Labour divisions under Wilson between 1964 and 1970 Flashcards
Why had Wilson been elected leader of the party?
Harold Wilson had been elected on the view that he was a conciliatory figure within the labour party, he could support both sides of the party and be seen as a uniting figure by the Labour party membership
What made Wilson a uniting figure?
What made Wilson a uniting figure was the fact that he saw the party as the party to lead the country into an age of modern technology, this united both the left and the right of the party.
What did Wilson also do that made him a more uniting figure?
He minimised the issues and underlying tensions such as the row over Clause IV of the labour party constitution.
What divided the party most under Wilson?
Harold Wilson himself
How did Wilson divide his own party?
He feared his own cabinet members backstabbing him and as a result personal rivalries grew.
Who did Wilson have rivalries with?
-James Callaghan
-Roy Jenkins
-George Brown
Why did George Brown resent Wilson?
George Brown was still hugely resentful that he had lost the leadership challenge to Wilson and was further disappointed when he wasn’t made foreign secretary in 1964.
What furthered the divide and fuelled the rivalry between Wilson and Brown?
Wilson was thought to have undermine the reputation of Brown by keeping a record of his wrongdoings and mistakes once he had been reshuffled to the foreign office.
Why did Wilson fear Roy Jenkins?
He didn’t support the ideas of Jenkins in terms of liberalising legislation during his time as home secretary.
What event made Wilson think there was a threat to his leadership from within?
The seaman’s strike of 1966.
Why was the Seaman’s strike of 1966 a threat to Wilson?
When there was a seaman’s strike in 1966 Jenkins called for the cabinet to support the policy of devaluation, Wilson saw this as a plot by Jenkins and Callaghan to replace him and Brown with those two.
Why was the seaman’s strike of 1966 not actually a threat?
Unlikely that Callaghan and Jenkins would link up together.
why did Callaghan not like Jenkins?
Callaghan didn’t approve of Jenkins pro-Europe stance nor his liberal legislation as home secretary.
Why did Jenkins not like Callaghan?
Jenkins was critical of the failure to devalue the pound when Callaghan was Chancellor and the fact he was a stanch supporter of the trade union legislation that Callaghan blocked.
What did Wilson devote his energy too?
Wilson devoted a lot of energy too keeping the party united and too stopping his colleagues from gaining enough power to oppose himself as leader.
