Political developments 1939-1964 Flashcards
(16 cards)
1
Q
how long was the conservative dominance
A
- 13 years
- from 1951 to 1964
2
Q
reasons for conservative dominance
A
- reorganisation if the party after the dislocation caused by the war
- led by Woolton and butler - fighting between the Bevanite and Gaitskellites weaken the labour party
- 1951 start of the post war boom
3
Q
who became president after the 1951 election
A
- Churchill
- 76 years old
4
Q
Churchill’s second term
A
- 1951 - 1955
- 1953 he suffered a stroke which left him with impaired speech
- day to day government was left in the hands of Eden or Butler and the chancellor Macmillan
5
Q
1955 election
A
- called by Eden
- national press in favour of conservatives
- most voters happy with their rising living standards
- Eden returned as prime minister with a majority of 70
6
Q
Suez crisis
A
- October 1956
- caused Edens downfall
- his decision to launch military action against Colonel Nasser ended in disaster
- Britain pressured to withdraw by USA
7
Q
when did Eden resign
A
- January 1957
- never recovered form seuz
- but conservative party recovered with remarkable speed
- Macmillan emerged as prime minister and party unity was restored
- economic prosperity continued to gain approval form voters
8
Q
1959 election
A
- Macmillan nicknamed supermac led the conservatives to another comfortable election victory
9
Q
why where the conservative government able to maintain its political dominance after 1957 despite the Suez fiasco
A
- rising living standards
- rise in consumer prosperity
- labours internal divisions
10
Q
political consensus
A
- national unity and cooperation
- government intervention in social and economic policies
- maintaining full employment
- importance of trade unions
- welfare reforms
11
Q
labours loss in the 1951 election
A
- narrowly lost
- total labour vote of 14m was larger than any other labour victory
- believed they would soon return back to government
12
Q
the split between Bevan and Gaitskell
A
- Bevan resigned from government in 1951 in protest against prescription charges
- became enemy of Gaitskell who as chancellor of exchequer pushed though the charges
13
Q
the problem for for Gaitskell
A
- he was associated with the right wing of the labour part and regarded with the suspicions of the left labour
- disagreements between the gaitskellites and bevanites became a permanent feature of the labour party
14
Q
labour in the 1959 elections
A
- entered with some opposition
- extent of the crushing defeat was a great surprise and disappointment
- widened the split in the labour government
15
Q
campaign for nuclear disarmament (CND)
A
- formed in 1958
- most popular pressure group in Britain
- demanded that Britain should adopt a policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament
- many left winged labourers joined in
- turned some voters away from labour in the 1959 election
16
Q
A
