Conservatives 1951-64
- Created by: Lily S Miller
- Created on: 15-03-17 10:50
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- 'The Conservatives remained in Office between 1951 and 1964 mainly because of the weaknesses of the Labour Party'
- Labour Weaknesses
- Attlee's Government was worn down by Burdens.
- Austerity measures were not popular.
- Ministers were exhausted by 6 years In office.
- Labour gained reputation as a party of rationing and taxation.
- Left and Right internal divisions over foreign policy and the NHS. Didn't paint a picture of a strong, stable party to the electorate.
- Attlee's Government was worn down by Burdens.
- Conservative Strengths
- Reorganisation of the party under Lord Wolton.
- Younger Tory MP's began to bring new ideas and confidence to the party.
- Nationalisation issue gave them a cause issue to rally around,
- Younger Mp's were eager for battle aganist a tiring government.
- PM's could call an election when opinion polls were high in favour, in order to gain more seats.
- Conservative Policy
- Rationing was ended in 1954.
- The Steel industry was denationalised.
- The Conservative party pledged to build 300,000 houses a year in their 1951 manifesto. Replace many of the slums people lived in.
- Britain detonated it's first atomic bomb in 1952
- Social Reforms
- Number of social reforms during Macmillan's premiership.
- The Clean air act of 1956 aimed to prevent the smog of the early 1950's.
- Housing and Factory acts aimed to improve living and working conditions.
- Butler was more liberal and began to take action on controversial issues such as the death penalty and homosexuality.
- Internal Labour Divisons
- The key figures in the split were Aneruin Bevan (Left) Gaitskel (Right).
- The Split seriously harmed the effectiveness of Labour's opposition to the Conservatives government in the 1950's.
- Both stood for party leadership in 1955.
- Left wanted Labour to become more socialist. Labour left wingers joint the CND and the Labour left may have turnt some voters away.
- Rising Living Standards
- Wages rose ahead of prices, went from £8.30 in 1951 to £18.35 in 1964. People could buy more with their money and it kept ahead with inflation.
- Access to credit meant people could buy more mod cons. Liberated teenagers and women. However people may have been a bit frivolous. By 1960 there were 10 million sets in use.
- 1951-64 6.4 million houses were built. Property owning democracy. 60% were private dwellings.
- Car ownership increased by 25% between 1957 and 1959 which meant more roads were needed and motorways therefore increasing job opportunities.
- Labour Weaknesses
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