Conservative Domination 1951-64 Flashcards

Question

How were the people worse off?

Answer 1

Decline in shared trade. Govts failure to modernise. Unemployment rates fluctuated. Inflation. Balance of payment deficit slowed down recovery and growth. Lack of investments. Borrowing money= economically dangerous.

Answer 2

S-Led and won the war so was portrayed as a war hero. F- Butler was the driving force of the conservative party, he strengthened and handled the party because Churchill was too old.

Answer 3

S- Personal appeal was strong. F- Suez crisis of 1956, heavily criticised by the labour party. forced to resign, withdrawal= lack of political will.

Answer 4

S- won the ‘59 election and increased the Conservative majority to 100. -fortunate to preside over a period of growing prosperity, but in his later years in office, his personal appeal to the electorate played a crucial role. won support for his numerous appearances on television, turned the satirist image ‘super-mac’ to his advantage and stated that Britain had ‘never had it so good’. However, not all this success should be attributed to Macmillan, Butler (as Home Secretary), changed the appearance of the party, with things such as the Homicide Act. -1959 election was the high point for Macmillan. F- After 1959 elections, things went downhill: - By 1961, a balance of trade deficit was a sign of a downturn in the economy as the country was important more than it was exporting -By 1962, unemployment was rising and the number of days lost to strike was increasing. -reshuffled his cabinet in July 1962, he sacked 7 cabinet ministers and 9 other ministers. compared to ‘the Night of the Long Knives’ and gained Macmillan the nickname ‘Mac the Knife’. = opinion polls showed that the popularity of the Tories was falling . Harold Macmillan was an effective leader during a period of economic growth, with his policies improving living standards and his pragmatic approach stabilizing Britain after World War II. However, his leadership faltered in the face of scandals like the Profumo Affair and the challenges of managing Britain's declining global influence, revealing his limitations as a leader in the changing political and social landscape of the 1960s.

Answer 5

F- not chosen by the public, chosen by Macmillan = brought a man of aristocratic background to power, viewed as out of touch with the ordinary people. This made it clear the Conservatives were still routed in the past. resentment among some MP’s, Enoch Powell and Iain Macleod refused to serve under Douglas-Home. also faced a new dynamic Labour under the youthful leadership of Harold Wilson. It was no shock that Labour won the 1964 election, however the narrowness of Labour’s victory was a shock.

Answer 6

Internal divisions. Attitudes towards social reform and economic change. Nuclear policy. Attitudes towards Europe and prior unfulfilled promises.

Answer 7

Split between Gaitskell and Bevan's supporters. Attlee was ill and tired in contrast to Eden. Unfulfilled promises. Conservative public appeal.

Answer 8

Labour strengths- introduced the welfare state/NHS and industrial increase. Labour weakness- Difficulties in dealing with the problems post-WW2, internal divisions associated with high taxation, rationing and austerity. Conservative strengths- Lord Woolton reorganised the party, promised to build 300k houses and end rationing. Conservative weakness- Churchill's age.

Answer 9

Labour strengths- campaign appealed to the public. Labour weakness- Leadership struggles caused tensions between Gaitskell and Bevan, supporters also in conflict. Conservative strengths- Voters were happy with better living standards and less unemployment, Eden called just before the election so his effectiveness could not be judged. Conservative weakness- Eden was new to leadership.

Answer 10

Labour strengths- 3 years after the Suez Crisis, Gaitskell's victory led the party away from unfavourable policies. Labour weakness- Exhausted cabinet and internal divisions. Conservative strength- Economic boom boosted Macmillain's popularity. Conservative weakness- 3 years after the Suez crisis and budgetary policies were unsound.

Answer 11

Balance of trade deficit and government efforts to reduce it such as the NEDC had little impact. Unemployment had increased to 800k by the end of the century. Union strikes.

Answer 12

Britain's status as a world power questioned. The rejection was humuliating because it highlighted Britain's weaknesses.

Answer 13

Reshuffled the cabinet to younger members. 1/3 of the existing cabinet was replaced which damaged the unity of the party. Macmillain never recovered his authority.

Answer 14

1954. Vassall was blackmailed into handing over secrets from the British Admiralty to his Soviet handlers, both in Moscow and in London, for more than seven year Suggested the govt had little control over its departments.

Answer 15

Took blame for the security service’s failure 1951.

Answer 16

1963. This and the "headless man" scandal, lead to questions about infedelity and a potential lead to security concerns and a reassessment of government figures.

Answer 17

1961. Profumo’s relationship with partner was linked to the Russian embassy. Risks to national security, there were doubts about the safety of government. Reflected badly on parliament and party about capabilities to run a country. Confronted by the publicity craze of the 1960s.

Answer 18

1958-59. Immigrants were blamed for job shortages. Riots in London, Bristol, Nottingham. Notting Hill- white youths tried to attack black-owned properties and businesses. Police struggled to maintain order, shows the government as unstable and unable to control a free country, bad reflection.

Answer 19

1966 Public inquiry that blamed immigrants for riots, didn’t include the racism or discrimination people suffered.

Answer 20

1962. Limited the number of immigrants depending on ethnic origin.

Answer 21

Interests and beliefs that didn’t conform. Sometimes violence between “mods and rockers”. Some affluent, some felt alienated. Caused fights in the summer of 1964. Many of the young lost respect for those in authority.

Answer 22

Sick of how working class people were hidden away, expressed frustrations. (Macmillans Britain) Close knit-group, challenged those running the country. Music, European influence. Industry created. The mini was mass-motorised and began to symbolise modernity and youth.

Answer 23

Mass immigration in search of employment. Multicultural societies. Racial tensions exacerbated resulting in riots and increased discrimination and assault.

Answer 24

American nuclear weapon, lethal submarines stored in Scottish waters collab with Eisenhower. Reactions of the people in Scotland were against the Polaris operation, fuelled anti-establishment campaign. Mac Ilian turned to the EEC, but was rejected as they wouldn’t allow Europe to “drown in the Atlantic”.

Answer 25

Removed 1/3 of cabinet ministers. ‘ the night of the long knives’

Answer 26

First affair not hidden from the public. Discovered by a Russian spy. Raised in the commons and relentlessly interrogated. Media and press evolution. ‘World committed suicide’ Others resigned. Aroused national interest.

Answer 27

rent act abolished rent controls = rents increased, harder for ppl to afford stop - go policy didn’t allow for a coherent l-t growth plan overall trend of increasing unemployment, by ‘64 = 501000 industry = expanding but production costs v high & goods expensive

Answer 28

Winston Churchill (1951-55) won the 1951 election Anthony Eden (1955-57) won the 1955 election Harold Macmillan (1957-63) won the 1959 election Alec Douglas-Home (1963-64) lost the 1964 election

Conservative Domination 1951-64 Flashcards

(52 cards)