Conservative Dominance (October 1951 - October 1964)

What was the result of the 1951 election?

Conservatives won with a 17 seat majority

(Attlee) Labour: 295

(Churchill) Conservative 321

Who were the Conservative PMs 1951-64?

- Churchill (1951-55)

- Eden (1955-57)

- Macmillan (1957-63)

- Douglas-Home (1963-64)

5 Labour weaknesses:

- Economic problems, due to Shiver with Shimwell (1947 winter where snowfall led to fuel shortages & rationing of electricity)

- Party divisions, Attlee faced challenges from the Left (Bevanite) and right (Gaitskell) over NHS charges

- Party image, Labour couldn't manage national issues (shiver with shimwell) and were seen as slow at addressing the needs of a changing society

- Fatigue of ministers, The ministers were seen as out of ideas & couldn't manage a struggling economy

- Korean War (1950), The war exacerbated economic porblems and associated Labour with conflict and poor international affairs management

5 Reasons why Conservatives won the 1951 election:

- Conservatives were seen as modern & promised stability

- Macmillan was a successfull buisnessman

- They used hte media to present a progressive image

- Promised to cut tax & address public concerns over housing

- First-Past-The-Post let them win despite getting less votes because they were popular among more constituencies

What was Butskellism?

- The consensus economic policy shared by Conservative Chancellor R.A. Butler and Labour's Hugh Gaitskell

- Both accepted Keynesian economics (Government intervention to maintain employment)

- Both accepted the mixed economy (acceptance of nationalised industries alongside private enterprise)

Why did Churchill resign (April 1955)?

- Old age (80)

- Poor health (many strokes)

What was the Suez Crisis (October 1956)?

- Egyptian leader Nasser nationalised the Seuz canal that had been previously controlled by Britain & France

- Britain & France invaded Egypt to regain control

- The USA & USSR opposed the invasian & the USA threatened economic sanctions, forcing Britain to withdraw

Impact of the Suez crisis:

- Showed Britain as no longer being a world superpower

- Eden resigned (January 1957) due to "ill health"

- Encouraged decolonisation

What was Macmillan's famous phrase?

"You've never had it so good" - July 1957 speech referring to the rising living standards

Key economic indicators of the 1950s prosperity:

- Unemployment was below 2% for the decade

- Real wages (wages adjusted for inflation) rose by 30% 1951-64

- TV ownership went from 1m (1951) to 13m (1964)

- Car ownership doubled

- Conservatives promised to build 300,000 houses a year & they achieved this goak

What was the "Wind of Change" speech?

- Macmillan's February 1960 speech in South Africa

- It acknowledged African nationalism & signalled a shift towards decolonisation

What was the Profumo Affair (1963)?

The War Secretary John Profumo was found to have lied to Parliament about his affair with Soviet diplomat Christine Keeler, this led to fears about national security

What were the impacts of the Profumo Affair?

- Damaged conservative image

- Made the government seam dishonest & out of touch

Why did Macmillan resign (October 1963)?

- He became seriously ill due to prostate surgery

- Conservative party was divided over Europe

- The Profumo Affair damaged trust in his government

Why did Douglas-Home become PM (October 1963)?

- There was an internal vote (influence test) instead of a formal election to decide Macmillans successor

- Douglas-Home was a senior candidate

- Macmillan preferred him over more controversial candidates like Butler

Why was Douglas-Home unpopular?

- He was seen as out-of-touch with an aristocratic background

- He wasn't publically voted in

- He was seen as weak in economic policy during the balance-of-payments crisis

4 Conservative Weaknesses:

- Stop-and-go economic taxes, created instability in the balance-of-payment crisis

- Britains growth rate lagge dbehind France & West Germany

- Macmillan's failed 1961 appplication to join the EEC

- Night of the Long Knives (1962), Macmillan had a dramatic cabinet reshuffle to try and make hima ppear decisive & refreshing to stop the economic stagnation but it made him seem panicked & shifting the blame to his cabinet