Section 5 facts Flashcards
What policy was Chamberlain criticised for?
Appeasement
When did war break?
September 1939
What was the period of time named when Germany did not attack?
Phoney War
When did Hitler end the ‘Phoney War’
When he invaded Denmark and Norway in 1940
When did Chamberlain resign?
May 1940
Who succeeded Chamberlain?
Churchill
How many men needed to be evacuated from Dunkirk?
300,000
When did Chamberlain die?
November 1940
Who was in the 1940 war cabinet?
Churchill, Attlee, Greenwood, Chamberlain, Halifax
Why did Labour reject continuing the wartime coalition?
There hadn’t been a general election in 10 years
How many seats did Labour win in the 1945 election?
393
How many seats did the Conservatives win in the 1945 election?
213
What was the name of the Labour manifesto in 1945?
‘Let Us Face the Future’
What was the name of the Conservative manifesto in 1945?
‘Mr Churchill’s Declaration to the Voters’
What percentage of electors were voting for the first time in 1945?
20%
What economy was the Labour government committed to?
Mixed economy
What did the Labour government want to do with industry?
Nationalise it
What did the Labour government aim to set up?
The NHS
Who succeeded Churchill as Prime Minister?
Attlee
When was the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act passed?
1939 - Granted the government authority to make regulations on any aspect of life necessary to secure the defence of the realm
How many unemployed in 1940?
1 million
What were the men conscripted for work in coal mines known as?
‘Bevin Boys’
How much did the workforce increase by during the war?
2 million
How many speeches did Bevin give to workers in factories to boost morale?
Over 300
What was Bevin the minister of?
Minister of Labour
When did food rationing begin?
Basic foods in 1940 and others introduced in 1941
Who was the Minister of Food?
Lord Woolton
Which campaign led to an increase in home-grown food?
‘Dig for Victory’
What was the policy taken by Labour to improve the economic situation?
Austerity
When was there a bad winter?
1946-7
What conference did Britain attend to improve the international economic system?
Bretton Woods in the USA in 1944
Who is austerity associated with?
Stafford Cripps
What position did Cripps hold?
Chancellor of the Exchequer
How much was Britain’s debt following WW2?
£4198 million
Between 1945 and 1946 how much more did Britain spend abroad than it received?
£750 million
How much did the export of manufactured goods drop by?
60%
How much did invisible exports reduce by in 1938?
£248 million
How much did the US and Canada loan Britain?
Over $5000 million
What was the name of American aid in 1947?
The Marshall Plan
How much did exports increase by from 1946-1950?
80%
How much did the volume of exports increase by in 1950?
50%
How much was £1 worth in dollars after Cripps devalued the pound?
$2.8 (Down from $4.03)
Between 1945 and 1950 how much did inflation rise?
3%
How much of economic enterprise did the Labour government take into public ownership?
20%
How much were private owners compensated in total for nationalisation?
£2700 million
What is a mixed economy?
Balance between the private ownership of industry and state ownership
When was the Bank of England nationalised?
1945
When was the coal industry nationalised?
1946
When was public transport nationalised?
1947
When was iron and steel nationalised?
1949
When was conscription for 20-22 year olds introduced?
1939
When was conscription for 19-31 year olds introduced?
1940
When was conscription extended to 51 year olds?
1942
By 1941 how many men were in the army, navy and air force?
3 million (1 million volunteers)
By 1944 how many men were in the armed force?
4.5 million
How much did unemployment fall by in the period 1939-42?
Half
How much did the average male wage rise by?
80%
By how much did female wages increase?
They almost doubled
By 1943 what proportion of factory workers were women?
Over half
What percent of a males wage did women earn?
60-70%
When did the government move 1 million children from cities to the country?
September 1939
What was the movement of children out of cities known as?
Evacuation
How many people attended the cinema a week?
30 million
What was the first phase of the Blitz?
1940-42, night raids by German bombers
What was the second phase of the Blitz?
1944-45, V1 and V2 rockets
How many attacks did London suffer during the Blitz?
Over 300
When was the Beveridge Report published?
1942
How many copies did the Beveridge Report sell?
Over 600,000
What were the ‘five giants’ which led to poverty?
Want, sickness, lack of education, bad housing and unemployment
What did the Beveridge report propose?
A national health service, family allowances and full employment
When was Butler’s education act?
1944 - Raised leaving age from 14 to 15, introduced free and compulsory secondary education and provided grants to students eligible for university
What did Butler’s education act lead to?
The establishment of a tripartite system of education
What did the tripartite education system comprise of?
Grammar, technological, and secondary modern
What did students have to take at age 11?
The 11 plus to determine whether they were able to attend grammar school
When was the Family Allowances Act passed?
1945 - 5 shillings paid to a family for each child after the first one
When was the National Insurance Act passed?
1946 - Universal national insurance to all employees in return for weekly payments
When was the Industrial Injuries Act passed?
1946 - Covered whole workforce and gave compensation for work related illness or injury
How many houses did Labour build?
1.5 million new houses
When was the New Towns Act passed?
1946 - Began the building of major new towns around London to house those bombed out or in slums
When was the National Assistance Act passed?
1948 - Provided financial help for those who fell through the net of other benefits
When did the National Health Service begin to function?
July 1948
How much did spending on the NHS increase between 1948 and 1951?
It almost doubled
How many visitors did the Festival of Britain attract?
8.5 million
What was the shortfall of houses during the Labour Government’s time in power?
700,000
When did Bevan resign?
23 April 1951
How many houses per year was Labour’s best?
200,000
How many seats did the Conservatives win in the 1951 election?
321
How many seats did Labour win in the 1951 election?
295
Who got the higher percentage of votes in the 1951 election?
Labour, 48.8% compared to Conservatives 48%
How many votes did the Conservatives gain from 1945 to 1951?
4 million
