the affluent society (1951-64) | Small Answers Flashcards
Average weekly earnings in ‘50 and ‘64
£7.50, £18.00
Unemployment rates between ‘48-70
Under 2%
Consumer expenditure increase between ‘52-64 (total money spent for personal use and pleasure)
Up 45%
How many private cars were in the UK in ‘52 and ‘59?
2.5M, 5M
When was Macmillan’s ‘Never had it so good’ speech?
July ‘57
When did food rationing end?
‘54
Home ownership in ‘64
44%
How many new houses built between ‘51-46?
1.7M
How many miles of road was built or upgraded between ‘57-63?
1,200 miles
Labour policies which the Tories adopted
- Welfare state
- Full employment (prioritising/promising very high employment rates)
- Mixed economy (keeping some things nationalised, some things private)
Labour party divisions ‘51-64
- CND (Gaitskill: against, Unilateralists: for)
- Bevan (created the NHS) resigned in ‘51 after Labour accepted some privatisation of the NHS.
- Bevanites were also pro CND, and voted for it against party orders in ‘52
Tory economic policies ‘51-64
- Abolished war time controls ‘53-54
- STOP - GO Economics
- Overall increase in National Income and Imports
Briefly explain STOP - GO economics
Before elections, the economy was let loose more to generate a feel-good factor, then some time after, the economy would be strained again to avoid hyperinflation and other negative consequences.
POLITICAL factors that lead to the Tories’ downfall in ‘64
- CND (large protest Sept ‘61 - Polaris in Holy Loch)
- France vetoes Britain’s application to EEC (‘61)
- Night of the Long Knives (July ‘62)
- Labour revival begins ‘58
- Many scandals, e.g. Profumo scandal
SOCIAL factors that lead to the Tories’ downfall in ‘64
- ‘57 Rent Act (allowed landlords to raise rents; benefited middle class)
- Racial tensions (‘58 Nottinghill Race Riots, ‘62 Commonwealth Immigration Act)
- Educational inequality
- Satire from the arts
ECONOMIC factors that lead to the Tories’ downfall in ‘64
- The poorly handled economy under Maudling (too much gov. borrowing) and Lloyd (froze public sector employees’ pay)
- Tories leave office Oct ‘64, leaving a government deficit of £750M
Describe Labour resurgence that lead to the Tory downfall in ‘64
- Decline of the Bevanites from ‘55
- Gaitskill begins to reunify the party ‘55-‘63
- Harold Wilson - leader from ‘63 - ‘64 - had popular appeal
- ‘61 ‘Signposts for the Sixties’
- ‘64 Labour election campaign
Describe the ‘61 ‘Signposts for the Sixties’
Labour policy document outlines clearly goals for:
- the role of economic planning
- the need to connect scientists and technicians
- the link between planning, technological development and growth
Major part of the ‘64 election campaign
Describe the ‘64 labour election campaign
- ‘The New Britain’
- Economic planning for growth
- State support for Science and Technology,
Comprehensive Schools and the expansion of higher education
Economy under RAB ‘51-55
wa R, A pril, stay in B ritain
STOP:
- Cuts on importing and travel
GO:
- War time rations removed ‘54-55
- $134M tax cuts Apr ‘55
Economy under Macmillan ‘55-57
public, 5.5/’55, his wife let someone else Come In
STOP:
- Reduced public investment
- Bank rate increased to 5.5%
GO:
-Reduced income tax
Economy under Thorneycroft ‘57-58
We STOPped using þ 500 years ago (th letter/thorn)
STOP:
- Cuts to public spending, wanted to cut more and resigned over it
- Bank rate increases from 5.5%-7%
- Fairly successful, but didn’t stop the economy
- Cracks in Macm.’s cabinet started to show
Describe Nicky and Neddy (economic)
- N.ational I.ncomes C.ommission
- A voluntary method of wage restraint
- Boycotted
- N.ational E.conomic D.evelopment C.ouncil
- Meant to start cooperation between gov., unions and corporations
- Failed
Evidence of change to Affluence and Living Standards
- Economy ‘51-64 grew 2-3% a year
- Unemployment below 2%
- Pre-war slums cleared and replaced by new towns (e.g Kirby and Harlow)
