Post War Consensus 1951-1964 Flashcards
1
Q
What was the Attlee legacy?
A
- Welfare State
- Nationalisation
- Indian Independence 1947
- NATO
- Nuclear Power
- Housing
2
Q
What did Labour (under Attlee) implement in welfare state using the recommendations of the Beveridge Report?
A
- National Insurance
- National Assistance
- Industrial Injuries
- National Health Service (NHS)
“Cradle to the grave”
3
Q
Nationalisation under Attlee
A
- Enacted the principle that the government had the right to direct the key aspects of the economy in order to create social justice and efficiency. (Socialism)
- Government Ownership: Coal Industry: 1946 Bank of England: 1946 Road Transport Industry: 1947 Electricity Industry: 1947 Gas Industry: 1948 Iron and Steel Industry: 1949
4
Q
Indian Independence under Attlee (1947)
A
- Britain accepted that its possession and retention of colonies involved unbearable burdens.
- India was divided into two distinct states: India and Pakistan.
5
Q
NATO under Attlee
A
1949: a defensive alliance consisting of 10 Western European countries acted as a safeguard against Soviet expansion.
6
Q
Nuclear Power under Attlee
A
1947: Labour Government initiated research that led to the detonation of a British atom bomb in 1952 and Hydrogen bomb in 1957.
7
Q
Housing under Attlee
A
Initiated a major housing programme - resulted in a million new homes being built. Rebuilding after destruction of WWII.
8
Q
What were some key achievements of Attlee’s governments?
A
- Large scale nationalisation (1946 - 1949)
- Granted Indian Independence (1947)
- House building programme = one million new homes
- Key role in founding of NATO
- Britain became a nuclear power in world affairs
- Invested in infrastructure
- Exports increased = trade surplus
- Electrified cable and radio communications
- NHS created under welfare state
- Beveridge Report introduced
- Pensions introduced
- No radical move to socialism
9
Q
What were some key failures of Attlee’s governments?
A
- Party divisions became apparent (e.g. Bevan resigning over the need for NHS prescription charges: he believed it should have been free)
- Seen as the party of tax and rationing
- Stafford Cripps called for austerity: but he was very rich and so this was hypocritical
- No unified NHS system
- Technical and secondary schools became neglected
- Loss of economic control: in 1947, the loan from the US ran out
- Export crisis of 1949: US reduced demand = trade deficit. £ to $ exchange down
- Clause IV still needed to be changed
- Nationalised unprofitable industries
- Bad working conditions in nationalised industries
- Introduced NHS costs = middle class could afford more than the working class
- Should have focused on an investment in industry rather than welfare
10
Q
What was the Beveridge Report of 1942 and why was it important?
A
- A report on social provision led by William Beveridge. It suggested:
• the need to defeat the ‘five giant evils’ of society: squalor, ignorance, want, idleness, and disease
• welfare state should be set up to defeat the five giant evils - The Report laid the foundations for the Welfare State
11
Q
Why did the Conservatives win the 1951 election?
A
- Attlee’s government (Labour) was worn down:
• prescription costs and nuclear weapons = serious divisions within party
• economic problems: wartime debts, balance of payments crisis, declining exports, dollar gap, defence expenditure, heavy demands on fuel and power supplies, rationing of essential items, introduction of financial controls and wage freezes, devaluation of £ - Industrial concerns:
• trade union resentment at labour’s policies & slowness to respond to workers’ demands - Entry into the 1950 Korean War:
• angered left within labour party: they argued that the party should be independent in foreign affairs and act within UN = showed that britain was becoming too pro-american (sheepishly following US in a cold war engagement: most likely because they were financially dependent on marshall aid from US) - Bevanite Rebellion of 1951:
• savings in public expenditure = atlee imposed charges on dental treatment, spectacles, and prescriptions
• bevan (who constructed the NHS) led a number of ministers into resigning from the cabinet = ‘death knell’ of atlee’s government - Conservative recovery of morale:
• labour divisions stimulated conservatives into action = sharpened their attacks
• tories reorganised under lord woolton and younger MPs, such as butler, began to bring new ideas and confidence to the party after 1950 election
• tories had a strong platform for opposition attacks: the nationalisation issue gave them a cause round which they could rally on
(Largely due to weakness of Labour)
12
Q
Why did the Conservatives win the 1955 election?
A
- Butler boosted Conservative election prospects with a ‘give-away’ budget that provided the middle class with £134 million in tax cuts (middle class was the tories’ main electorate)
- Affluence: ‘feel good factor’ meant that most voters were happy with their rising living standards
- Eden called the election immediately after Churchill retired: gave Eden the chance to get a mandate to govern before the electorate could judge him on actual performance as a PM
- Strong support of national press and media
- Continued splits within Labour: conflicts between Gaitskellites and Bevanites continued to cause trauma following the long running split in 1951
(Partially due to weakness of Labour)
13
Q
Why did the Conservatives win the 1959 election?
A
- Age of Affluence continuing = post-war boom and consumer prosperity and confidence
- Macmillan’s personality and flair paired with a cabinet of efficient managers
- Economic recovery by 1959 coinciding with April tax cuts
- Ineffective opposition, divisions of Labour were ongoing:
• how far they should push a socialist agenda like nationalisation
• splits over nukes
• uncertainty over EEC applications - Conservative recovery from Suez and ability to manage splits within their own party (positively contrasts against Labour)
- 40% of manual workers (typical Labour voters) now considered themselves to be middle class: thus more likely to vote Conservatives than Labour
14
Q
Why did Labour win the 1964 election?
A
- Run of scandals and ‘events’ from 1962-3 involving Tories (e.g. Profumo, Vassall Affair, spy scandals)
- Conservative government embarrassed by French rejection of EEC application
- Sense of a power vacuum (loss of control, no replacement) following the resignation of Macmillan and doubts over choosing a successor
- Sense of growing impatience with the old ‘Establishment’ and desire for generational change = showed through Private Eye and That Was The Week That Was (satirical programme mocking government)
- Increased support for Labour. Wilson was a strong campaigner, confident in dealing with media and more focused than Gaitskell.
- Split between Bevanites and Gaitskellites was now over: both were dead
- Labour could exploit the powerful public mood that it was ‘time for a change’ using the slogan ‘thirteen years of Tory misrule’: which proved very effective amongst the public
- ‘Liberal rival’ seemed dead with only 2.5% vote through post-war era. However, in 1964, this figure rose to 11.2%: evidence of softening of Conservative vote. This rise in Liberal votes could be the pivotal reason as to why the Conservatives lost.
15
Q
Why did the Conservatives dominate after 1951?
A
- Labour disunity: Gaitskellites V Bevanites left bitter taste from Attlee’s government as well as splits over nuclear unilateralism and withdrawal as Clause IV
- Strong Conservative personalities popular with the electorate:
• Churchill (PM throughout WWII)
• Eden (Foreign Secretary through WWII)
• Macmillan (success as Housing Minister and man of the people)
• Butler (tax cuts and seen as a very able politician)
16
Q
Why were the Conservatives seen as the ‘natural party of government’ in this period?
A
- In power for all of the essential years: Tories held a natural numerical advantage for this period
- Disunity was a lot lower than in the Labour party
- The main members of the Conservative Cabinet all had vast experience and were well liked
17
Q
What were some key achievements of the Conservatives in power from 1951-1964?
A
- Unemployment was down to 1% (before the war, unemployment was at one million)
- Global economic recovery
- End of rationing
- Post-war political consensus
- Churchill’s government: retained popular Labour reforms and was sympathetic in disputes
- Council houses lead to increased quality of life
- Income tax decreased by 300 million (1959)
- Wages increased by 72%, retail by 45%
- Demand for luxury goods increased: ownership of TVs quadrupled
- Home ownership doubled from 1951-1963 due to increased job security
18
Q
Peter Hennessy’s views on the Conservatives’ success from 1951-1964 (British economy did well)
A
- The ‘golden age’ did exist and progress was made
- Living standards rose steadily
- Rate of economic growth was consistently higher than it had been between 1900-1939
- Unemployment was at 2%
- Prosperity and equality grew each year
- Comparisons with other countries were misleading: Germany and Japan had no choice in completing the restructuring of their economy and infrastructure and had not been allowed to spend on defence (Britain spent 7% of GDP on this)
19
Q
What were some key failures of the Conservatives in power from 1951-1964?
A
- Churchill’s foreign policy lacked direction: USA was allowed to take the lead
- Macmillan’s government intervened very little in industry
- Foreign policy failures: Suez Crisis, application to EEC rejected by de Gaulle
- Heavy dependency on USA for nuclear weapons
- Sluggish economic growth
- Bad industrial relations
- ‘Clique’ selecting leaders: old Etonians
- Lack of investment, innovation, training, and managerial potential in industry
- Resisted new ideas
- Breaking apart of the Empire into the Commonwealth
- Eden: highly strung personality, little domestic policy experience, poor relations with his colleagues
- Night of the Long Knives (July 1962)
- Profumo Scandal (1963)
- Poverty still affected millions of families
- Short term electoral gains seen as more important than industrial regeneration
20
Q
Correlli Barnett’s views on the Conservatives’ failures from 1951-1964 (British economy did badly)
A
- Failed to control spending or face down wage demands from unions
- British industry failed to modernise
- Britain’s world trade: fell from 1/4 in 1951 to 1/10 in 1975
- Technical education neglected
- Low productivity in comparison to US, Japan and West Germany (Hennessy believes this is an unfair comparison due to different circumstances)
- Nationalisation was a mistake
- Too much emphasis on full employment led to problems with inflation
21
Q
What was the post-war consensus? (Also known as Butskellism)
A
The idea that the main political parties (Conservative and Labour) deviated very little from each other on policy areas.
22
Q
Consensus politics in:
A
- Economics: Keynesian principles of public expenditure and stage direction, never more than 2% unemployment
- Welfare: based on the implementation of the Beveridge Report
- Education: based on the notion of creating equal opportunity for all
- Foreign Affairs: pro-American and anti-Soviet stance
- Imperial Policies: principle of independence for Britain’s former colonies
23
Q
Why was there a consensus?
A
- Legacy of national unity
- Full employment: post WWII fears needed to be quelled
- Importance of trade unions: Conservatives wanted a cooperative relationship
- Welfare State: Conservatives had warmed to NHS
- Conservative majority of slender in Parliament: did not feel strong enough to dismantle Attlee legacy
- Mixed Economy: Conservatives left most of Labour’s nationalisations alone
24
Q
Has the consensus broken down by 1964?
A
- Yes: Wilson with his modernising attitudes in comparison to the last 13 years came in and disputes with unions started
- No: all aspects of consensus kept, except for foreign affairs as Britain looked more towards Europe and the EEC
25
Q
What is the incumbency factor?
A
Someone who is already in government is more likely to be elected again as a result. If economic conditions are good while a leader is in office, that leader is credited whereas the opposition’s policies are untested and therefore a risk.
26
Q
Who were the Bevanites and what did they believe in?
A
The left wing of the Labour Party, led by Aneurin Bevan. Believed in:
• staying committed to socialism
• not abandoning all ties to the USSR
• getting rid of all nuclear weapons (CND: campaign for nuclear disarmament)
