Key elections Flashcards
What were the results of 1951 election?
Conservatives won
Who reformed the Conservative party after the 1945 defeat?
Lord Woolton
Why did the Conservatives win 1951 election?
- Young MPs - more in touch
- R.A Butler great moderniser
- FPTP - won more seats with smaller vote
Why did Labour lose the 1951 election?
6 previous years in office difficult
Divisions in the party
What were the results of the 1959 election?
Conservatives won
Why did the conservatives win 1959 election?
Post-war economic boom
Macmillan restored party unity (after suez)
Macmillan had a good relationship with the media
What were the reasons labour lost 1959 election?
Internal party divisions (over abolishment of clause IV)
Didn’t capitalise on humiliation in Suez
What were the results of 1964 election?
Labour won
Why did labour win 1964 election?
Labour party young and modern (more in touch)
Unity within the party
Wilson personal appeal to electorate (yorkshire with a pint)
Focused on white heat technology
Why did conservatives lose 1964 election?
Time for change in power - after 13 years Scandals (profumo) Spies Sackings (night of the long knives 1962) Sickness Home as leader damaged modern image
What were the results of the 1970 election?
Conservatives won
Why did the conservatives win 1970?
Heath hard working and image of competence
Selsdon Park manifesto was attractive
Enoch Powell sacked made seem stronger
Why did labour lose 1970?
Forced to devalue pound 1967
Problems with trade unions (in place of strife)
Left labour dissatisfied with policy
Social problems/poverty not ended
Who won 1974 election?
Labour
Why did labour win the 1974 election?
‘Best of a bad bunch’
Their coalition had better representation of all parties
Forced to form a minority government
