Conservative Domination 1951-64 Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering the political, economic, and social history of Britain under the Labour and Conservative governments between 1945 and 1964.

Post-war consensus

A period where every political party was committed to the welfare state and a mixed economy with both private and public ownership.

Mixed economy

An economic system featuring both private and public ownership, exemplified by the coexistence of the NHS and private healthcare or state and private schools.

National Insurance Act

An act that created a system of tax for employers, employees, and the government to provide insurance against unemployment, sickness, maternity leave, widowhood, and retirement.

Nationalisation

The process of bringing private industry into public ownership, applied to coal, civil aviation, and the Bank of England in 1946, and later to gas, iron, and steel.

Stop-go economics

An economic cycle where the government raises taxes and interest rates to combat inflation (stop) and then lowers them to encourage spending and growth (go).

Butskillism

A term describing the similarity in policies between Conservative R.A. Butler and Labour's Hugh Gaitskell, particularly regarding the welfare state and mixed economy.

Stagflation

An economic condition characterized by slow recovery and growth coupled with rising spending and inflation.

Sterling areas

Commonwealth countries that pegged their currency to sterling or gold, which sometimes forced Britain into 'stop-go' cycles to protect the pound.

Zombie currency

A term for the pound when it was used in international markets and survived due to active government intervention rather than market demand.

1957 Rent Act

Abolished rent controls to increase the availability of housing for rent, though it also caused rents to rise significantly.

Abolition of the $11+$

The removal of the entrance exam for the three-tier education system, pushed by Education Minister Edward Boyle to favor comprehensive schools.

Robbins Report

A report that recommended expanding universities and providing larger grants so students were not deterred by a lack of funds.

1957 Homicide Act

A liberal reform introduced by R.A. Butler as Home Secretary that greatly accelerated the process of ending the death penalty.

Robot scheme

A 1952 proposal for a floating pound regulated by market exchange rates rather than government management, which was eventually defeated in cabinet.

Property owning democracy

An idea promoted under Eden and Butler that positioned private home ownership as the way to empower the individual.

Guillebaud committee

Established in May 1953 to investigate NHS spending; it found in 1956 that the NHS actually needed more money, contrary to treasury hopes for cuts.

Night of the Long Knives

A 1962 cabinet reshuffle where Macmillan sacked seven ministers (one-third of the cabinet) in an attempt to restore government popularity.

Revisionists

A faction of the Labour Party, led by Hugh Gaitskell, that wanted to modernise the party and move away from traditional principles like Clause IV.

Bevanites (Fundamentalists)

A faction of the Labour Party that wanted to maintain traditional principles, including more state control of the economy and society.

Clause IV

A section of the Labour Party Constitution regarding nationalisation that aiming to bring the means of production into the hands of the workers.

Unilateralism

The belief that Britain should give up its nuclear deterrent before any other country did, in the hope of prompting others to follow suit.

Vassall affair

A scandal involving an Admiralty civil servant who spied for the Soviet Union, creating distrust regarding government control of its departments.

Philby Case

The 1963 exposure of Kim Philby, a senior Foreign Office official and member of the 'Cambridge $5$', who had been passing information to the USSR.

Profumo Affair

A 1963 scandal involving Minister for War John Profumo, who lied to the House of Commons about his affair with Christine Keeler, who was also linked to a Russian spy.

1962 Commonwealth Immigration Act

Legislation passed in response to the Salmon Inquiry that limited the number of immigrants entering Britain based on their ethnic origin.

Mods and Rockers

Rival youth sub-cultures known for violent clashes in holiday resorts during the early 1960s, signaling a decline in respect for traditional authority.

Resale price maintenance

A practice where manufacturers stipulated the prices at which retailers must sell goods; it was abolished in 1964 to increase competition.