Section 6 facts Flashcards
When did Churchill suffer from a stroke?
1953
How many seats did the Conservatives win in 1955?
344
How many seats did Labour win in 1955?
277
When did Eden become Prime Minister?
1955
What was Eden’s speciality?
Foreign policy
What did Eden decide to do in October 1956?
Launch military action against the leader of Egypt, Colonel Nasser (Suez Crisis)
When did Britain withdraw from Egypt?
December 1956
When did Eden resign?
1957
Who succeeded Eden as Prime Minister?
Macmillan
What was Macmillan nicknamed?
Supermac
How many houses did the Conservatives promise to build in 1951?
300,000
When was the Clean Air Act passed?
1956 - It aimed to prevent the smog of the early 50’s
When was the Homicide Act passed?
1957 - Restricted the use of the death penalty
When was the Wolfenden Commission and what did it recommend?
1957 - Homosexual behaviour should no longer be a criminal act
What industries did the Conservatives denationalise in 1951?
Steel and road transport
What was the Conservative economic policy?
Stop-go
When did food rationing come to an end?
1954
By 1955 how many were estimated to be unemployed?
200,000
What was the balance of payments deficit inherited by the Conservative government?
700 million
In 1951-52 was the policy stop or go?
Stop - poor balance of payments, deflation needed, bank rate raised and credit restrictions imposed
In 1953-55 was the policy stop or go?
Go - balance of payments recovering, focused on expansion, income tax and purchase tax cut in 1953 budget
In 1955-59 was the policy stop or go?
Stop - economy overheating due to wages demands and increased imports fuelling inflation, higher interest rates and spending cuts
What was the criticism of the Stop-go policy?
Government always reacting to events rather than trying to direct them
Between 1948 and 1956 how much had wages risen?
75%
Why did increased wages lead to inflation?
Output of good only raised by 28% compared to a 75% increase in wages
What helped home-ownership increase?
Access to cheap mortgages
In the 1950’s how many people holidayed with Butlins per week?
60,000
What percent of the population watched the Queen’s coronation on the TV?
56%
In 1951 how many combined television and radio licenses were there?
764,000
In 1955 how many combined television and radio licenses were there?
Over 4 million
When was commercial television introduced?
1955
How many women went out to work in 1951?
1 in 5
When was equal pay for teachers introduced?
1952
When was equal pay for civil servants introduced?
1954
How much less on average did women earn compared to men?
40%
How many immigrants entered Britain by the end of 1957 from the commonwealth?
210,000
When did Britain first test atomic weapons?
1952
What percent of the public was in favour of Britain developing nuclear weapons?
60%
