The Rise of consensus politics and political challenges, 1945-79 Flashcards
What did Labour win in July 1945?
A landslide victory- first one since 1935 general election
What was the post-war consensus?
Political principles which all parties (mainly) agreed on
What were aspects of the post-war consensus?
- The continuation of centralised economic planning / gov. involvement
- Welfare state / NHS
- Goal is full employment and equal opportunities
When did the post-war consensus end?
In the 1970s, with the conservative government
What was Churchill’s approach to the 1945 election?
- Churchill believed he would be rewarded by a grateful British public for his wartime service.
- His manifesto focussed heavily on foreign policy.
What were the attitudes towards the Conservatives and Churchill?
- Bitter memories of Conservative pre-war governments and economic hardship.
- Churchill’s claims that a post-war Labour government would rely on a ‘gestapo’ in order to police its planned social reforms.
What was Labour’s approach to the 1945 election?
Labour manifesto was ‘Let us face the future’, promised action on housing, jobs, social security and a national health service.
What was the result of the 1945 election?
Resulted in a landslide victory for Labour.
What reforms did Labour put in place in it 1945-51 government?
- Establishment of NHS
- National Insurance Act
- National Assistance Act
- Housing Act 1949
- Education Act 1944
What was the Housing Act 1949?
Extended local authority’s powers to build public sector housing for all income groups.
What happened to Labour in the 1950 election?
Its majority was slashed to just five seats, despite polling over one and a half million more votes than the Cons.
What industries did Labour gov. nationalise?
Coal mining
Shipbuilding
Railways
NHS
What did the government struggle with, and how did it deal?
Economic costs from war
–> government continued with wartime austerity and rationing
What caused Labour to lose some seats in 1950?
1949 House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act
–> Redraw constituency boundaries
AND, lost some middle class voters
How many people perceived themselves as working class from 1931-1951?
78% down to 72%
What was the problem with austerity?
The Labour Party seemed unable to revive Britain’s struggling economy in the immediate post-war years.
What was the dissatisfaction with taxation?
The standard rate of taxation in 1949 was 45% and the top rate of marginal tax for high earners was 90%.
What was the dissatisfaction of rationing which tainted the Labour Party?
Wartime food and fuel rationing continued after the war, with some items becoming rationed in peacetime.
Why did Labour lose the 1951 General Election?
Attlee could not control the Labour government.
Many respected ministers died.
Internal division about budget cuts
What war did the Labour gov. involve in?
The Korean War, 1950.
RESULTED IN:
- big increase in military spending
- ‘Austerity budget’
- Prescription charges for opticians and dentistry
What did the Conservative manifesto say in 1951?
Offered to preserve the main features of the welfare state and return the country to prosperity
What is ‘butskellism’?
The term used to describe the economic and welfare policies associated with the post-war consensus
Who led the Conservative government between 1951-55?
Churchill, just as the final wartime rations and restrictions came to an end.
What was the issue with Churchill?
Acted more as a ‘caretaker’ prime minister, while the ministers within his government gradually came to prominence.
Who replaced Churchill in 1955?
Anthony Eden, with an impressive wartime record as Churchill’s foreign minister.
What was Britain’s unemployment rate in July 1955?
Had the lowest unemployment figures in recent history, only 215,000 people unemployed. Only 1% of the population.
What foreign policy disaster forced Eden out of office?
The Suez Crisis.
What was Britain’s influence over Egypt?
Maintained presence in Egypt to protect the Suez Canal (part owned by Britain and France), which was its route to India.
What was the canal used for after India’s independence in 1947?
Used as a means of shipping oil to Britain, Europe and America.
What did the nationalist president of Egypt state?
Gamal Abdul Nasser stated that the canal should be in Egyptian hands.
What was President Nasser willing to do to get the canal in Egyptian hands?
Was willing to pay British shareholders a fair price for it.
What was Eden’s reaction to President Nasser’s statement?
Reacted with suspicion and hostility.
What did Nasser do on 26 July 1956?
Nasser occupied the Canal Zone, his close relationship with the USSR convinced the British that the canal would fall into Soviet hands.
What did France and Isreal do after this occupation of the Canal Zone?
Invited Britain to take part in an invasion of the Suez Canal Zone, Eden agreed in secret to participate.
What motivated Eden to participate in the invasion?
- Desire not to be humiliated by Nasser.
- Knew his standing in the Conservative Party depended on presenting a strong image as an international statesman.
What happened after the invasion?
US President Eisenhower, who as unaware of the invasion, reacted angrily and felt deceived.
What did Eisenhower threaten to do to Britain?
To sell America’s reserves of British currency and collapse the value of the pound.
What did Britain do after this threat?
Faced with possibility of economic crisis, Britain was forced to withdraw and Eden resigned in Jan 1957.
What was the impact of the Suez Canal Crisis?
Significant reduction in British world power and a recognition it could no longer act independently without seeking US approval.
What made the Macmillan government (1957-63) popular?
A mixed economy, rising living standards, low unemployment and declining social inequality.
Who was unhappy with the Macmillan government?
In 1959 Chancellor Peter Thorneycroft, Treasury Minister Nigel Birch and Financial Secretary to the Treasury Enoch Powell all resigned.
Why was there dissent on the right?
- Believed that Macmillan’s government was spending too much and storing up economic problems for the future.
What policies upset members on the right of the Conservative Party?
Convinced inflation, not unemployment posed the greatest threat to the economy.
What policies did these members on the right suggest?
- Spending cuts
- Tax rises
- End to subsidies to nationalised industries
What was the impact of the dissent from the right?
- Embarrassment to the government
- Little impression on the wider public as it was a time of low unemployment and low inflation.
What was happening to the Conservatives by 1962?
Popularity was declining.
What was the issue with Macmillan’s government?
- Macmillan’s privileged background
- Large number of upper-class cabinet members (35 former Etonians).
How was Macmillan’s government perceived?
People perceived the Conservatives as out of touch.
Why was Britain facing some economic problems at this time?
Due to the dramatic increase in consumer spending.
What was the issue Macmillan faced?
Needed to demonstrate that he was in control of his government.
What was the ‘Night of the Long Knives’?
When Macmillan sacked seven ministers from his cabinet and replaced them with younger men.
How was Macmillan viewed after this?
Briefly perceived as ruthless, but it demonstrated to the public he was capable of taking action.
Who was John Vassall?
Was a naval attache at the British embassy in Moscow between 1952 and 1962.
What happened to Vassall?
He was blackmailed by the KGB- the security agency for the USSR.
What did Vassall do?
Passed on large quantities of top-secret info on the British Royal Navy.
How was Vassall caught?
Caught when Soviet spies defected to the West and gave MI6 Vassall’s name.
Who was Harold Philby?
One of Britain’s most senior intelligence agents, he was the head of British Counter Intelligence.
What did Harold Philby do?
Defected to the USSR, and had been under suspicion of spying for the USSR since the 50s.
What did Macmillan do about Philby while he was Foreign Secretary?
- Publicly announced that he had investigated Philby and exonerated him.
- Hugely embarrassing after it was revealed Philby had defected to the USSR.
How was Philby revealed?
Not until 1968 that he held such an important office in MI6, due to the Official Secrets Act.
Who was John Profumo?
The government’s Secretary of State for war.
What did John Profumo do?
Admitted to having had an affair with Christine Keeler.
What was the problem with Christine Keeler?
She had also had a relationship with a Russian attache, Yevgeny Ivanov, the press focused on the spy angle (not likely though).
Who was Alec Douglas-Home?
Macmillan’s replacement in 1963, suffered an image problem that would damage the Conservative’s chances in the next election.
Who was Harold Wilson?
Been the leader of the Labour Party for a year before he won the election in 1964.
How did Harold Wilson present the Labour Party in the 1964 election?
As meritocratic and classless, comparing it to public perceptions of the Conservatives.
What were the problems Wilson faced?
Discovered in his first few days of office that Britain’s economic problems were much worse than they thought.
What was the budget deficit that had been left by the Conservatives?
£800 million.
Why was there such a huge budget deficit?
The previous chancellor of the exchequer had delivered generous tax cuts and spending promises.
What did Wilson have to do to stick with his commitments?
Devalue the pound.
What would devaluing the pound do?
Would have allowed the British government to pay off its debts more easy and aided exports.
Why did Wilson not want to devalue the pound?
He did not want Labour to be seen as the party of devaluation.
What did Wilson have to do in 1967?
Forced to devalue the pound.
What did this devaluing of the pound mean?
Was a huge embarrassment for the government and led to the resignation of Callaghan as chancellor.
What happened in 1966?
A second general election, Wilson got the majority he needed.
What social and educational reforms did Wilson’s government achieve?
- A series of new universities and polytechnics were built.
- The Open University was established
- The laws on abortion, homosexuality and the death penalty were liberalised.
Why did Harold Wilson’s government decline in popularity during the end of the 1960s?
As unemployment began to steadily grow and the number of days lost to strikes increased.
What was Wilson’s worry?
Became increasingly suspicious of government ministers who were popular in the party or with trade unions that would replace him.
What happened in 1969 in Wilson’s party?
- Legislation to curb the numbers of unofficial strikes was proposed by Barbara Castle.
- Wilson feared that Callaghan might use this to replace him.
What was a consequence of this legislation not being passed?
Britain endured a decade of rising strikes and union unrest.
What was the aim of Edward Heath’s government (1970-74)?
Sought to break with the post-war consensus on the size of the state and the commitment to full employment.
What did Heath do after his election victory?
Began to introduce the policies from the Selsdon meeting.
What did Heath believe in?
Believed that by removing the state from people’s lives they would become more enterprising.
What was the first budget of the Heath government like?
Featured tax cuts and government spending cuts.
What was the impact of the budget?
Failed to cure Britain’s growing economic problems and fuelled inflation.
What was Heath forced to do?
Forced to take a U-turn on his policies and had to increase intervention in the economy.
What was Heath’s biggest problem?
The government’s relationship with trade unions.
What had Heath’s party endured by 1974?
Heath’s government had endured two miners’ strike and he faced criticism from both the opposition and his own party.
What was the ‘Selsdon Group’ that was formed?
- Was dedicated to introducing free market policies and reducing state intervention.
- Formed by several Conservative MPs.
What happened after the second miner’s strike (1973-74)?
Heath declared a state of emergency and a three-day week, he called a general election in Feb 1974.
What was Heath’s approach to the election?
Wanted the election to be a referendum on union power and asked the question ‘Who runs Britain?’
What was the result of the election?
Heath was defeated, but the defeat of Heath did not result in widespread success for Labour.
Who was elected in the 1974 election?
Wilson was elected with a minority government and forced to rely on the Liberals.
