Lord Woolton obtained donations from big businesses threatened by
Labour’s nationalisation, allowing the Conservative election campaign to be
much better funded & organised than Labour’s.
Took advantage of GB involvement in the Korean war by playing on
Churchill’s ‘war hero’ status.
Remodelled their policies to align w the post-war consensus.
o E.g. Butler promised not to dismantle the welfare state or the NHS
2. GB 1951-64 o
which the Labour government had established.
This showed that the Conservatives were flexible & able to keep up
Reasons for 1951 Labour loss
w the times.
Lord Woolton held membership drives & propaganda campaigns. The new
Conservative strengths
young members contrasted w the aging Labour cabinet.
Took advantage of Labour’s weaknesses – Labour’s rationing of dried egg &
[=8, =2] bread created discontent. The Conservatives promised to build 300,000
houses/yr to impr living standards.
o Conservatives couldn’t promise an end to rationing.
Conservatives didn’t actually win more votes than Labour (13.95 mill vs
13.7).
These strengths allowed the Conservatives to tip the vote away from
Labour in Lancashire, the Home Counties, & East Anglia (working class areas)
– took advantage of the electoral system.
Entering the Korean War in Jun 1950 put financial strain on GB, leading
to Gaitskell suggesting the idea of intro-ing prescription charges to the
NHS.
Labour was divided – Gaitskellites (right, opposed nationalisation,
opposed nuclear disarmament) vs Bevanites (left).
o Ppl questioned whether a divided party could effectively
govern.
2. GB 1951-64 o The Gaitskellites were dominant inside Parliament, but
Bevanism was stronger among local Labour activists, so many
Reasons for 1951 Labour loss Labour voters doubted their views would be represented, even
Labour weaknesses o
by a Labour party.
This is esp true after Bevan retired from the party after
[=1, =1] opposing Gaitskell’s suggestion of intro-ing prescription
charges.
The manifesto lacked enthusiasm & substance – Labour focused on
previous successes (e.g. welfare state) & claiming the Conservatives
could not be trusted w the reforms they introd – Labour seemed to have
run out of ideas.
Labour won ¼ mill votes more than the Conservatives, so pop had not
fallen massively.
Liberal collapse – in 1950, Liberals put up 475 candidates & secured
2.6 mill votes vs 1951, 109 candidates & only 700,000 votes.
o One of the worst general election results in the party's
history.
o Weakened Labour, b/c 2/3 of potential Liberal voters
supported the Conservatives.
2. GB 1951-64 o This was b/c the Conservatives appealed to middle class
needs, more so than Labour, who was affiliated w the
Reasons for 1951 Labour loss continuation of rationing, high taxes, wage freezes &
unfulfilled promises for housing.
Uncontrollable factors 1st past the post system meant, despite getting more votes (¼ mill
votes more than Conservatives), Labour gained less seats.
[=7, =2] o One of Labour’s most successful elections in terms of votes.
o Labour won large majorities in their safe constituencies so
many votes were ‘wasted’.
o Conservatives won narrow victories in more constituencies
(e.g. Lancashire, the Home Counties, & East Anglia).
o this was partly b/c of the Conservatives’ effective
campaigning in these areas.
, a)
• There was a consensus in the GB that this was the right thing to do.
• The gov was spending a lot of money on the defence budget – the empire was
costly to maintain. Money could be better spent on the NHS, welfare state,
house building, etc.
b)
Britain 1951-64 • Avoided the long drawn out fighting that France experienced in Algeria by
decolonising rapidly.
Foreign Policy • Feb 1960 - Macmillan’s ‘winds of change’ speech showed the public he was
willing to decolonise & aware of the general consensus in the GB.
Empire • Macmillan oversaw the peaceful transition to independence of Ghana in
1957, Malaya in 1957, & Nigeria in 1960.
a) Reasons to decolonise [2] • The creation of the Federation of Rhodesia & Nyasaland in 1953 was
intended to provide a model for African self-gov.
b) Success [=4, =3] • Opposition from R wing Conservatives (League of Empire Loyalists).
• 1952 - 60 Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya resulted in a violent response from
GB authorities & strained relations with African nationalists.
Attempts to maintain GB influence in the Middle East were undermined by
the 1956 Suez Crisis (GB, France, & Israel attacked Egypt b/c it nationalized
the Suez Canal) - damaged GB’s rep.
• Weaknesses lowered trust in the party’s competency.
• Internal divisions, esp over unilateralism & how far to
push socialist policies - resulted in uncertainty abt what
ppl would be voting for if they supported Labour.
• Labour was against GB joining the European Economic
Britain 1951-64 Community (EEC) during the 1950s, which went against
Reasons for 1955 Conservative victory the GB consensus.
Labour weaknesses • Labour was associated w rationing, austerity, & high
taxes due to the policies they had put out between 1945
[=5, =1] & 1951.
o This also shows how imp living standards,
which the Conservatives managed provided,
were to the voters.
Labour votes fell from 13.9 (1952) to 12.4 mill.
• Conservative leaders were charismatic & popular
– e.g. Churchill (PM 1951-55) was seen as the great
war hero.
o 1945 elections showed that Churchill,
Britain 1951-64 despite his pop, wasn’t seen as a suitable
Reasons for 1955 Conservative victory peacetime leader.
• By contrast, Attlee (Labour 1933-55) was seen as
Conservatives’ leaders past his prime.
[=2, =3] • Conservative votes actually fell from 13.7 to 13.3
mill.
Who the leaders of each Party were didn’t
directly influence the lives of the voters v much, &
so had a minimal impact on their choice of vote.
• Voters associated the Conservatives w economic prosperity -
less willing to risk voting for another party.
• Availability of credit & tactical lowering of taxes before
elections meant ppl’s purchasing power incr considerably.
• Availability of white goods gave women more time to work.
Britain 1951-64 • Ppl began to gain badges of middle-class respectability – e.g.
Reasons for 1955 Conservative victory •
car ownership incr by 500% & TV ownership grew to 91%.
Between 1951 & 1955, wages rose from £8.30/week to £10.17.
Improvements in living standards • Incr standards of living were based on short-termism & stop-go
policies that led to stagflation.
[=6, =2] o Most voters weren’t aware of the dangers of the
economic policies underlying their incr living standards.
Labour’s weaknesses (e.g. associated w austerity) provided
contrast - highlighted the link between Conservatives & economic
prosperity.
Labour’s nationalisation, allowing the Conservative election campaign to be
much better funded & organised than Labour’s.
Took advantage of GB involvement in the Korean war by playing on
Churchill’s ‘war hero’ status.
Remodelled their policies to align w the post-war consensus.
o E.g. Butler promised not to dismantle the welfare state or the NHS
2. GB 1951-64 o
which the Labour government had established.
This showed that the Conservatives were flexible & able to keep up
Reasons for 1951 Labour loss
w the times.
Lord Woolton held membership drives & propaganda campaigns. The new
Conservative strengths
young members contrasted w the aging Labour cabinet.
Took advantage of Labour’s weaknesses – Labour’s rationing of dried egg &
[=8, =2] bread created discontent. The Conservatives promised to build 300,000
houses/yr to impr living standards.
o Conservatives couldn’t promise an end to rationing.
Conservatives didn’t actually win more votes than Labour (13.95 mill vs
13.7).
These strengths allowed the Conservatives to tip the vote away from
Labour in Lancashire, the Home Counties, & East Anglia (working class areas)
– took advantage of the electoral system.
Entering the Korean War in Jun 1950 put financial strain on GB, leading
to Gaitskell suggesting the idea of intro-ing prescription charges to the
NHS.
Labour was divided – Gaitskellites (right, opposed nationalisation,
opposed nuclear disarmament) vs Bevanites (left).
o Ppl questioned whether a divided party could effectively
govern.
2. GB 1951-64 o The Gaitskellites were dominant inside Parliament, but
Bevanism was stronger among local Labour activists, so many
Reasons for 1951 Labour loss Labour voters doubted their views would be represented, even
Labour weaknesses o
by a Labour party.
This is esp true after Bevan retired from the party after
[=1, =1] opposing Gaitskell’s suggestion of intro-ing prescription
charges.
The manifesto lacked enthusiasm & substance – Labour focused on
previous successes (e.g. welfare state) & claiming the Conservatives
could not be trusted w the reforms they introd – Labour seemed to have
run out of ideas.
Labour won ¼ mill votes more than the Conservatives, so pop had not
fallen massively.
Liberal collapse – in 1950, Liberals put up 475 candidates & secured
2.6 mill votes vs 1951, 109 candidates & only 700,000 votes.
o One of the worst general election results in the party's
history.
o Weakened Labour, b/c 2/3 of potential Liberal voters
supported the Conservatives.
2. GB 1951-64 o This was b/c the Conservatives appealed to middle class
needs, more so than Labour, who was affiliated w the
Reasons for 1951 Labour loss continuation of rationing, high taxes, wage freezes &
unfulfilled promises for housing.
Uncontrollable factors 1st past the post system meant, despite getting more votes (¼ mill
votes more than Conservatives), Labour gained less seats.
[=7, =2] o One of Labour’s most successful elections in terms of votes.
o Labour won large majorities in their safe constituencies so
many votes were ‘wasted’.
o Conservatives won narrow victories in more constituencies
(e.g. Lancashire, the Home Counties, & East Anglia).
o this was partly b/c of the Conservatives’ effective
campaigning in these areas.
, a)
• There was a consensus in the GB that this was the right thing to do.
• The gov was spending a lot of money on the defence budget – the empire was
costly to maintain. Money could be better spent on the NHS, welfare state,
house building, etc.
b)
Britain 1951-64 • Avoided the long drawn out fighting that France experienced in Algeria by
decolonising rapidly.
Foreign Policy • Feb 1960 - Macmillan’s ‘winds of change’ speech showed the public he was
willing to decolonise & aware of the general consensus in the GB.
Empire • Macmillan oversaw the peaceful transition to independence of Ghana in
1957, Malaya in 1957, & Nigeria in 1960.
a) Reasons to decolonise [2] • The creation of the Federation of Rhodesia & Nyasaland in 1953 was
intended to provide a model for African self-gov.
b) Success [=4, =3] • Opposition from R wing Conservatives (League of Empire Loyalists).
• 1952 - 60 Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya resulted in a violent response from
GB authorities & strained relations with African nationalists.
Attempts to maintain GB influence in the Middle East were undermined by
the 1956 Suez Crisis (GB, France, & Israel attacked Egypt b/c it nationalized
the Suez Canal) - damaged GB’s rep.
• Weaknesses lowered trust in the party’s competency.
• Internal divisions, esp over unilateralism & how far to
push socialist policies - resulted in uncertainty abt what
ppl would be voting for if they supported Labour.
• Labour was against GB joining the European Economic
Britain 1951-64 Community (EEC) during the 1950s, which went against
Reasons for 1955 Conservative victory the GB consensus.
Labour weaknesses • Labour was associated w rationing, austerity, & high
taxes due to the policies they had put out between 1945
[=5, =1] & 1951.
o This also shows how imp living standards,
which the Conservatives managed provided,
were to the voters.
Labour votes fell from 13.9 (1952) to 12.4 mill.
• Conservative leaders were charismatic & popular
– e.g. Churchill (PM 1951-55) was seen as the great
war hero.
o 1945 elections showed that Churchill,
Britain 1951-64 despite his pop, wasn’t seen as a suitable
Reasons for 1955 Conservative victory peacetime leader.
• By contrast, Attlee (Labour 1933-55) was seen as
Conservatives’ leaders past his prime.
[=2, =3] • Conservative votes actually fell from 13.7 to 13.3
mill.
Who the leaders of each Party were didn’t
directly influence the lives of the voters v much, &
so had a minimal impact on their choice of vote.
• Voters associated the Conservatives w economic prosperity -
less willing to risk voting for another party.
• Availability of credit & tactical lowering of taxes before
elections meant ppl’s purchasing power incr considerably.
• Availability of white goods gave women more time to work.
Britain 1951-64 • Ppl began to gain badges of middle-class respectability – e.g.
Reasons for 1955 Conservative victory •
car ownership incr by 500% & TV ownership grew to 91%.
Between 1951 & 1955, wages rose from £8.30/week to £10.17.
Improvements in living standards • Incr standards of living were based on short-termism & stop-go
policies that led to stagflation.
[=6, =2] o Most voters weren’t aware of the dangers of the
economic policies underlying their incr living standards.
Labour’s weaknesses (e.g. associated w austerity) provided
contrast - highlighted the link between Conservatives & economic
prosperity.
