The Political Scene 1951-64 Flashcards

1
Q

What were the 5 threats to the establishment?

A
Drugs 
Younger generation 
Media 
Violence 
Sexual freedoms
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Who won the first post war election in 1945?

A

Labour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Name 8 successes labour had whilst they were in power

A

From 1948 $1250 million Marshall aid
Joined NATO
By 1950 exports 75% higher than before war
By 1948 rationing removed from MOST items
Welfare state - NHS + national insurance 1946
1951 -70 society remained same as set by Atlees govt
India gain independence
Started nuclear programme

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is AJP Taylor’s opinion on labours success?

A

Great Britain had to seek an American loan and then Marshall aid
British people experienced years of deprivation with some rationing continuing until 1953

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is Ronald Quinaults opinion on labours success?

A

The massive labour majority at the 1945 general election was largely removed at the 1950 election

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are TVs like in 1951?

A

Incredibly rare
Tiny screens and flickering images
Important as make information mainstream

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Give some examples of society in 1951

A
Private cars minority
No motorways 
No supermarkets 
Rationing
Steam railways the mode of transport 
Pollution from heavy industry
Marriage was an end to work for women 
Sunday's everywhere closed
Holidays two weeks at seaside resort
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

When was the festival of Britain?

A

1951

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What was the landscape like in 1950s?

A

Vacant bomb sites
Unprepared houses
Prefabs
Gardens are allotments

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What were young men called up for in the 1950s?

A

Two years national service

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

When was the Korean War and how many soldiers were killed?

A

1950-53

750

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How much of the GDP is spent on defence in 1950?

A

6.6%

More than any major country exept USSR

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is Britain in 1952?

A

Worlds third nuclear power

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What was still rationed in 1950s?

A

Butter
Meat
Tea
Coal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What did the nationalisation of the railways in 1947 do?

A

End international competition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

How many people did the London smog of 1952 kill?

A

4000

Lasted five days

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

How much world trade was the UK in 1950?

A

1/4

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is the most prosperous city in Europe in 1950 per capita?

A

Leicester - centre of hosiery trade

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What employed over 2 million people in the 50s?

A

State owned industries

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is the statistic for car ownership in the 50s?

A

Only one car per sixteen people

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What was the immigration like in the 50s?

A

3% of pop born over seas

Fewer than 140 000 blacks and Asians

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What does opinion poll evidence suggest?

A

In 1950 Britons were generally happier

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

How many cinemas were there in 1950?

A

5000

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What were people scared of in the 1951 general election?

A

Labour was stopping the country improving quickly because of the bureaucratic socialism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Why did people want equality and state control in the 50s?

A

Ww1
The depression
Ww2

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What does the renationalisation of the industries mean?

A

People have jobs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What are the two main reasons the conservatives were able to take power in the 1951 election?

A

Agreed with labours ideas because of wartime collectivism

Learnt the people wanted socialism so changed their policies to suit this

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What is the only thing the conservatives changed to government when they took power in 1951?

A

Denationalised the steel industry and road transport

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

By how much did the conservatives win the 1951 election?

A

Not very much - not a strong enough position to change Atlees legacy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What was the role of prime minister like in the 1950s?

A

More of a part time job

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What was Churchill like as pm between 1951-55?

A

An absentee pm
Stroke in 1953 caused inspired speech - rarely seen on national stage
Devoted his time to other things
Still had power and influence
Dr mo mowlam wrote essay about Churchill being 8th greatest Britain and wrote nothing about his leadership 1951-55

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What is the post war consensus?

A

Conservatives and labour agree on their policies/have the same policies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

How many seats did the conservatives win the general election by?

A

26

34
Q

What is the establishment?

A

The old government with old Victorian views and prejudices

35
Q

What did labour achieve when they were in power?

A

NHS
Nationalisation of the industries
Changing the empire into a commonwealth
Social/national insurance (still have today)

36
Q

What was londons East end like in 1951?

A

Terraced houses and rubbish in the streets
Poverty
Pollution
State of the country poor and lacking in technological improvements
Wastelands (areas yet to be rebuilt)
Still slum housing and bombed areas

37
Q

What were the people’s fears about the Labour Party?

A

Bureaucratic socialism slows down and prevents development

38
Q

How many people own a car in 1951?

A

One in sixteen

39
Q

What is the spending on defence in 1951?

A

6.6% GDP

Second biggest spending only to USSR

40
Q

What was the division in the Labour Party in the fifties?

A
Split between left and right
Left- Bevan 
-opposition to unilateral nuclear disarmament 1957
Right - Gaitskell 
Attempted reform 
Disliked by trade unionists
41
Q

What did the links labour have with the cnd mean?

A
Turned some voters away 
Frank cousins (tgwu) lead fierce opposition to Gaitskell over nukes
42
Q

What happened to labour in the 1959 general election?

A

The list the conservatives stretched their majority to 100 seats
Labour divisions became deeper

43
Q

Where were the battles over which direction labour should take happen?

A

1959 Blackpool and 1960 Scarborough conferences

44
Q

What happened at the Blackpool conferences 1959?

A

Gaitskell put forward idea of scrapping clause 1v (nationalisation of industries) - had to back down without putting it to a vote

45
Q

What are the reasons why the conservatives were able to get into power in the 1951 election?

A

Labours ideas were identical to conservatives (post war consensus)
Policies introduced weren’t entirely successful eg NHS pushed dentistry charges up
Spending

46
Q

What did the conservatives de nationalise in 1951?

A

Steel industry

Road transport

47
Q

What are the reasons conservatives continued labour policies?

A

Post war consensus

The public liked their policies and the conservative majority was slender - not enough power to make drastic changes

48
Q

What were the key developments 1951-55? (Name 6)

A
Rationing ended 
Steel industry denationalised 
Macmillan promised to build 300 000 houses a year 
First atomic bomb 1952 
Korean War (expensive) 1950-53 
Marshall plan helped economy
49
Q

How many houses did Macmillan promise to build each year to overcome the housing crisis?

A

300 000

50
Q

How much did men’s weekly wages increase by?

A

1951 - £8.30

1961 - £15.35

51
Q

What new towns were expanding in the age of affluence?

A

Crawley
Corby
Cwmbran

52
Q

What economic indicators were pointing up from 1952 onwards?

A

Increases in private savings
Boom in car ownership
Home ownership on the up (cheap mortgages)
Explosion of consumer goods

53
Q

When was itv launched?

A

1955

54
Q

What did the conservatives do to boost their public standing?

A

“Give away” budget
Middle classes - £134 million in budget cuts
Income tax reduced by sixpence
Purchase tax cut

55
Q

How much did the British economy grow by?

A

2.8% per year
1/3rd higher than inter war period
Double the pre 1914 rate

56
Q

What was France’s growth rate?

A

4%

57
Q

What was Germany’s growth rate 1950-73?

A

4.9%

58
Q

What was the economy like in the 50s?

A

Stop go cycle

59
Q

Who wins the labour leadership campaign in 1955?

A

Gaitskell

60
Q

Who was pm after Macmillan?

A

Lord Home

61
Q

What was penguin prosecuted for in August 1960?

A

Publishing lady chatterleys lover

62
Q

What TV program mocked the government?

A

That was the week that was

63
Q

Who is John Profumo?

A

High up Tory

Highly educated

64
Q

What was the Profumo affair?

A

Profumo had an affair with Christine keeler who was also sleeping with Eugene Ivanov the naval attaché at the soviet embassy

65
Q

What was the scandal in the Profumo affair?

A
Lied to the House of Commons over relationship 
- Macmillan believed him 
Captured worldwide attention 
Sex is not talked about 
Cold War
66
Q

What was the FBIs report on the Profumo affair called?

A

Operation Bowtie

67
Q

What was wilsons commons majority?

A

4

68
Q

When was the suez crisis?

A

1956

69
Q

What is sniely?

A
Scandal 
Night of the long knives 
Illness of Macmillan 
Europe 
Labour as party of modernisation 
Youthful image of wilson
70
Q

What was the vassal spy affair?

A

John vassal a homosexual photographed in Moscow by kgb at gay sex party
Was seen as a Russian spy

71
Q

Why was the vassal spy affair so scandalous?

A

Illegal to be gay
Speculation about a wider homosexual and traitorous network
Cold War

72
Q

What did the scandals do?

A

Discredited the government

73
Q

What was the night of the long knives?

A

Macmillan reorganised his cabinet

But it only made his own position more precarious

74
Q

What was wrong with Macmillan?

A

Seriously ill following a major operation in 1963

75
Q

What was the problems with europe?

A

Arguing over relations wit Europe

Humiliation over being vetoed out of the eec

76
Q

How many seats did labour get in the 1964 election?

A

317

77
Q

How many seats did the conservatives get in the 1964 election?

A

304

78
Q

When was the iron and steel industries nationalised?

A

1949

79
Q

What were some failures of atlees government?

A

Seen as party of tax and rationing
Lost economic control - 1947 U.S. Loan ran out
Bad working conditions in nationalised industries
NHS costs so middle class afford more than the working class

80
Q

What and when was the bevanite rebellion?

A

1951 - angry over dental and prescription charges Bevan led a number of ministers into resigning from the cabinet

81
Q

How much did wages increase by whilst conservatives were in power?

A

72%