How Effective Was Wilson As Prime Minister Flashcards
(12 cards)
How did Wilson have success with his parliamentary majority ?
Majority of only 4 seats
- March 1966 Britian won the World Cup and the snap election saw an increase to 96 seats
- major achievement showing success of Wilson in avoiding a split and appearing resolute and united
What is evidence of failure in the parliamentary majority ?
Initial majority of only 4 and the snap election could be argued to be reckless that placed the majority in jeopardy
How did Wilson show success in cabinet management ?
Demonstrated considerable political skill avoiding splits on foreign issues and used cabinet effectively
Arguement were common however there were only four resignations under Wilson
What was evidence of failure in Wilson’s cabinet management ?
Often bitter arguement about policy and conflicts between his diverse cabinet
- Barbara Castle diary in January 1968 ‘ three quarters of our time in these personal pro and anti intrigue of getting down to real jobs’
Cabinet fighting reach peak in 1968 when government attempted to reform industrial relations
What’s there evidence of success in Wilson’s social reform ?
1. ERR???
2. What did Labour promise ?
- May 1970 Equal Pay Act: men and women to receive the same pay for the same work
- Nov 1964 Race Relations Act: discrimination in public facilities illegal
- April 1968 Race Relations Act: racial discrimination housing and employment illegal
Labour promised to modernise after the thirteen wasted years and ‘Tory misrule’ and delivered a series of social reform with some of the most influential listed above
How did Labour reform access to contraception ?
OJ
- October 1967 Abortion Act: legalised abortion in certain conditions
- June 1967 Family Planning Act: contraception available from NHS not limited to married couples
Where Labours social reform in tough with previous social change seen under the conservatives ?
- the increase in education meant people had less respect for tradition and the Youth Culture and civil rights movement in the US encouraged greater consideration of race, contraception and gender laws
What is some evidence of failure in terms of Labours social policy ?
- traditionalist outraged by changes to laws around homosexuality and contraception with the October 1967 abortion Act being highly controversial
- Labour abolishment of the death penalty in 1965 was unpopular with polls showing support for it in cases of murder
- Campaign under Mary Whitehouse against excessive violence, bad language and sex in BBC programmes gained 400,000 followers
How did Labour see success in terms of foreign and colonial issues ?
Vietnam
- left regarded US policy aggressive and colonial and some felt the spread of communism to be acceptable
- Wilson appeased left of the party refusing to go to war in April 1965 and in 1967 attempted to broker a peace deal
- appeased the US by supporting their stand agaisnt the communist ‘infiltration’
- EEC: failed to join in November 1967 issued the same veto by De Gaulle as 1963
- satisfied eurosceptics in its failure and pro European cabinet members in its application
How did Labour see failure in foreign and colonial issues ?
- Vietnam : failed to satisfy the Labour left with many associating him with right wing policies and only managed to irritate Johnson
- polls showed 81% of public against the war in 1966
- EEC: failed to join in November 1967 issued the same veto by De Gaulle as 1963
- satisfied eurosceptics in its failure and pro European cabinet members in its application
Where did the Wilson government see the most success ?
- social reform: with Roy Jenkins as Home Secretary the 1960s British society was reformed in what have been called the most significant domestic changes
- Foreign policy: kept Britian out of Vietnam and attempted to join the EEC
Where did the Labour government under Wilson not see success ?
The economy
Industrial
- both carry so much weight as factors that it overshadowed much of the radical social change
