Why were the Conservatives able to dominate British politics for so long?

Question 1

What advantages did the Conservatives have?

Answer 1

Much of the period was one of economic growth, which led to a rise in living standards

Industrial growth was inevitable and stimulated by an increase in trade following Korea

Question 2

What happened to Britain’s GDP growth and how did this compare to other nations?

Answer 2

Grew by 2.3%

Italy grew by 5.6%, Germany 5.1%, and Britain 2.3%

Question 3

What happened to Britain’s share of the world trade and how did this compare to Germany?

Answer 3

Shrank from 25% to 15%

Germany’s grew from 7% to 20%

Question 4

What can the decline in world trade be explained by?

Answer 4

Britain’s defence expenditure, which amounted to 10% of its GDP

Question 5

What was the impact of defence costs?

Answer 5

34.5% of funds for research and development was spent on defence rather than providing funds for industrial growth

Question 6

What was the government criticised for?

Answer 6

Failing to modernise staple industries and instead prioritising investment overseas and maintaining a strong sterling area

Question 6

What is difficult to argue and what may be true?

Answer 6

The government aided industrial growth

That their policies may have limited it

Question 7

How did the government defend its poor performance?

Answer 7

Argued that it was due to consumerism and industrial disruption

Question 8

What was the situation with industrial action but what did the government have to do?

Answer 8

The number of hours lost to strikes was fewer than most countries

Give in to the Electricity Board workers

Question 9

What was the period one of?

Answer 9

A continuous rise in living standards

Question 10

What happened to wages?

Answer 10

Wages rose faster than prices so that people were able to buy more with the money they earned

In 1951 the average weekly wage was £8.30, but by 1964 it had risen to £18.35

Question 11

What were chancellors able to do and what did they do in 1955 and 1959?

Answer 11

Cut income tax before elections

1955: reduced it by the equivalent of 2.5p

1959: reduced it by the equivalent of 3.75p

Question 12

What was the impact of cutting taxes before the election?

Answer 12

Helped to increase the amount of money people had available to spend and improve the ‘feel-good’ factor

Question 13

What happened to the purchase of goods and what was this a sign of?

Answer 13

500% rise in car ownership

Television ownership went up from 4% of the population to 91%

The purchase of labour-saving white goods also rose

That austerity was over

Question 14

What was the impact of the rise in the purchase of goods?

Answer 14

Fewer reasons for the electorate to vote Labour as most were benefiting from rising living standards

Question 15

How was the improvement of living standards also made possible?

Answer 15

The greater availability of credit

Question 16

What began?🛫

Answer 16

A consumer boom and many were able to go on holidays abroad

Question 17

How many houses did the party build by 1954 and while in office?

Answer 17

1954: 354,000

1.7 million

Question 18

What declined?

Answer 18

Waiting lists for housing

Question 19

What did the 1957 Rent Act do?

Answer 19

Abolished rent controls but led to rents rising

Question 20

What happened to the number of people who owned their own property?

Answer 20

Rose from 25% pre WW2 to 44% by 1964

Question 21

How had the housing boom been made possible?

Answer 21

Credit

Mortgage credit reached a rate of 17

Question 22

What did Macmillan say in 1957?

Answer 22

‘most of our people have never had it so good’

Question 23

How were the Conservatives able to dominate?

Answer 23

The middle classes and some of the upper working class, who had been major beneficiaries of these developments, had no reason to vote Labour

Question 24

What did increased borrowing allow for?

Answer 24

Government expenditure, particularly on health, education, and housing, to rise

Question 25

What happened to spending on the Welfare State?

Answer 25

The amount of GDP spent on it rose from 16.1% in 1951 to 19.3% in 1964

Question 26

What did the government attempt to achieve?

Answer 26

Full employment while bringing about economic growth

Question 27

What term was coined and why?

Answer 27

‘Butskellism’

Butler’s economic policies were similar to those of Labour

Question 28

What did chancellors attempt to avoid?

Answer 28

High inflation or deflation

Using interest rates and import controls to manage the economy

Question 29

What happened if spending or wages rose too rapidly or if there was a fall in demand for goods?

Answer 29

Rose: taxes and interest rates were increased and import controls prevented purchases from abroad

Fall: taxes and interest rates were lowered and import controls relaxed

Question 30

What did many commentators suggest?

Answer 30

That Britain did not have an economic policy, but followed a ‘stop-go’ approach as governments simply responded to economic developments, rather than developing a strategy that created consistent growth

Question 31

As a result, what was the period described as?

Answer 31

Stagflation, where industrial output declined, but inflation remained

Question 32

How was the situation made worse (investment)?

Answer 32

A failure to direct enough investment into important industries such as textiles, where 2500 textile workers were displaced in Blackburn after 20/50 mills closed

Question 33

What happened to aerospace exports?

Answer 33

1956: £95mn
1958: £105mn
1963: £105mn

Question 34

What happened to investment?

Answer 34

Increased from 10.9% of GDP in 1950 to 16.1% in 1959

Question 35

What was an underlying problem in the economy?

Answer 35

Unemployment

Question 36

What was the overall trend and what were governments never able to do (employment)?

Answer 36

Upward

Get the figure below 250,000

Question 37

What were the unemployment figures in 1951, 1955, 1959, and 1964?

Answer 37

1951: 367k

1955: 298k

1959: 621k

1964: 501k

Question 38

What question was raised?

Answer 38

Whether it was a period of prosperity and rising living standards for all

Question 39

What have critics argued that success was built on?

Answer 39

Heavy government borrowing and consumer credit which was dangerous

Question 40

What can be argued?

Answer 40

The government’s policies hindered further growth and prevented the securing of a strong economic base

Question 41

What had WW2 brought about?

Answer 41

Massive social changes to which the Conservatives needed to adapt

Question 42

What had war done and how was this reinforced?

Answer 42

Blurred class distinctions

The creation of the Welfare State and the growing affluence of the 1950s and 1960s

Question 43

What did Butler comment?

Answer 43

‘as in the days of Peel, the Conservatives must be seen to have accommodated themselves to a social revolution’

Question 44

How were they able to commit to the social revolution?

Answer 44

Increasing spending on welfare

Building more houses

Introducing changes to the education system

Question 45

What education policies were there?

Answer 45

Edward Boyle pushed for the abolition of the 11-plus

The first-purpose built comprehensive schools

Question 46

What happened in 1963?

Answer 46

The Robbins Report which expanded universities and provided larger grants

Question 47

How many schools and universities were built?

Answer 47

6000 schools and 11 universities

Question 48

What liberal reform did Butler carry out as Home Secretary?

Answer 48

1957 Homicide Act which accelerated the process which ended the death penalty

Question 49

What was the impact of policies?

Answer 49

Limited compared to the previous Labour governments

Question 50

What happened to Purchase Tax?

Answer 50

Reduced to 50% in 1953 from 1966 in 1947

Question 51

What happened to Bank Rate?

Answer 51

Rose to 7%, leading to interest rates rising

Question 52

What happened to retail price index inflation?

Answer 52

1951: 9.2%
1955: 4.5%
1959: 0.6%

Question 53

What happened to household income?

Answer 53

22% greater than it was in 1950

Question 54

What was the situation with imports/exports?

Answer 54

Imports were 20% higher than exports