Churchill government 1951-1955

Created by: parvos98
Created on: 24-02-15 15:06


	Churchill government 1951-1955
	Advantages 1951-Churchill manages to repair Anglo-American relations after Burgess and Maclean affair. Churchill was convinced of need for government intervention in social and economic areas.-"Big Government" Party was more efficient after reorganisation under Lord Woolton. Maintenance of popular Labour Welfare State reforms. Labour was unelectable due to divisions between Gaitskellites and Bevanites. 1952-Churchill announces that Britain has a nuclear bomb Age of Affluence 1952-wage rises-£8.30 in 1951 to £15.35 by 1961. Mass construction of new housing. 1954-end of food rationing 1955 housing repairs and rent act 1954 Mining and Quarries Act Win for Anthony Eden in 1955 general election.	Disadvantages Churchill was very old by this time, people were starting to lose faith in him. Churchill was seen as very bellicose (war-minded) by the British public, who were anxious to avoid war after the chaos caused by WW2. His announcement that Britain was nuclear armed caused some concern among left-wing voters, although the original program was started by Attlee. The 1953 Iranian Coup D'etat orchested by the UK and USA governments caused some controversy. His pro-war attitude was reflected in an aggressive handling of the 1952 Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya and the 1948-1960 Malaya Emergency. His age was being accompanied by illness. A series of strokes Churchill suffered in 1953 severely impaired his ability to be an effective PM, therefore the public began to lose a lot of faith in him, viewing him as "past his prime". A controversial decision was to maintain Gaitskell's prescription medicine charges, a very unpopular policy.
	Evaluation To conclude, while Churchill did encounter some problems on an international level, mostly to do with war, he held a relatively successful final term of office. It was his term that sparked the age of affluence in Britain and the 13 years of Conservative dominance that followed. Unemployment and inflation went down whilst wage rises went up alongside a competitive yet equalised economy. Futhermore, Labour was completely unelectable during these years due to infighting and negative reputation left behind by Attlee. However, it cannot be ignored that Churchill was severely hampered by his advanced age and illness, resulting in a slightly negative public opinion at times.

Churchill government 1951-1955

Advantages

1951-Churchill manages to repair Anglo-American relations after Burgess and Maclean affair.
Churchill was convinced of need for government intervention in social and economic areas.-"Big Government"
Party was more efficient after reorganisation under Lord Woolton.
Maintenance of popular Labour Welfare State reforms.
Labour was unelectable due to divisions between Gaitskellites and Bevanites.
1952-Churchill announces that Britain has a nuclear bomb
Age of Affluence
1952-wage rises-£8.30 in 1951 to £15.35 by 1961.
Mass construction of new housing.
1954-end of food rationing
1955 housing repairs and rent act
1954 Mining and Quarries Act
Win for Anthony Eden in 1955 general election.

Disadvantages

Churchill was very old by this time, people were starting to lose faith in him.
Churchill was seen as very bellicose (war-minded) by the British public, who were anxious to avoid war after the chaos caused by WW2.
His announcement that Britain was nuclear armed caused some concern among left-wing voters, although the original program was started by Attlee.
The 1953 Iranian Coup D'etat orchested by the UK and USA governments caused some controversy.
His pro-war attitude was reflected in an aggressive handling of the 1952 Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya and the 1948-1960 Malaya Emergency.
His age was being accompanied by illness. A series of strokes Churchill suffered in 1953 severely impaired his ability to be an effective PM, therefore the public began to lose a lot of faith in him, viewing him as "past his prime".
A controversial decision was to maintain Gaitskell's prescription medicine charges, a very unpopular policy.

Evaluation

To conclude, while Churchill did encounter some problems on an international level, mostly to do with war, he held a relatively successful final term of office. It was his term that sparked the age of affluence in Britain and the 13 years of Conservative dominance that followed. Unemployment and inflation went down whilst wage rises went up alongside a competitive yet equalised economy. Futhermore, Labour was completely unelectable during these years due to infighting and negative reputation left behind by Attlee. However, it cannot be ignored that Churchill was severely hampered by his advanced age and illness, resulting in a slightly negative public opinion at times.

Get Revising

Churchill government 1951-1955