Section 1 - Conservative Governments + Political Dominance

• The Conservatives won the snap election of 1951 and Winston Churchill became PM.
• Winston Churchill was 77 years old in 1951 and he was frequently ill.
• Anthony Eden was PM from 1955-57 after being Foreign Secretary.
• The Suez Crisis cut Eden's premiership short.
• Macmillan was PM from 1957-63 and he presided over increased prosperity.
• Alec Douglas-Home was PM from 1963-64 but he was defeated in the October 1964 election before he could make his mark.
• The Conservatives governed Britain for 13 years between 1951 and 1964.
• The post-war consensus was a broad agreement between the 3 main parties.
• The important saying of the post-war consensus was "from the cradle to the grave".
• The welfare state and the NHS were introduced from the post-war consensus.
• The government intervened with the economy in the post-war consensus to ensure employment and growth.
• The foreign policy of the post-war consensus was based on US support and the UK opposed communism.
• Colonies of the Empire received independence from the post-war consensus.
• The Labour Party labelled the Conservative period of 1951-64 as "13 wasted years" but this is contradicting as the Conservatives retained popularity.
• The economic policies seemed successful because there was minimal unemployment and increased standards of living.
• The Conservatives were associated with the Elizabethan Age of Optimism after Queen Elizabeth II was coronated in 1953.
• Britain seemed like a world power because they had nuclear weapons.
• The Conservatives maintained welfare spending and planning and attempted to engender full employment.
• Churchill built 300,000 houses per year with the purpose of those to be purchased.
• 6000 new schools were built and university places were planned to be doubled.
• The first motorway that opened in the UK was the M1 in 1959.
• Britain became a nuclear power in 1952 after the explosion of the first British atomic bomb.
• The Conservatives won the 1951, 1955 and 1959 election with 321, 344 and 365 seats won respectively.
• Defence spending caused a split in the Labour Party with Labour MPs wanting more spending on social welfare.
• The Labour Party opposed nuclear weapons.
• The sudden death of Hugh Gaitskell was a massive problem for the Labour Party in 1963.