1951-64 Political Flashcards
(32 cards)
Why was Churchill a reason for conservative success ?
He was seen as Britain’s hero.
The man who won the war and defeated Hitler
Symbol of British pride.
In the 1951 election who won the popular vote with what percentage of the vote.
Labour
48.8% of the vote
In the 1955 election what had changed?
The Conservative party began to gain more votes. They had 49.7% of the vote defeating Labour.
Explain the political spectrum.
Extreme left= communism Left= labour Centre= liberal Right= Tory Extreme right= fascism
What was Butskillism?
The policy of the left wing Tory (butler) and the right wing labour MP Gaitskell.
Briefly explain the divisions within labour between Nye Bevan and Hugh Gaitskell.
Bevan ands Gaitskell both ran for leadership of the Labour Party.
Gaitskell charged for spectacles and dentures to pay for the Korean War causing Bevan to resign.
What is UND?
UNILATERAL NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT- the policy where Britain would give up all its nuclear weapons even if other countries didn’t.
How was labour divided over UND
Bevan did not support the race to build nuclear weapons but then u-turned publicly. This made labour look very weak.
What is clause 4 and how did it make labour look weak?
clause 4 is the promise to nationalise Britain in the labour party’s manifesto. Gaitskell wanted to remove the clause from the manifesto but backed down when his own party voted against him.
What years were the labour conferences and where were they?
Blackpool 1959
Scarborough 1960
What did Labour describe the Tory rule as in terms of the economy?
Thirteen wasted years
Who introduced the stop go policy and what was it?
The Conservative party
A system used to control the economy by putting it into go phases by lowering interest rates so people would shop creating demand.
Macmillan said what in 1957
Britain had never had it so good
The rent act in what year put how many homes on the market?
1957
6 million new homes
In what year was 134 million pounds givers away in tax cuts
Why was the year significant
1955
It was the election year
How much was given away in 1959
370 million.
How many homes had been built by 1964?
1.6 million homes
The common wealth immigrants act was introduced in what year?
Why was it introduced?
How many people gained the right to live in Britain?
1962
Britain needed a work force, to say thank you for the countries who fought the war.
800 million people.
What were the criticisms of stop go?
It only ensured short period of prosperity.
The economy did not grow or develop.
What year did food rationing end?
1959
Why did the end of food rationing help the conservatives win?
When labour was in government rationing got worse with bread now being on ration.
Food shortages were even worse after the war.
By 1964 what was the balance of payments deficit?
Over 800 million pounds
What was Britains position in terms of GDP
Britain was the worst in the world, she lagged behind Germany and Italy
How much did wages increase between 1960-64
4%
