Exam Technique
- Sources- assessing VALUE and LIMITATIONS, overall structure: values of content and provenance first, before limitations
of content and provenance, how does the provenance inform the content of the source
- 25 Markers- focus on decisive judgement and conclusion
Topic 1- The Affluent Society, 1951-64
Conservative governments
Factor Evidence Evaluation
Political dominance Elections (51,55,59), majorities of 17, 60 Combination of post war boom and
and 100 Labour divisions, created favourable
conditions for Conservatives electorally
Domestic policies PWC (NHS, mixed economy, unions + Successful in maintaining political
full employment) stability and rising living standards, but
failed to resolve Britain’s underlying
Tripartite Education (1948) economic inefficiency and relative
decline
300,000 houses by 1951
Clean Air Act (1956)
Woolfenden Commission (1957)
Homicide Act (1957)
Labour divisions Bevanite Quarrel (1951), CND (1957), Enabled the Conservative Party to
Gaitskell attempting to rewrite Clause IV remain dominant, because Labour was
(1959) unelectable and did not serve as
credible opposition
Fall from power Rejection from EEC in 1963, after Combination of political scandals and
applying in 1961- international the negative image of the
humiliation “Establishment” / bygone leaders
proved decisive in the Conservative’s fall
Profumo Affair (1963)- loss of trust, by 1964
affair between John Profumo and
Christine Keeler Party appeared exhausted, divided and
out of touch with society (contrast with
Macmillan’s “Night of the Long Knives” Wilson’s “white heat”)
(1962)- purged 1/3 of his own cabinet
Home + Butler- bygone era
Economic developments
Factor Evidence Evaluation
Post War Boom Rationing ended in 1954 Appearance vs reality, whilst the boom
existed, economic development and
Full employment by 1955 growth was still limited compared to
rivals France + W. Germany
Consumerism + sense of affluence
Enabled Conservatives to stay in power,
£134 million tax cuts before 1955 clear contrast to wartime austerity
election under Atlee’s Labour government-
loyalty to Conservatives
£370 million in tax cuts before the 1959
election AFFLUENCE MASKED DECLINE
Balance of Payments Short term economic management Repeated Balance of Payments crises
process- Stop / Go economics demonstrate that under the façade of
rising living standards and the post war
Suez Crisis (1956)- “run on the pound” boom, structural weaknesses in the
economy had still not been solved
IMF loan in 1961
Although living standards genuinely
NEDDY and NICKY established in 1962 improved, Conservative economic
by Selwyn Lloyd growth remained fragile and increasingly
dependent on short-term management
Beeching Report (1963)- drastic rather than structural reform
spending cuts on public transport
, Social developments
Factor Evidence Evaluation
Rising living standards Average men’s wage- £8.30 to £15.35 Living standards did indeed improve
significantly in this period, however the
10 million TV sets in use by 1960 distribution of this was uneven, meaning
not everyone benefited from this
25% car ownership equally, and was not as secure or
universal
M1 / Preston Bypass
60,000 people on holiday to Butlins
Position of women Average of marriage = 21 and 75% of Change and progress were limited and
women were married superficial, because societally they were
still viewed as subservient to men
Labour saving devices
Attitudes to immigration Empire Windrush (1948) Despite some sentiment of getting
along, attitudes were largely negative
1958- 210,000 immigrants settled in and social cohesion was ultimately very
Britain limited
676,000 in and 1.32 million out in 1950s Change was demographical rather than
ideological
1.25 million in and 1.92 million out in
1960s
Notting Hill Riots (1958)
Class and establishment Strong feelings of class, 80% of upper Deeply entrenched class attitudes
and middle class voted Conservative, established precedent for future class
whilst 65% of middle / working class tensions between the government and
voted Labour working class / unions / miners
Increasing anti- Establishment
sentiment and people preferred young,
self-made leaders
Teenager and youth culture Mods, Rockers and Teddy Boys Increase development of teenage and
youth culture but ultimately had limited
Increased free time, end of national impact upon political and economic
service and “Baby Boom” developed this functioning of the country
identity
Foreign relations
Factor Evidence Evaluation
Nuclear weapons 1952- first atomic bomb tests Whilst enhancing Britain’s perceived
power, it also demonstrated their
1958- CND protests at Aldermaston + increasing over- reliance upon the US
Mutual Defence Agreement
Suez Crisis (1956) Secret invasion of Suez Canal after Demonstrates limitation of Britian as a
Colonel Nassar nationalised it world power, reduced individual
autonomy because unable to act
Details of British invasion hid from without the US’s permission
Parliament + USA
Decisive for Eden’s premiership,
Resulted in international condemnation, resigned 1957
especially from the US, forcing Britain to
withdraw However, foreign issues were not critical
for domestic stability- no impact on
Conservative government
Europe 1957- Treaty of Rome established the Forced global decline in the wake of the
EEC with the BENELUX countries + Suez Crisis
France and Germany
Clear inability to independently shape
In response, Britain established the post- war Europe
EFTA in 1959
Britain applied to EEC in 1961, rejected
in 1963 due to CDG veto
- Sources- assessing VALUE and LIMITATIONS, overall structure: values of content and provenance first, before limitations
of content and provenance, how does the provenance inform the content of the source
- 25 Markers- focus on decisive judgement and conclusion
Topic 1- The Affluent Society, 1951-64
Conservative governments
Factor Evidence Evaluation
Political dominance Elections (51,55,59), majorities of 17, 60 Combination of post war boom and
and 100 Labour divisions, created favourable
conditions for Conservatives electorally
Domestic policies PWC (NHS, mixed economy, unions + Successful in maintaining political
full employment) stability and rising living standards, but
failed to resolve Britain’s underlying
Tripartite Education (1948) economic inefficiency and relative
decline
300,000 houses by 1951
Clean Air Act (1956)
Woolfenden Commission (1957)
Homicide Act (1957)
Labour divisions Bevanite Quarrel (1951), CND (1957), Enabled the Conservative Party to
Gaitskell attempting to rewrite Clause IV remain dominant, because Labour was
(1959) unelectable and did not serve as
credible opposition
Fall from power Rejection from EEC in 1963, after Combination of political scandals and
applying in 1961- international the negative image of the
humiliation “Establishment” / bygone leaders
proved decisive in the Conservative’s fall
Profumo Affair (1963)- loss of trust, by 1964
affair between John Profumo and
Christine Keeler Party appeared exhausted, divided and
out of touch with society (contrast with
Macmillan’s “Night of the Long Knives” Wilson’s “white heat”)
(1962)- purged 1/3 of his own cabinet
Home + Butler- bygone era
Economic developments
Factor Evidence Evaluation
Post War Boom Rationing ended in 1954 Appearance vs reality, whilst the boom
existed, economic development and
Full employment by 1955 growth was still limited compared to
rivals France + W. Germany
Consumerism + sense of affluence
Enabled Conservatives to stay in power,
£134 million tax cuts before 1955 clear contrast to wartime austerity
election under Atlee’s Labour government-
loyalty to Conservatives
£370 million in tax cuts before the 1959
election AFFLUENCE MASKED DECLINE
Balance of Payments Short term economic management Repeated Balance of Payments crises
process- Stop / Go economics demonstrate that under the façade of
rising living standards and the post war
Suez Crisis (1956)- “run on the pound” boom, structural weaknesses in the
economy had still not been solved
IMF loan in 1961
Although living standards genuinely
NEDDY and NICKY established in 1962 improved, Conservative economic
by Selwyn Lloyd growth remained fragile and increasingly
dependent on short-term management
Beeching Report (1963)- drastic rather than structural reform
spending cuts on public transport
, Social developments
Factor Evidence Evaluation
Rising living standards Average men’s wage- £8.30 to £15.35 Living standards did indeed improve
significantly in this period, however the
10 million TV sets in use by 1960 distribution of this was uneven, meaning
not everyone benefited from this
25% car ownership equally, and was not as secure or
universal
M1 / Preston Bypass
60,000 people on holiday to Butlins
Position of women Average of marriage = 21 and 75% of Change and progress were limited and
women were married superficial, because societally they were
still viewed as subservient to men
Labour saving devices
Attitudes to immigration Empire Windrush (1948) Despite some sentiment of getting
along, attitudes were largely negative
1958- 210,000 immigrants settled in and social cohesion was ultimately very
Britain limited
676,000 in and 1.32 million out in 1950s Change was demographical rather than
ideological
1.25 million in and 1.92 million out in
1960s
Notting Hill Riots (1958)
Class and establishment Strong feelings of class, 80% of upper Deeply entrenched class attitudes
and middle class voted Conservative, established precedent for future class
whilst 65% of middle / working class tensions between the government and
voted Labour working class / unions / miners
Increasing anti- Establishment
sentiment and people preferred young,
self-made leaders
Teenager and youth culture Mods, Rockers and Teddy Boys Increase development of teenage and
youth culture but ultimately had limited
Increased free time, end of national impact upon political and economic
service and “Baby Boom” developed this functioning of the country
identity
Foreign relations
Factor Evidence Evaluation
Nuclear weapons 1952- first atomic bomb tests Whilst enhancing Britain’s perceived
power, it also demonstrated their
1958- CND protests at Aldermaston + increasing over- reliance upon the US
Mutual Defence Agreement
Suez Crisis (1956) Secret invasion of Suez Canal after Demonstrates limitation of Britian as a
Colonel Nassar nationalised it world power, reduced individual
autonomy because unable to act
Details of British invasion hid from without the US’s permission
Parliament + USA
Decisive for Eden’s premiership,
Resulted in international condemnation, resigned 1957
especially from the US, forcing Britain to
withdraw However, foreign issues were not critical
for domestic stability- no impact on
Conservative government
Europe 1957- Treaty of Rome established the Forced global decline in the wake of the
EEC with the BENELUX countries + Suez Crisis
France and Germany
Clear inability to independently shape
In response, Britain established the post- war Europe
EFTA in 1959
Britain applied to EEC in 1961, rejected
in 1963 due to CDG veto
