TORIES 1951-64 | Big Answers

Question 1

Why did the Tories win the 1951 election? - LABOUR WEAKNESSES

Answer 1

• Labour had sent 90k UK troops into Korea ‘50, which added to post-war UK’s financial struggles & the left opposed following the US to war, even if they were part of a UN body
• Labour were very divided over Foreign Policy w/ a group of backbenchers in ‘46 led by Richard Crossman critisising how pro-US Foreign Secetary was, urging them to be more pro-USSR
• Labour Divided over NHS perscription charges: Bevannites believed all of NHS should be free, while Gaitsgill (Chancellor) believed limited privitisation would help Britain’s financial problems: introduced charges in his budget; Bevan & Wilson resigned in protest
• ‘The Unhappy Parliment’ (the Guardian): majority reduced to 5 & exhausted from 6 years in office
• Labour left a bleak Balance of Payments Deficit & legacy of Currency Devaluation

Question 2

Why did the Tories win the 1951 election? - LABOUR SUCCESSES DESPITE WEAKNESSES

Answer 2

• Labour won nearly 14M votes, 200k more than Tories & most for any party before had
• Tories maintained many Labour Policies: Keynsian Economics (Gaitsgill’s policies - high Gov. spending, state control of industries) continued by R.A.B., NHS based off the Bevridge report, pro US & de-colonisation FP, didn‘t de-nationalise electricity & gas
• Labour Successes: NHS in ‘48, over 1M new houses, School learning age to 15, granted Indian Independance, helped set up NATO in ‘49

Question 3

Why did the Tories win the 1951 election? - TORY STRENGTHS

Answer 3

• After ‘45 election Lord Woolton (party chairman) reorganised the party finances & grass roots organisations: removes incentives to choose wealthy men for their candadites by preventing parlimentary candadites from donating more than £25 per year. This distanced the party from their old stuffy conservative image, Heath & R.A.B. among the new generation of Tories, who brought new ideas
• Promised 300k houses per year, which was popular due to serious housing shortages
• Support of Newspapers & Buisnessmen scared of nationalisation
• Promised “more red meat” as rashioning was still high
• Made clear they would continue NHS
• Many still saw Churchill as a hero
• Tories were “radically overhauling their organisation & policies” (Andrew Marr)

Question 4

Why did the Tories win the 1951 election? - ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Answer 4

• Labour won 200k more than Tories but won 27 fewer seats
• Labour won big majorities in safe seats, but Tories narrowly won many Marginal seats
• In this election, Seat Boundaries had been changed, meaning Labour had to win 2% more votes to secure the same number of seats, & many safe seats became marginal seats with the changes
• Introduced Postal Voting, which advantaged the Tories more than Labour
• Liberal Party in decline, having used up their cost on previous elections & lost most of their voters, ex-liberals joined the Tories to help win Marginal seats

Question 5

What were the Tories Economic Successes?

Answer 5

• Despite slow industrial growth there was an increase in standard of living because: wages were faster than prices so people could buy more w/ what they earnt; wages ^72%, prices ^45%
• Average weakly income increased from £8 > £18 (throughout time in office)
• Chancellors cut income tax leading up to elections so people had more disposable income
• Rising Living Standards: TV ownership 4% > 91%, home ownership increased from 25% pre-WWII to 44% in ‘64
• Gov. largely met housing target of 300k per year, and built 1.7M while in office
• Car ownership rose from 3M to 7M, 1/3 families owned a car
• Working week reduced from 48 hrs to 42 hrs, people had more leasure time