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History - Britain Transformed > Harold Wilson 1964-1970 (T3) > Flashcards

Harold Wilson 1964-1970 (T3) Flashcards

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1
Q

What was Harold Wilson like as a person?

A

The polar opposite of the establishment

  • State-school educate
  • Yorkshire accent
  • Appeared calm and reassuring
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2
Q

What was Wilson a big believer in?

A

Scientific progress

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3
Q

What was Wilson remembered for?

A

White heat and devaluation

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4
Q

What were the key departments made by Wilson?

A
  • Department of economic affairs

- Ministry of technology

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5
Q

Who was the Department of Economic Affairs run by?

A

George Brown

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6
Q

What was George Brown like?

A

Unreliable and a notorious drunk

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7
Q

When was the ‘national plan’ introduced?

A

September 1965 as part of the Department of Economic Affairs

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8
Q

What was the ‘national plan’?

A

A hugely ambitious plan to expand the economy, but with no real ideas on how to raise production on exports

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9
Q

What was a problem with the Department of Economic Affairs?

A

The Treasury resented competing with the DEA + the two departments would not cooperate

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10
Q

What did Wilson talk about relating to the Ministry of Technology?

A

‘White heat of technology transforming Britain’

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11
Q

Who was the Ministry of Technology run by?

A

Maverick (very ambitious a bit of a risk taker) MP Tony Wedgewood

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12
Q

What issue did the Ministry of Technology face?

A

Struggled by lack of funds (due to economic problems) and cautiousness of the party

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13
Q

What projects did the Ministry of Technology support?

A
  • Concorde (1968)

- Nuclear energy

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14
Q

What did the Ministry of Technology encourage?

A

Encourages British markets to compete in world trade

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15
Q

What were the achievements surrounding universities made by Wilson’s government?

A
  • New unis and polytechnics built

- Open uni created

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16
Q

What were the 6 liberal reforms made under Wilson’s government?

A
  • 1965 Race relations Act, Death penalty abolished
  • 1967 Abortion Act, Family planning act, gay sex made legal
  • 1970 Equal pay act
17
Q

By the end of the 60s what was the economy in Britain like?

A

They had a small balance of payments surplus

18
Q

What problem with the economy did Wilson face when he first became PM?

A

Previous gov. left the country with an £800 million balance of payment deficit - twice what labour had predicted it was

19
Q

What did Wilson have to devalue the pound to?

A

From $2.80 to $2.40 in 1967

20
Q

What happened to Wilson as a result of devaluating the pound?

A

He lost huge amounts of credibility

21
Q

What happened to unemployment by the end of the 60s?

A

It had risen

22
Q

What had unemployment risen to by 1964?

A

900,000

23
Q

What were trade unions like during Wilson’s time as PM

A

Union unrest had increased

24
Q

During the 60s, how many days were lost on strikes?

A

3.6 million days - yet labour relied on trade union funding

25
Q

Why were the Labour government in 1964 unable to resist union demand?

A

They relied on TU funding

26
Q

What was Barbara Castle’s white paper called?

A

‘In place of strife’

27
Q

What happened to Barbara Castle’s white paper?

A

It was never implemented

28
Q

What problems did Wilson face due to the Conservative ‘stop-go’ economic policies?

A

Recession and inflation - failure to properly solve the underlying problems of the British economy

29
Q

How did Wilson show enthusiasm for consensus politics?

A

His ambitious plans to invest in technology showed his enthusiasm

30
Q

How did Wilson struggle to keep up with policies of full employment?

A

They were put under strain along with cooperation with TUs

31
Q

How were Wilson’s gov. struggling to continue investing in the welfare state?

A

Economic problems:

The NHS was becoming a victim of its own success

NHS charges abolished in 1965 - then reinstated in 1967 at higher rates due to economic troubles

History - Britain Transformed (60 decks)

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