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)