Political Developments: Divisions in the Labour Party Flashcards
Who were the two key figures in the Labour Party split?
Nye Bevan and Hugh Gaitskell
What side were Bevan and Gaitskell on in Labour?
Bevan was left
Gaitskell was right
Why did the Gaitskell-Bevan split get bigger in 1955?
Gaitskell became the new party leader over Bevan
Which Labour Left organisation opposed Nuclear Weapons?
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)
What did the Labour left want for Britain?
To become more socialist
What does Unilateral nuclear disarmament mean?
Policy of ending possession of nuclear weapons without any international agreement
Who were some significant CND members?
Michael Foot (MP)
J.B Priestley
John Osborne
What idea did Gaitskell put forward? What year?
Abolishing Clause IV in 1959.
What is Clause IV?
Part of Labour Party Rule Book stating common ownership of businesses and a good distribution of profits
How did Labour try and use the 1959 election as an opportunity to criticise the Conservatives?
Criticise the Suez Crisis management
Why was the time of the 1959 election bad for Labour’s favour?
There was a period of economic prosperity
What was the Tory slogan for their 1959 campaign?
“Life’s better with the Conservatives. Don’t let Labour ruin it.”
How many seats did Labour and Conservatives lose in 1959?
Labour lost 19 seats
Conservatives lost 21 seats
Why might Labour have lost seats in 1959? Why?
The CND deterred some voters as it was like they did not want to protect themselves from other countries with nuclear weapons
