Key Domestic Policy

Question 1

How many houses were promised in the 1951 manifesto?

Answer 1

300,000

Question 2

What did the 1951 manifesto promise to replace?

Answer 2

Slums/Housing stock destroyed by the war

Question 3

Who oversaw all the houses were built/replaced as promised in 1951 manifesto?

Answer 3

Macmillan

Question 4

What was schooling like 1951-64?

Answer 4

• continued tripartite system
• Churchill - mainly secondary modern and grammar
• Eden - promoted technical

Question 5

What was the aim of the housing and factories act?

Answer 5

improve living and working conditions

Question 6

What was the 1956 clean air act?

Answer 6

Prevent smog

Question 7

Who was the Home secretary 1957-62?

Answer 7

Butler - had a liberal approach

Question 8

What was the 1957 homicide act?

Answer 8

Restricted the death penalty

Question 9

How did the 1957 homicide act come about?

Answer 9

Ruth Ellis case - she was sentenced to death after killing her unfaithful lover

Question 10

What did the 1957 Wolfenden commission suggest?

Answer 10

Homosexuality should no longer be a crime

Question 11

How did the permissive society come about?

Answer 11

• Butlers liberal approach
• Backbench MPs using private members bills to pass liberal reform
• Roy Jenkins was sympathetic to backbenchers
• Societal changes - youth culture/technology

Question 12

What were the reforms on capital punishment 1964-1970?

Answer 12

• 1965 hanging temporarily abolished for 5 years
• No beating of prisoners
• Majority jury verdicts rather unanimity
• 1969 hanging permanently abolished

Question 13

What were the reforms on divorce 1964-1970?

Answer 13

• Divorce reform act 1969 - no fault divorce
• Could divorce if both parties agreed and lived apart for 2 years
• Could divorce in one party agreed and lived apart for 5 years

Question 14

What were the reforms on abortion 1964-1970?

Answer 14

• campaigned for since 1945 - heightened by thalidomide disaster
• before 1967 100000-200000 illegal abortions per year
• 1958-60 82 women died
• 1966 protection of unborn children set up to oppose
• MP David Steel led campaign - all night session to pass legislation
• 1967 abortion act

Question 15

What was the 1967 abortion act?

Answer 15

Termination was allowed within the first 28 weeks as long as there was consent from two doctors

Question 16

What did the 1967 abortion act cause?

Answer 16

Abortion rates to rise from 4 per 100 live births to 17.6

Question 17

What were the reforms on homosexuality 1964-1970?

Answer 17

• Until 2 years in prison for act
• 1967 sexual offences act - decriminalised
• Both consenting and over 21 and in private

Question 18

What were the reforms made to schools in 1964 - 1970?

Answer 18

• Comprehensive schools were introduced (1 in 10)
• 1965 Tony Crosland issues a circular 10/65 request for conversion
• 1966 money issues for new school buildings
• 1970 only 8 LEAs failed to convert
• 1145 comprehensive schools 1970
• Middle class parents were turning to direct grant and private schools

Question 19

What were the reforms on higher education 1964-1970?

Answer 19

• Robbins report 1963 showed weaknesses in British Unis
• Colleges of technology were converted into polytechnics
• Applied work rather than research
• 1968 56 unis and 30 polytechnics
• 1969 open university allowed distance and part time learning for the previously disadvantaged

Question 20

What reforms were made 1970-74?

Answer 20

• School leaving age raised to 16
• Local governments turned to a 2 tier system of counties and district councils
• Changed to a decimal currency

Question 21

What reforms were made 1974-79?

Answer 21

• devolution
• deal in lib-lab packs
• referendums in Scotland and Wales
• hard rules - 40% electorate must vote in favour
• 1st march 1979 - Wales voted against and Scotland voted for but didn’t have a high enough majority