1964-1970 Key Dates

AQA A-Level History

When did Wilson become PM?

1964

When was Labour’s snap election and who won?

1966 - Labour win

When was the £ devalued?

1967

When was the abolition of the death penalty?

1969

When was the abortion act passed and what was its impact?

1967 - introduced by a PMB - David Steel

• In 1968 abortions = 4 in 100

• By 1975 = 17.6 in 100

When was the sexual offences act passed?

1967 - introduced through a PMB - Leo Abse

When was the Open University established?

1969 - introduced by Wilson and Jenny Lee (cabinet member)

70,000 students by 1990

When did Wilson make an EEC application?

1967

What years were the vietnam war?

1964-1970

When was the defence white paper and what was it?

1966 - get defence spending down to below £2bn by 1970

When was Rhodesia’s UDI?

1965

When and what was the nuclear non-proliferation treaty?

1968 - committing to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy

When was the ‘in place of strife’ white paper?

1969

What were Wilson’s aims to improve the economy?

• National Plan

• Prices and Incomes Policy

• Devaluation

• Application to join the EEC

When were the Seamen Strikes?

1966

What were the Labour strengths by 1964?

• More progressive

• Modernisation appeal

• Strong policy platform

• Effective campaign

• Regional & class appeal

What were the Constervative weaknesses by 1964?

• Leadership issues - issues of aging leadership and a perception of being out of touch

• Scandals like the Profumo Affair

• Changing social attitudes

• Labour modern image

How did the situation in Ireland escalate 1960s?

• NICRA condemmned the gerrymandering of elections

• Apprentice boys attacked on annual Derry march by nationalists in the catholic area of bogside

• Military sent by wilson to keep the peace → challanged by 1964 civil rights movement

What were the opinion polls for TUs in the early 60s?

60% support for TUs & trade unionist Frank Cousins appointed as minister of tech

What was the national plan?

• Set targets and devised a national system of ‘economic planning councils’

• Aim was to secure the restraint needed to prevent inflation increase which the gov would then need to stop with controls

• SUCCESS?: Failed to meet its economic growth targets and was undermined by poor industrial cooperation, inflation, and government spending cuts.

What was the Prices & Incomes Policy 1966?

• Made sure industries told the gov when wages were being increased - attempt to keep down inflation

• SUCCESS?: temporarily restrained inflation but faced strong union opposition and frank cousins resigned from the cabinet

What was devaluation in 1967?

• Made imports more expensive & help exporters by making their goods cheaper in other countries

• SUCCESS?: ST - improved the BoP / LT - damaged labour gov’s credibility when dealing with economic issues

What was the 1967 application to join the EEC?

• Rejected in 1967 by De Gaulle

• made on economic grounds - divisions in labour over it

• SUCCESS?: highlighting Britain’s continued economic and political isolation in Europe

When was the Rivers of Blood Speech & what was its impact?

1968

• Race relations board given more powers

• Strikes following his sacking - e.g. dockers, meat porters

When were the race relations acts?

1965 → banned discimination based on colour/race in public places

1968 → Expanded 1965 act to cover employment, housing and services

Race Relations Board → investigate complaints to promote racial equality using these acts

What were the results of the N.London survey 1965?

1 in 5 → objected to working with Black/Asian people

1 in 2 → would refuse to live next to a black person

9 in 10 → disapproved of mixed marriages

When were there anti-vietnam war riots?

Mar 1968 → demonstration in Grosvenor Square

Final demonstration had 30,000 people - relatively peaceful

When and what was the Theatres Act?

1968 - abolished theatre censorship

What and what was the Obscene Publications Act?

• 1959 → adult literature in the interests of science, literature and art or learning should be excempt from censorship

When was the divorce reform act and what was its impact?

1969 - supported by Labour MPs

• 1950 - 2 in 1000

• 1970 - 10 in 1000

How did mass media grow? → TV

• By 1961 - 75% of people had a TV

• Young people started to listen to pop music on radio luxemburg and from 1964, pirate stations

How did mass media grow? - Printed Press response

• Surviving newspapers got stronger

• The Sun: bought in 1969 by Robert Murdach - associated it with more permissive attitudes

How did mass media grow? → Leisure time

• Fewer people expected to work

  • by 1969 TV accounted for 23% leisure time

• Car accounted for 77% of journeys by 1974

• Holidays → 1951=14mil and in 1971=27mil

When was Britannia Airways founded?

1964

What happened in Rhodesia?

→ Demand for white minority rule - led by Ian Smith - his Rhodesian Front Party opposed the gov demands for black majority rule

→ Wilson said power would only be granted if power was shared with black majority

When was the UDI issued by Smith

1965

what was Wilsons attitude to the ‘Special Relationship’?

Recognised its importance but didn’t align too closely with US policy

What was Wilson’s responsed to the Vietnam war?

• Pressured to send troops by President

• Refused to send military troops but provided the US with moral/verbal support - avoided outight condemnation of US actions

• By this he gained support from many of the uk population who were also against getting involved

What was the attitude towards the EEC?

• Not keen - left sceptical of the free market

• Jenkins & Brown → both supported economic reasons for joining the EEC → both had economic expertise

• REJECTED → de gaulle vetoed due to his concerns over Britain’s economic ties with the US

  • believed Britain would be a trojan horse for US economic interests

Whta was the process of withdrawing from E of Suez?

• 1964 - speanding cuts to get the defence budget below £2bn by 1970

• 1967 white paper → set a timetable for troop withdrawals

• Process sped up 1967 - due to devaluationa dnt he need for money