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History The making of modern Britain > The Sixties 1964-1970 > Flashcards

The Sixties 1964-1970 Flashcards

1
Q

Who won the 1964 election ?

A

Harold Wilson leader of the Labour Party

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1
Q

What is significant about Wilsons “white heat” speech ?

A

-It allowed the Labour Party to enter a new era of modernisation and unity.
-Created a clear contrast between conservative and labour
-Moved labours image away from communism and towards development of technology and science.

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2
Q

Why was Wilsons unification of the party important in order to win the 1964 election?

A

-The Labour Party was a weak opposition because there were quarrels within the party between Bevanites and Gaitskellites.
-Created a more electable image.

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3
Q

What was Wilsons public image like ?

A

-He was deemed relatable due to his humble background
-he was relaxed and skilful on TV
-Smoked a pipe and had a thick Yorkshire accent
-seen to be in touch with the modern society

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4
Q

What was Wilsons ideology ?

A

-He gained support of the left and challenged Gaitskells leadership
-He supported Britains nuclear deterrent
-attempted to reform trade unions
-Wanted a more liberal society (relaxed laws around divorce, abortion, homosexuality)

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5
Q

What were Wilson’s political skills ?

A

-Passed many popular acts to create a more liberal society
-he was ambitious and optimistic
-he was a convincing politician

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6
Q

What was Wilson’s leadership style like ?

A

-He relied heavily on his trusted team of advisors from outside of govt and the civil service
-He had an inner circle of MP’s (the “kitchen cabinet”)
-he believed in unity and modernisation

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7
Q

who was Labour’s chancellor between 1964 and 1967?

A

Callaghan

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8
Q

who was Labour’s chancellor between 1967 and 1970?

A

Jenkins

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9
Q

What was the majority of the Second election in 1966?

A

96 (increased from 4-96)

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10
Q

What was the Balance of Payment deficit inherited from the Conservative government?

A

£800million

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11
Q

Why was the Labour Party allied to the trade unions?

A

Party Funding

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12
Q

What were some of Wilson’s economics aims?

A

-Reduce inflation
-Adress the balance of payments deficit through exports
-Improve the economy and make Britain more competitive
-Maintain the value of the pound ( £1=$2.80)

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13
Q

Why did Wilson say he would never devalue the pound?

A

-He was involved when labour devalued the pound in 1947 and did not want to be the man who devalued twice.

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14
Q

How many runs on the pound were there in 1964-1970?

A

7

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15
Q

Why was devaluation not an option in 1964?

A

-Fear of knock on effect in the USA (run on the $)
-Would reduce the savings of hardworking, labour voting families
-Feared devaluation would make him lose his tiny majority

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16
Q

What economic route did Wilson take in 1964?

A

Used stop and go economics:
-Increase taxes
-Limit wages
-Increase tarriffs
-Cut govt spending

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17
Q

What deflationary charge was brought in in the autumn of 1964?

A

15% charge on all imports was introduced

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18
Q

What were the Autumn 1964 and Spring 1965 budgets?

A

Increased income tax, tax on alcohol, tobacco and petrol.

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19
Q

How much revenue did the Autumn and Spring budgets raise?

A

475million

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20
Q

What did the government spend the revenue from the budgets on?

A

-Commitments to their manifesto pledges (pensions, welfare state and abolition of prescription charges)

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21
Q

What did Wilson do after the 1966 election which angered the unions?

A

-Mandatory wage freeze and prices for 6 months

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22
Q

Why was the Department for Economic affairs created?

A

To coordinate national planning to make industry more competitive.

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23
Q

When was the National Plan published ?

A

September 1965

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24
Q

Was the National plan extremely ambitious?

A

Yes

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25
Q

What did the National plan cover?

A

All aspects of britains economic developments for the next 5 years.

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26
Q

What did the National plan pledge?

A

-Increase national output by 25% by 1970

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27
Q

How did the National plan aim to reach a national output increase?

A

-Annual growth rate of 3.8% over 6years
-An increase in exports of 5.25% per year to deal with the balance of payments deficit

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28
Q

How many initiatives were in the National plan?

A

39

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29
Q

What board was created as part of the National plan?

A

National Board for Prices and Incomes

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30
Q

Why was the National board for prices and incomes created?

A

To ensure wage increases would only be granted if accompanied by increases in productivity

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31
Q

Were Wilson and Callaghan committed to deflation?

A

yes

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32
Q

How were measures used contradictory?

A

-the measures were in contradiction to the deflationary policies required to defend the value of the pound

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33
Q

Why was the DEA closed in 1969?

A

There was a lack of cooperation between Callaghan(treasury) and Brown(Dea)

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34
Q

Why did the national board for prices and incomes have no power to inforce its decisions?

A

It relied on the support of the unions who did not support wage restraints

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35
Q

What happned in May 1966?

A

The seamen went on strike which damaged British exports and poor trade threatened a run on the pound

36
Q

What happened in September 1967 ?

A

There was a walkout of the dockers in major export sites.
-Good for export piled up and contibuted to a large deficit in trade

37
Q

What was the trade deficit in September and October 1967?

A

-September = £52million
-October = £107million

38
Q

What was unemployment in 1967?

A

2.5million which was unusually high

39
Q

Why did the head of economics section of Whitehall (sir Alex Cairncross) in November 1967 write to Wilson and Callaghan?

A

He argued devaluation was neccessary

40
Q

What was Britains deficit in in Novemebr 1967?

A

£1500million

41
Q

Why did Cairncross argue devaluation was needed?

A

-No more international loans were available
-Reserves had been spent trying to defend the value of the pound

42
Q

What happened on the 16th of November 1967?

A

Wilson announced devaluation to cabinet

43
Q

Why was their a run on the pound in November 1967?

A

As news of the devaluation had leaked

44
Q

What happened on the 18th of November 1967?

A

Devaluation was announced to the public (£1 was now $2.40)

45
Q

Who took over as chancellor in 1967?

A

Jenkins

46
Q

What did Jenkins budget in Spring 1968 do?

A

Increased taxation by £923million

47
Q

Were Prescription charges reintroduced?

A

Yes and this was humiliating after they had been abolished in 1964 by Wilson

48
Q

Did the Devaluation in November 1967 cure the economic state ?

A

No as in march 1968 a crisis in the US due to the Vietnam war caused a run on the pound

49
Q

By 1969 were there signs of improvement after devaluation?

A

yes as teh balance of payments showed a surplus and the value of sterling rose

50
Q

Why was Wilsons “pound in your pocket speech” in November 1967 problematic?

A

-People did not understand how their money would be worth the same to them.
-Average person could not understand what wilson was saying and made him seem very contradictory.

51
Q

Why were Trade unions very influential and problematic to the Labour Party?

A

-The Unions had Block voting sysetms
-they heavily funded the party

52
Q

Was Callaghan a large supporter of the Unions?

A

yes as he was a unionist before gaining his position in government

53
Q

Who was the elected president of the TUC?

A

Victor feather

54
Q

How many days were lost due to strike in 1970 compared to 1964?

A

-increased by over 8million rose from 2million to just under 11million

55
Q

What was the problems with the rising days lost to striking in the 1960s?

A

-It impacted production
-It impacted the balance of payments
-Caused the relationship between labour and the unions to be strained

56
Q

Why was legislation addressing industrial relations deemed necessary by 1969?

A

-Unions were ignoring wage restrictions
-Increase in wildcat strikes
-1966 wages were rising 3x the recommended rate
-Conservatives proposed a radical new legal framewrok which made wilson realise he had to do something

57
Q

What were the core proposals of “In place of Strife” 1969

A

-Strike ballot required before strike could commence
-28days cooling period during which workers returned back to work
-Industrial relations courts backed up with fines to enforce legally binding decisions

58
Q

Why was a strike ballot proposed?

A

-Reduce the number of wildcat strikes
-As Union leaders are often more left wing than their members so therefore more likely to want strike action

59
Q

Why was a 28day cooling off period proposed?

A

-Opens a space for negotiation before strike action occurs and could avoid the strike

60
Q

What was one of the most important reasons why ‘In Place of Strife’ fail?

A

The Cabinet (Callaghan)

61
Q

Who was Home Secretary from 1965 to1967?

A

Roy Jenkins

62
Q

Who was home secretary from 1967-1970 ?

A

James Callaghan

63
Q

When was the abolition of the death penalty?

A

1965

63
Q

What was the Murder act of 1965?

A

-Jenkins, Butler, and Callaghan were all in favour of the removal of the death penalty.
-It was decidedly against public opinion
-abolished for a trial period of 5 years in 1965 and ended for good in 1969.

64
Q

When was the Education reform act ?

A

1965

65
Q

What was the Education reform act ?

A

-Largest expansion of comprehensive schools.
-ending the 11+ exams
-Joined local grammar schools with secondary moderns

66
Q

When were the two race relations acts ?

A

1965 and 1968

67
Q

What did the race relations acts do ?

A

-Went against public opinion by prohibiting discrimination in public facilities, housing, employment and commercial services.

68
Q

Why were the race relations acts brought into place?

A

-In a 1965 London survey it was found that 2/5 white Londoners knew someone who was not white.
-1/5 objected to having to work alongside black or Asian people.
-Half said they would refuse to live next to a black or Asian person.
-9/10 objected to mixed raced marriages
-Refusing to rent a property or provide services to someone based on skin colour was acceptable and common.

69
Q

When was the sexual offences act ?

A

1967

70
Q

What was the Sexual Offences act?

A

-Decriminalised sexual activity between consenting men aged 21 and over
-the argument was that private sexual activity was not a matter of the law.
-A 1963 poll found that 93% viewed homosexuality in men as an illness.

71
Q

When was the NHS family planning act ?

A

1967

72
Q

What was the NHS family planning act ?

A

-Contraception available to all on the NHS
-Centred on helping low-income families to limit family size to avoid economic struggle.
-Access to family planning was not controversial

73
Q

When was the Family Planning (abortions) act?

A

1967

74
Q

What did the family planning (abortions) act do?

A

-Legalised abortion
-Aimed to put an end to backstreet abortions(estimated to be around 100,000 a year) and self-induced miscarriages
-Society was split on the matter of abortion.

75
Q

When was the Society for the protection of the unborn child set up?

A

1966

76
Q

Did the number of abortions increase after 1968 ?

A

Yes - from around 35,000 in 1968 to 141,000 in 1975

77
Q

When was the Commonwealth immigrations act ?

A

1968

78
Q

What did the Commonwealth immigrations act do?

A

-Divisive issues with the public generally in favour of further restrictions.
-Decided to invalidate the papers of the Kenyan refugees and limit numbers to 1,500 per year.
-act left a loophole for commonwealth citizens who were more likely to be white.

79
Q

Why was the Commonwealth immigration act put in place?

A

-Kenya had become independent and pursued an Africanisation programme which prioritised black Africans for Jobs.
-Thousands of Asians living in Britain decided to leave for Britain.
-Rise in popularity for groups such as the British KKK and National front.

80
Q

What was the theatres act of 1968?

A

-Abolished censorship of the stage for the first time since the 1500s.
-this act had widespread support

81
Q

What was the representation of the people act 1969?

A

-the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18
-lowering the voting age had widespread support
-The election first held under new rules was the 1970 election

82
Q

what was the divorce reform act of 1969?

A

-“Irretrievable breakdown” of the relationship was now a reason for divorce
-The act simplified the process and made it less expensive.

83
Q

What was the Matrimonial property act 1970?

A

-The contribution of the wife must be considered in divorce proceedings.
-Divorce was no longer a financial disaster for women
-The assets of a couple would be split in a way that the court deemed just.

84
Q

What was the Equal pay act of 1970?

A

-Legislated for equal pay for equal work

85
Q

When did Wilson found the Open University?

A

1969

86
Q
A

History The making of modern Britain (4 decks)

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