Britain 1951-1964 - A Level History

Conservative Election victory under Winston Churchill

1951

Aneurin Bevan leaves role over NHS prescription charges

1951

The Conservative manifesto promised to build 300,000 houses per year vs Labour's 200,000. Conservatives also promise more red meat.

1951

Iron and Steel nationalised

1951

Steel and transport denationalised

1953

End of the Korean War; 1000 of Britain's 90,000 troops sent died

1953

End of food rationing

1954

'Full' employment reached with only 200,000 unemployed

1955

Conservative election victory under Anthony Eden

1955

Rab Butler offered £134 million in tax cuts in 'give-away' budget

1955

Financial crisis caused by Suez

1956

Eden replaced as Prime Minister by Harold Macmillan

1957

Harold Macmillan's 'Never Had it so Good' speech

1957

Notting Hill riots and racist hunts in Nottingham

1958

Peter Thorneycroft, Enoch Powell and Nigel Birch each resigned under Macmillan

1958

The budget provided tax cuts of £370 million

1959

Conservative election victory under Macmillan

1959

National Economic Development Council (Neddy) set up

1961

75% of British population had a TV

1961

'Night of the Long Knives'

1962

Commonwealth Immigrants Act

1962

John Vassal blackmailed because of his homosexuality to pass information onto the USSR

1962

Profumo Affair- John Profumo and Christine Keeler

1963

Resignation of Macmillan. Alec Douglas-Home becomes Prime Minister

1963

Britain's first EEC application blocked by Charles de Gaulle

1963

Alec Douglas-Home loses election to Harold Wilson's Labour

1964

1951 election majority and % of votes won

Labour 48.8% of vote, Conservatives 48%, majority of 17

Electoral system 1951

Labour needed 2% more popular vote to win seat, 47,000 votes needed per seat – 1945 only 30,000 – Decline of liberals and new boundaries drawn.

1959 election majority and % of votes won

Conservatives 49.4% of the vote, Labour 43.8%, majority of 100 seats.

1964 Election majority and % of votes won

Labour 44.1% of the vote, Conservatives 43.4%, majority of 4 seats.