The Affluent Society, 1951-1964

Question 1

What percentage of vote did Conservative and Labour win in 1951 election?
What about seats?
Why was this?

Answer 1

Conservative 48%, Labour 48.8%
Conservative 351, Labour 295
First past the post

Question 2

What did the post war consensus involve?

Answer 2

Mixed economy, NHS and welfare state, full employment

Question 3

When was Churchill PM?
Who were his key ministers?
How many houses a year?

Answer 3

1951-1955
Butler chancellor, Eden acting PM, Macmillan housing minister
300,000

Question 4

When was Eden PM?
Which crisis split conservative party?
How many conservative MPs rebelled?

Answer 4

1955-57
Suez crisis 1956
40 MPs

Question 5

When was Macmillan PM?
What did he increase majority to?
Nickname?

Answer 5

1957-63
100 seats in 1959 election
Supermac

Question 6

What did the Wolfenden Commission recommend? When was it?

Answer 6

Homosexuality no longer criminal offence
1957

Question 7

Why was Labour divided?

Answer 7

Bevanites (left, no prescription charges)
Gaitskellites (right, prescription charges)
CND

Question 8

What conference increased Labour divisions?

Answer 8

1959 Blackpool Conference
Gaiskell proposed to drop Clause IV (nationalisation), had to back down

Question 9

When was Britain’s EEC application turned down?

Answer 9

Submitted in 1961, turned down in 1963

Question 10

What event made Macmillan look clumsy?

Answer 10

Night of the Long Knives 1962
Sacked third of cabinet

Question 11

Which spy scandals reinforced conservative government as out of touch?

Answer 11

1961: George Blake double Soviet agent
1962: John Vassal blackmailed for info to Soviets

Question 12

Which affair made the conservative government seem untrustworthy?

Answer 12

The Profumo Affair 1963, John Profumo lied to parliament and to PM about relationship with Christine Keeler

Question 13

Who was new Conservative leader after Macmillan resigned in 1963?

Answer 13

Lord Douglas Home

Question 14

In what year did food rationing end?

Answer 14

1954

Question 15

When were the two ‘give away’ budgets?
What were the tax cuts?

Answer 15

1955: £134 million
1959: £370 million

Question 16

What economic model was Britain stuck in?
What crisis kept happening?

Answer 16

Stop go
Balance of Payments

Question 17

What did Selwyn Lloyd set up to improve long term planning?

Answer 17

Neddy (National Economic Development Council)

Question 18

What did Selwyn Lloyd set up to monitor wages and prices in 1962?

Answer 18

Nicky (National Incomes Commission)

Question 19

What did the Beeching Report recommend?

Answer 19

1963
Massive rail cuts (30% service)

Question 20

How did Maudling try and encourage economic growth?
Effect?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What did weekly wages rise to in 1961?

Answer 21

From £8.30 in 1951 to £15.35 in 1961

Question 22

When did ITV launch?
By 1960, ….% watched TV in the evening

Answer 22

1955
50%

Question 23

How many people went to Butlins a week in the 1950s?

Answer 23

60,000

Question 24

Which satirical TV programme set up in 1962?

Answer 24

The BBC’s That Was the Week That Was

Question 25

What percentage of women married in the 1950s, and what was the average marriage age?

Answer 25

75% married
Average age: 21

Question 26

Why did trade unions largely not support women working?

Answer 26

They thought they would lower wages

Question 27

Why were women financially dependent on husbands?

Answer 27

Mortgages and bank accounts in mens names

Question 28

How many Commonwealth immigrants settled in UK by 1958?

Answer 28

210,000

Question 29

When and what were the Notting Hill riots?

Answer 29

1958
Gangs of white youths targeted black people in racially motivated attacks

Question 30

What youth subculture existed in the early 1950s?
What about late 1950s?

Answer 30

Teddy Boys
Mods and Rockers

Question 31

Where were the 1964 mods and Rockers riots?
What was public reaction?

Answer 31

Clacton, Margate and Brighton
Moral panic, but over exaggerated in press

Question 32

Which book won a high profile court case under the Obscenity Act?

Answer 32

D.H Lawrence Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Question 33

What did Macmillan set up in 1959 to try and match EEC?

Answer 33

EFTA (European Free Trade Association)

Question 34

When did Britain first apply to join EEC?
When were they turned down?
Who vetoed?

Answer 34

1961
1963
De Gaulle

Question 35

Why did the left not want to join EEC?

Answer 35

Suspicious of free market principles

Question 36

Why did the right not want to join EEC?

Answer 36

Wanted to preserve traditional trade links with commonwealth, Australia and New Zealand

Question 37

Why did De Gaulle veto in 1963?

Answer 37

Concern that Britain a ‘trojan horse’ for US influence

Question 38

When did Churchill test Britains first atomic bomb?
Britain were the ….. country in the world to do so.

Answer 38

1952
3rd

Question 39

Which event showed Britain’s willingness to play a role in world affairs despite economic constraints?

Answer 39

Korean War 1950-53

Question 40

When was the Suez crisis?

Answer 40

1956

Question 41

How did Eden describe Nassar?

Answer 41

‘an evil dictator’

Question 42

Who did Eden conspire with about Suez?

Answer 42

Israel and France

Question 43

What was the result of Suez?

Answer 43

Britain pulled out, lost reputation as force for good. Showed that was not able to act independently of US.

Question 44

What rebellion emphasised need for decolonisation?
How many died?

Answer 44

Mau Mau rebellion 1952
10,000 May Mau died

Question 45

Which was the first Africa colony to be decolonised and when?

Answer 45

Ghana in 1957

Question 46

Which speech did Macmillan make in Cape Town calling on decolonisation?
Why was location important?

Answer 46

Wind of Change 1960
South Africa followed minority white rule

Question 47

Why can decolonisation be considered a success?

Answer 47

More swift and less violent than Belgium and Portugal