Conservative Dominance

• what is significant about the 1951 election?

  Britain uses a first by the post electoral system and therefore the party that has

  the most votes does not necessarily gain the most seats in parliament And although the Conservatives remained in government

  from 1951-64 they did not initially win the popular vote in the 1951 elections.
• Vote results 1951


  Conservatives: 48%

  Labour:48.8%
• The Conservatives were led by who in 1951?

  the war time hero Winston Churchill.
• Churchill as PM


  did not reach the heights of his war time reputation domestically and his age and ill health meant that

  he had to retire from politics at 80 years old in 1955.

  His priority was always to avoid further conflict and in this

  nuclear age this was a serious challenge.

  His absenteeism meant that Rab Butler, his Chancellor of the Exchequer

  Harold Macmillan, the Minister for Housing and Anthony Eden, the Foreign Minister, often had to deputise for him in

  day to day government matters.
• The politics of this period is often known as the age of

  post war political consensus.
• post war political consensus.

  This is when it was

  taken that the political parties had agreement of the priorities of the country that they all accepted.

  came from the depression of the 1930s.
• post war political consensus agreements

  an acceptance of belief in a mixed economy of state and private enterprise; support for the NHS and welfare

  state; desire for full employment and the involvement of the trade unions.
• who became primeminister in 1955

  Anthony Eden
• timeline of PMs


  churchill 51-55

  eden 55-57

  macmillain 57-63

  douglas-home 63-64
• why was there concern over Eden becoming PM


  he had spent most of his time as

  the Foreign Secretary there was concern over his lack of experience in domestic politics and most especially

  economics.
• conservative swing in 1955 election

  60 seat majority
• what lead to Eden's downfall?

  Suez crisis 1956.

  
  

  Here he was

  accused of misleading Parliament and exposed Britain's financial and military weaknesses.

  Criticised by labour and press
• who suceeded Eden


  Harold Macmillan as Prime Minister from 1957
• Harold Macmillan as Prime Minister


  party unity restored

  full control of affairs

  nicknames supermac

  100 seat majority in 1959 election

  post war economic boom

  labour party disarray

  made use of television.
• Part of the reason for the Conservative Party dominance in this period was what?

  weaknesses of the Labour

  Party opposition.
• who led labour up until 1955?


  clement atlee
• what exposed the divisions in the labour party

  and it was the selection of a successor from atlee that exposed the divisions within the party.
• who was on the left and right?

  Those who favoured a radical approach 'labour left' supported the left wing Aneurin Bevan, the man credited with the creation

  of the NHS; and those who believed in a more moderate approach from the party supported Hugh Gaitskell. right of party.
• Bevan and Nuclear weapons


  Initally, Bevan opposed britain developing nuclear weapons

  However, in 1957 he retracted this and announced his oppostion to unilateral nuclear disarmament saying it 'would send a british foreign secretary naked into a conference chamber'.

  
  

  many on the labour left supported CND so lost voters.
• Gaitskell's controversies


  1959 Blackpool conference

  proposed abolishing clause iv (nationalisation) own party had no support

  
  

  1960 scarborough conference emotional speech urging party to reject unilateral nuclear disarmament
• Frank Cousins was who?

  leader of TGWU (transport and general workers union) fierce opposition to gaitskell over nuclear weapons.
• Conservatives fall from power:

  Macmillan: 1961-1963 "Events, dear boy, events'

  
  

  1963 eec rejection

  1962 macmillan drastically reshuffled cabinet sacked 1/3- night of the long knives. seemed out of touch.

  1963: profumo affair, defence secretary John Profumo relationship with Christine Kheeler who was sleeping with soviet spy.
• did labour believe they would win 1959 election

  yes
• who became PM after macmillan

  Alec douglas home 63-64
• who became leader of opposition after Gaitskell died

  harold wilson 1963.