The Affluent Society, 1951-1964 Flashcards
Conservative governments, economic developments, social developments and foreign relations
What percentage of vote did Conservative and Labour win in 1951 election?
What about seats?
Why was this?
Conservative 48%, Labour 48.8%
Conservative 351, Labour 295
First past the post
What did the post war consensus involve?
Mixed economy, NHS and welfare state, full employment
When was Churchill PM?
Who were his key ministers?
How many houses a year?
1951-1955
Butler chancellor, Eden acting PM, Macmillan housing minister
300,000
When was Eden PM?
Which crisis split conservative party?
How many conservative MPs rebelled?
1955-57
Suez crisis 1956
40 MPs
When was Macmillan PM?
What did he increase majority to?
Nickname?
1957-63
100 seats in 1959 election
Supermac
What did the Wolfenden Commission recommend? When was it?
Homosexuality no longer criminal offence
1957
Why was Labour divided?
Bevanites (left, no prescription charges)
Gaitskellites (right, prescription charges)
CND
What conference increased Labour divisions?
1959 Blackpool Conference
Gaiskell proposed to drop Clause IV (nationalisation), had to back down
When was Britain’s EEC application turned down?
Submitted in 1961, turned down in 1963
What event made Macmillan look clumsy?
Night of the Long Knives 1962
Sacked third of cabinet
Which spy scandals reinforced conservative government as out of touch?
1961: George Blake double Soviet agent
1962: John Vassal blackmailed for info to Soviets
Which affair made the conservative government seem untrustworthy?
The Profumo Affair 1963, John Profumo lied to parliament and to PM about relationship with Christine Keeler
Who was new Conservative leader after Macmillan resigned in 1963?
Lord Douglas Home
In what year did food rationing end?
1954
When were the two ‘give away’ budgets?
What were the tax cuts?
1955: £134 million
1959: £370 million
What economic model was Britain stuck in?
What crisis kept happening?
Stop go
Balance of Payments
What did Selwyn Lloyd set up to improve long term planning?
Neddy (National Economic Development Council)
What did Selwyn Lloyd set up to monitor wages and prices in 1962?
Nicky (National Incomes Commission)
What did the Beeching Report recommend?
1963
Massive rail cuts (30% service)
How did Maudling try and encourage economic growth?
Effect?
Push into ‘go’ phase by lowering bank rates to encourage consumer spending.
Growth from 4% in 1963 to 6% in 1964
But exports 20% higher than imports
What did weekly wages rise to in 1961?
From £8.30 in 1951 to £15.35 in 1961
When did ITV launch?
By 1960, ….% watched TV in the evening
1955
50%
How many people went to Butlins a week in the 1950s?
60,000
Which satirical TV programme set up in 1962?
The BBC’s That Was the Week That Was
What percentage of women married in the 1950s, and what was the average marriage age?
75% married
Average age: 21
Why did trade unions largely not support women working?
They thought they would lower wages
Why were women financially dependent on husbands?
Mortgages and bank accounts in mens names
How many Commonwealth immigrants settled in UK by 1958?
210,000
When and what were the Notting Hill riots?
1958
Gangs of white youths targeted black people in racially motivated attacks
What youth subculture existed in the early 1950s?
What about late 1950s?
Teddy Boys
Mods and Rockers
Where were the 1964 mods and Rockers riots?
What was public reaction?
Clacton, Margate and Brighton
Moral panic, but over exaggerated in press
Which book won a high profile court case under the Obscenity Act?
D.H Lawrence Lady Chatterley’s Lover
What did Macmillan set up in 1959 to try and match EEC?
EFTA (European Free Trade Association)
When did Britain first apply to join EEC?
When were they turned down?
Who vetoed?
1961
1963
De Gaulle
Why did the left not want to join EEC?
Suspicious of free market principles
Why did the right not want to join EEC?
Wanted to preserve traditional trade links with commonwealth, Australia and New Zealand
Why did De Gaulle veto in 1963?
Concern that Britain a ‘trojan horse’ for US influence
When did Churchill test Britains first atomic bomb?
Britain were the ….. country in the world to do so.
1952
3rd
Which event showed Britain’s willingness to play a role in world affairs despite economic constraints?
Korean War 1950-53
When was the Suez crisis?
1956
How did Eden describe Nassar?
‘an evil dictator’
Who did Eden conspire with about Suez?
Israel and France
What was the result of Suez?
Britain pulled out, lost reputation as force for good. Showed that was not able to act independently of US.
What rebellion emphasised need for decolonisation?
How many died?
Mau Mau rebellion 1952
10,000 May Mau died
Which was the first Africa colony to be decolonised and when?
Ghana in 1957
Which speech did Macmillan make in Cape Town calling on decolonisation?
Why was location important?
Wind of Change 1960
South Africa followed minority white rule
Why can decolonisation be considered a success?
More swift and less violent than Belgium and Portugal
