Section 1 Building a New Britain 1951-79 Flashcards
how many seats did Labour win in the 1950 general election
315
how many seats did the Conservatives win in the 1951 general election
321
who won the popular vote in 1951?
Labour, 48.8% to Conservative 48%
who was chancellor of the Exchequer 1951-55
Rab Butler
when did Hugh Gaitskell become leader of the Labour party?
1955
what political faction within the Labour party was Gaitskell associated with
Right wing of the Labour party
which 3 ministers resigned from the Labour party in 1951 after fees were introduced on the NHS
Aneurin Bevan, Harold Wilson and John Freeman
who replaced Hugh Gaitskell as leader of the Labour party 1963?
Harold Wilson
when did Hugh Gaitskell die prematurely?
Jan 1963
when was the “night of the long knives”
July 1962
how much of the cabinet was sacked on the “night of the long knives”
one third
who was the Chancellor in charge of “stop-go” economics 1960-62
Selwyn Lloyd
when did Charles de Gaulle veto Britain’s application to join the EEC
January 1963
when did Britain cancel the “blue streak missile program”
1960
which two Conservative senior ministers refused to serve under Alec Douglas-Home
Enoch Powell and Iain Macleod
how close was the 1964 general election
very close, labour only did marginally better on popular vote and only got 317 seats, 1 more than was needed for a majority
when did food rationing end?
1954
when was the Korean War?
1950-53
what were the underlying economic problems that the Conservatives failed to address in the 50s
inflation
overvalued pound
low investment
low productivity
who was Peter Thorneycroft
Macmillan’s first chancellor who resigned in 1958, because he proposed responsible gov spending cuts to prevent inflation and was ignored by Macmillan because it was electorally unpopular
car ownership rose from 2.5 million in 1951 to what in 1955?
3.3 million
what % of the population owned a TV by 1960
75%
give examples of consumer goods which rose in popularity during the 50s
cars
TVs
Fridges
Washing Machines
Home ownership
what facts suggest that affluence didn’t apply to the whole of the UK
by 1960 4/5 working families still lacked a car
2/3 lacked a washing machine
and many northern towns didn’t experience the same affluence as southern areas
how were classes distinguished in Britain in the 1950s
what clothes you wore, pubs you went to, pastimes and what language you used
what institution allowed for greater social mobility
Grammar schools allowed working class children to get a first class education
what was Harold Wilson’s background?
humble background- from Huddersfield, gained popularity as he challenged the classical figure of the establishment, which many began to resent in the early 1960s
what was the 1948 Nationality Act
an act introduced by Labour, it gave all members within the commonwealth full British citizenship and allowed them to work and live in the UK leading to a huge influx of immigration in the 1950s
How many immigrants arrived from the Caribbean in 1955
27,000
how many immigrants arrived from the Caribbean in 1961
100,000
what legislation did Rab Butler (as home secretary) introduce to reduce the number of new immigrants into the UK (year)
Commonwealth Immigrants Bill (1961)
when were the Notting Hill riots
1958
when did national service end
1960
what was the treaty of Rome + year
the Treaty of Rome (1957)
was the founding treaty of the EEC, signed by Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, W Germany and Italy
what was the Messina conference + year
the Messina conference in 1955, created the Spaak Committee which created the groundwork that the EEC was built on
what were Churchill’s foreign policy objectives 1951-55
- Maintain Britain as a global power alongside US and Russia
- develop the special relationship with the US
- leadership of W. Europe
what conference did Eisenhower become frustrated with Churchill showing the decline in Anglo-American relations
The Bermuda conference 1953
when was the Nuclear test ban treaty signed by Macmillan?
1963
when was the Paris Conference and why was this significant?
1960- Macmillan showed himself as International statesman as the mediator between Russia and the US (right after US spy plane shot down)
when did Britain get Polaris missiles off the US?
1963
JFK gave Polaris missiles to the UK, due to the close bond between him and Macmillan
when was the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament formed?
1958
what position did Aneurin Bevan have in the Labour shadow cabinet 1955-59
Foreign Secretary
