and self-indulgent. E.g. Douglas-Home was a Scottish Aristocrat
Their reputation had been marked by seedy Scandals e.g. The Argyll case/Profumo affair
Revival of Liberals : Many voter dissatisfied with the Tories voted Liberal, tripling their votes and taking many seats away from Tories e.g. Dover or Bolton East
Social Changes : There were greater challenges to authority. Grammar Schools increased mobility, Youth Subcultures and increasing personal wealth
Why did the Conservative Party win the 1970 election?
Disillusion of Labour voters : Few Labour supporters voted and membership declines. This was due to - Support of US in Vietnam, economic policy poorly effecting the working class, non-commitment to socialism and curbing union power
In place of Strife : Suggested to many that Unions had more power than Labour, seen as a failure to modernize
Conservative policy : Reforming industrial relations, less state intervention in industry, an end to controlling prices, Britain would join the EEC
Edward Heath as a leader : Heath effectively attacked Labour’s economic record as inflation had risen by 33% and unemployment by 200,000
Heath sacked Powell from the Shadow Cabinet after the ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech
Like Wilson, Heath was similarly a work-classing grammar school boy
Why did Thatcher fall from power?
The Poll tax - 1989 : SNP encouraged avoidance
Battle of Trafalgar - March 1990
Implemented despite criticism from MPs
Economic difficulties : ‘Black Monday’ stockmarket crash - 1987
Lawson’s increase of income tax pushed up prices
Interest rates at 15% by October 1898 which effected the Thatcherite homeowning middleclass.
Thatcher’s claims of an economic miracle now unconvincing
Divisions over Europe : Thatcher opposed Lawson and Howe’s suggestions to join the ERM
Demoted Howe to deputy PM - June 1989
Lawson resigned as chancellor - October 1989
Britain joined the ERM regardless on Major’s advice - 1990
Thatcher’s unpopularity : Polls showed Tory unpopularity. MPS assumed Thatcher as leader would cause a loss.
Thatcher won a leadership challenge from Anthony Meyer
Geoffrey Howe publicly resigned and publicly criticized Thatcher’s European policy, ‘before the first ball is bowled, their bats have been broken by the team captain’ - November 1990
Michael Heseltine challenged Thatcher the next day and she won by a small margin, prompting a second round of voting causing her to step down
Why was there a landslide in the 1997 election?
