wilson as leader 1964-70 Flashcards
what 5 problems did wilson face when becoming prime minister
1) tiny majority in parliament
2) fulfill promises to modernise society
3) foreign and colonial issues
4) economic recovery
5) internal divisions in the party
how did wilson handle foreign relations with USA regarding vietnam
wilson was unsuccessful; he didnt satisfy the labour left and depleted relations with the US.
wilson claimed he supported the us but openly criticised their bombings in 1967 and refused to suppply british troops
how did wilson handle foreign relations in southern rhodesia (zimbabwe)
failed to handle an illegal declaration of independence. the labour left was unsatisfied because he used economic sanctions instead of troops to crush the rebellion.
how did wilson handle foreign relations with de gaulle and europe
de gaulle rejected wilsons application to the EEC twice, which unsatisfied the pro-europeans in the labour party, further diving the party
was wilsons foreign policy success or failure
failure
what was labour’s economic problem and how did wilson intend to fix it
he inherited a payment deficit of £800,000,000
he believed it could be fixed by producing cheaper or better quality products than foreign countries to increase exports
why were trade unions such a threat to the government
the govt was already broke and the trade unions threatened strikes to gain larger salaries. labour had no choice but to comply as they are allies and were funded by trade unions
what was the national plan of 1965
wilson introduced the DEA with two aims:
1) increase exports by 5.25% yearly to eliminate the payment deficit
2) annual growth of 3.8% over next 6 years
why did the national plan fail
1) NPBI had no power to enforce decisions
2) the Treasury jealously guarded its role as the govt’s ministry of economics
3) national plan govt spending was undermined by the treasury’s deflationary measures
why did wilson rule out devaluation initially
it was the ‘easy way out’, but had previously destroyed the 1931 and 1949 labour governments
was devaluation effective when he used it in 1967
it was ineffective, the payment deficit remained, but there was improvement by 1969.
prescription charges were reintroduced and all eastern military was withdrawn
how did wilson reform british society in the 60s
he introduced 10 huge social acts spanning across 1965-70. the increase in prosperity decreased social class divisions..
there was more youth culture, education and opportunities for women
how did wilson overcome the majority issue
he held another election in 1966 where he gained a majority of 96 seats; this implied his leadership style was effective in contrast to heath.
how effectively did wilson manage his cabinet
he avoided internal divisions by giving people of all opinions senior roles instead of just his own supporters. there was only 4 resignations so he was arguable pretty successful
