The Post-war period and the 'age of consensus' Flashcards
(43 cards)
What are the dates of the post-war period ?
1945-1975 or 1979, depending of the election of Margaret Thatcher as leader of the Conservative party
Who was Atlee ?
Atlee was the Prime Minister elected in 1945, he was the leader of the Labour Party
What is the definition of a consensus ?
This is an agreement
Which consensuses existed after WW2 ?
Between the two main parties (Labour and Conservatives); between trade unions and government ; between trade unions and employees; between all classes
What was the main priority after WW2?
Unite and rebuild Britain
People were …
EQUAL
What happened during WW2 in Britain ?
Propaganda, children evacuating (no health, no clothes, no school)
What pushed Atlee to create the Welfare state ?
The return of children after WW2
Who was the PM during WW2 ?
Churchill
Who was Chamberlain and what method did he use ?
He was a PM before the war and tried to appease the situation with Hitler by giving him what he wanted. He was from the Labour party
What was the main issues before the war ?
Mass unemployment and poverty
What happened in 1929 ?
Wall street crash
On what report was based the Welfare state and to fight what ?
The Beveridge report to fight the five giants ( illness, squallor, idleness, poverty, ignorance)
What is the National Insurance fund ?
It’s an policy that forces people to gave up a part of their salaries so the government could hand benefits for those who really needed it
What is the family allowance acts ?
It was a policy that helped people who had children. The Government made sure they were fed and had clothes
What is the national Whealth Service Act of 1946 ?
It guaranteed access to health care, anyone who needed medical attention could have it.
What is the New Towns Act of 1946 ?
It’s a policy that allowed the government to build housing, big skycrapers.
When the Wall Street crash happened
1929
What are Keynes’ ideas
Mixed economy + involvement of government
What are the positive effects of Keynes’ ideas ?
low unemployment rate (1-2%) + low rate inflation (4.5%) + growth of wages
What are the negative effects of Keynes’ ideas ?
Higher taxes + higher interest rates + trade unnions too powerful
What is the definition of ‘staglflation’ ?
This is a mix between the words stagnant and inflation that means that standard of living is higer because of higher wages but there is also a rise of prices. It happened in the1970’s
What happened during the oil crisis ?
There were embargoes, price soared by 300%, inflation spiked from 9.2% in 1973 to 12.9% in 1974. The embargo was lifted in March 1974
What were the consequences of the oil crisis ?
Electricity was rationed, there were frequent power cut and there was an enforced three-day working week. the GNP falls, unemployment grows by 3x, high inflation, lots of strikes
