The affluent society, Britain 1951-64

1951 Election

Conservatives win with less votes due to FPTP

300,000

Amount of houses promised in 1951 manifesto

1944

Tripartite system introduced

1956

Suez crisis embarrassed Britain - 40 MPs rebel

1963

EEC application rejected due to France veto

1/3 MPs fired

Macmillan's 1962 Cabinet reshuffle

1963

Profumo affair - signalled lack of trust in gov

1959

Tory majority is 100 seats

NHS & post war consensus

Introduced by Labour, continued by tories

1955

Gaitskell ( lab right ) becomes opposition leader

1954

End of food rationing

5%

Population increase 1951-61

200,000 (less than 1%)

1955 number of unemployed

1 in 5

1960 number employed in service industries

£134m

1955 RA Butler tax cuts

1961

Gov requests IMF loan

Stop-Go economy

Government attempts to control inflation caused by wages outstripping production

Exports rose 10% but imports remained 20% higher

Deficit 1961-64

1955

Creation of ITV (advertising boom)

25% increase

Car ownership 1957-59

60,000 weekly

Butlins visitors 1950s

1960s

“Satire boom” in Media

21

Average age of marriage

75%

Percentage of married women

1/5

Amount of women working - family allowance encouraged women to remain unemployed

1952 & 1954

Equal pay for teachers and civil servants

54% & 58%

Increase of households with a washing machine and fridge 1957-59

210,000

Commonwealth immigrants by 1958

1958

Notting hill riots & “N——-“ Hunts represent racial tensions

676,000 in & 1.32m out

1950s migration

1960

End of National service

1964

Mods vs rockers on Brighton Beach = moral panic

1952

First atomic bomb test

1957

H bomb test

1958

Formation of Cnd

1947

Withdrawal from India sparks decolonisation

1952

Mau mau rebellion in Kenya signalled desire for independence

1960

MacMillan "winds of change” speech