Why did support for the Conservative Party decline? Flashcards
What was established in 1960 but by 1961 what happened?
The European Free Trade Association as a rival to the EEC
The scale of Britain’s economic difficulties convinced him of the need to join the Common Market
What happened in 1963, why, and what did it reveal?
CDG rejected EEC application
Reservations about commitment to Europe, thought Britain would take the American side, and differences in farming (25% vs 4%)
What did the EEC rejection reveal?
How weak the country was
Why did Macmillan reshuffle his cabinet in July 1962?
Declining economy resulted in losses in by-elections (the Liberals overturned a majority of 14k in Orpington)
Labour had a 6% lead
Cabinet appeared old
What happened in July 1962?
1/3 of the cabinet was replaced
What did the cabinet reshuffle result in?
Mac the Knife
Damaged party unity
Labour gained a lead of 11%
What did Lloyd argue?
‘Macmillan did not possess a claim to authority’
What did Adelman suggest?
That the scandals of 1963 delivered the ‘coup de grace’ to the Conservative government’
What did the inquiry into the Vassall Affair suggest?
That the government was not in control of its departments
What happened with the Argyll divorce case?
Two government ministers were supposedly on the list of 88
What happened with the Philby scandal?
The security service had failed to identify a traitor in the Foreign Office for so long
What were the consequences of the Profumo Affair?
Raised issues of risk to national security
His denial of the affair and then admission that he had lied to parliament raised doubts about Macmillan’s control of the party
Raised questions as to the fitness of the government to lead
Appeared as if the government was out of touch
What did Butler claim?
That people are divided between ‘haves and have-mores’
That the education system had given greater opportunity to all young people, as did the ‘property-owning democracy’
What was a growing problem?
Increasing tensions that the government struggled to manage
What happened in 1958?
Riots broke out in London, Bristol, and Nottingham as Britain struggled to adapt to being a multi-racial society
Why did Britain struggle to adapt?
Migrants blamed for housing and job shortages
What was set up following the riots?
The Salmon Inquiry which concluded the trouble was due to increased immigration
What happened in 1962?
Commonwealth Immigration Act limited the number of immigrants but the rush of immigrants to avoid restrictions further fuelled concerns
What other social problem was the government facing?
The development of a youth sub-culture
Why did a youth sub-culture develop?
Greater affluence
Not lived through the war
Didn’t feel bound by hierarchial structures and a respect for authority
New forms of entertainment
What increased?
Anti-social behaviour as not all young people gained from the increasing affluence and felt alienated
How did the government contribute to a youth sub-culture?
Scandals contributed to the loss of respect for those in authority
What did youth-sub culture help to do?
Undermine the Conservatives who were lampooned in the Private Eye and That Was the Week that Was
What happened in 1963 and what did this confirm?
Sir Alec Douglas-Home was chosen as Macmillan’s successor
That the party was out of touch
What happened from 1961 onwards and what were they unable to do?
The economy went downhill
Campaign on ‘don’t let Labour ruin it’
What did Britain appear to be?
Lagging behind the rest of Europe, which had faster rates of growth
What did unemployment reach by the end of 1963?
800k
What happened to the number of days lost to strikes?
1951: 1694
1955: 3781
1959: 5270
1962: 5798
What was the impact of the establishment of the NEDC and NIC?
No noticeable impact
What was the BOP deficit?
£402mn
What had little impact?
Government attempts to reduce the BOP deficit (pay pause)
What was the dept to GDP ratio?
102.4%
