The Affluent Society, 1951–1964
Conservative governments and reasons for political dominance: Churchill, Eden, Macmillan and Home as
political leaders; domestic policies; internal Labour divisions; reasons for Conservatives' fall from power
Why did the Conservatives lose the 1964 election?
▪ Labour campaigned on the new image as a party of modernisation, he rebranded their image as
something that was in touch with the changing society. Without Wilson, the image of an old and
failing party would have remained. He brought a vision of change to the Labour party
➢ Wilson- ‘the white heat of technological change’
▪ Profumo affair in 1961 ruined the Conservatives’ image. (Profumo – Minister of War had sexual
relations with a girl named Christine Keeler who was also having an affair with a soviet spy. This
created a huge uproar about national security and Profumo went on to lie in the House of Commons
about his relationship with Keeler. The very fact that the Prime minister Macmillan also believed
Profumo’s original denial of impropriety showed his poor lack of control over his ministers. These
scandals alone did not topple the government, but greatly weakened people’s faith in the leadership)
▪ The conservatives were seen as outdated e.g. Douglas-Home represented too much of ‘The
Establishment’ – he became prime minister purely because of a closed circle of old Etonian
Conservatives who elected him
➢ Britain needed leaders who earned their position through personal merit not their elite
▪ To some extent, the Suez Crisis gave them a bad image
▪ The Conservatives began to become unpopular when they introduced deflationary policies which
meant that they were trying to keep the economy under control and stop it from booming too
rapidly. Their policies soon reflected their ultimate aim, which became clear to the people, they
wanted economic and electoral cycles to coincide especially nearing election time
➢ However, the Conservatives barely lost in the 1964 general election with Labour obtaining a narrow
majority of 4 seats
Economic developments: post-war boom; balance of payments issues and 'stop-go' policies
What were the economic developments at this time?
▪ Higher standards of livings, a stark difference from the ‘hungry 30s’ and period of austerity
▪ ‘Never had it so good’ speech rang true for many people, who used it as a way to realise that they
indeed hadn't been so well-off before, and would be persuaded by that to continue voting for the
Conservatives, helping them to dominate elections
▪ Increased demand made imports 20% higher than exports in 1964
▪ Start of ‘stop go policies’ e.g. pay pause in 1961
▪ There was an enormous concentration by government on defence-related research and
development, which crowded out what might otherwise have been more productive research into
improving the British economy
Social developments: rising living standards; the impact of affluence and consumerism; changing social
attitudes and tensions; class and 'the Establishment'; the position of women; attitudes to immigration;
racial violence; the emergence of the 'teenager' and youth culture
What were the consequences of consumerism?
▪ Living standards rose
▪ In the 1960s 50% owned a TV, so leisure time was changing, people were going out less
▪ Car ownership rose by 25% so time was being saved
▪ Ownership of washing machines, refrigerators saved time and reinforced patriarchy
➢ Another factor which links to the lifestyle improvements was the greater availability of credit, which
led to more people being able to afford luxury items. People had not experienced this before and
Conservative governments and reasons for political dominance: Churchill, Eden, Macmillan and Home as
political leaders; domestic policies; internal Labour divisions; reasons for Conservatives' fall from power
Why did the Conservatives lose the 1964 election?
▪ Labour campaigned on the new image as a party of modernisation, he rebranded their image as
something that was in touch with the changing society. Without Wilson, the image of an old and
failing party would have remained. He brought a vision of change to the Labour party
➢ Wilson- ‘the white heat of technological change’
▪ Profumo affair in 1961 ruined the Conservatives’ image. (Profumo – Minister of War had sexual
relations with a girl named Christine Keeler who was also having an affair with a soviet spy. This
created a huge uproar about national security and Profumo went on to lie in the House of Commons
about his relationship with Keeler. The very fact that the Prime minister Macmillan also believed
Profumo’s original denial of impropriety showed his poor lack of control over his ministers. These
scandals alone did not topple the government, but greatly weakened people’s faith in the leadership)
▪ The conservatives were seen as outdated e.g. Douglas-Home represented too much of ‘The
Establishment’ – he became prime minister purely because of a closed circle of old Etonian
Conservatives who elected him
➢ Britain needed leaders who earned their position through personal merit not their elite
▪ To some extent, the Suez Crisis gave them a bad image
▪ The Conservatives began to become unpopular when they introduced deflationary policies which
meant that they were trying to keep the economy under control and stop it from booming too
rapidly. Their policies soon reflected their ultimate aim, which became clear to the people, they
wanted economic and electoral cycles to coincide especially nearing election time
➢ However, the Conservatives barely lost in the 1964 general election with Labour obtaining a narrow
majority of 4 seats
Economic developments: post-war boom; balance of payments issues and 'stop-go' policies
What were the economic developments at this time?
▪ Higher standards of livings, a stark difference from the ‘hungry 30s’ and period of austerity
▪ ‘Never had it so good’ speech rang true for many people, who used it as a way to realise that they
indeed hadn't been so well-off before, and would be persuaded by that to continue voting for the
Conservatives, helping them to dominate elections
▪ Increased demand made imports 20% higher than exports in 1964
▪ Start of ‘stop go policies’ e.g. pay pause in 1961
▪ There was an enormous concentration by government on defence-related research and
development, which crowded out what might otherwise have been more productive research into
improving the British economy
Social developments: rising living standards; the impact of affluence and consumerism; changing social
attitudes and tensions; class and 'the Establishment'; the position of women; attitudes to immigration;
racial violence; the emergence of the 'teenager' and youth culture
What were the consequences of consumerism?
▪ Living standards rose
▪ In the 1960s 50% owned a TV, so leisure time was changing, people were going out less
▪ Car ownership rose by 25% so time was being saved
▪ Ownership of washing machines, refrigerators saved time and reinforced patriarchy
➢ Another factor which links to the lifestyle improvements was the greater availability of credit, which
led to more people being able to afford luxury items. People had not experienced this before and
