Politics 1939-1964

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  • Created by: evekav
  • Created on: 15-03-22 14:28
What happened in May 1940?
Churchill became PM and led a coalition, bringin together politicians from all leading parties.
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Why did Chamberlin resign and Churchill take over?
Britains attempt to move the Germans out of Norway was a humiliating failure and he was forced to resign.
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Who made up Churchill's war cabinet?
Arthur Greenwood, Ernest Bevin, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Kingsley Wood, Sir John Anderson, Clement Attlee and Anthony Eden.
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How was Churchill a good war-time leader?
*Strong leader-never faltered in his convicton Britian would succeed.
*'Man of the people'
*Formed and held alliances between Britain, Russia and USA.
*Involved personally with military decisions.
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Who criticised Churchill?
Conservatives - Lord Halifax though it would be sensible to negotiate with Hitler and compromise peace.
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When did the war begin to turn in Britain's favour?
1942
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What were a concern towards the end of the war?
Home affairs
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Where was criticism coming from for reform?
Feb 1941 - TUC petitioned Ministry of Health about defects in the health insurance system.
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What did the 3 main politcal parties set up?
Committees to examine areas for reconstruction.
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What did the Beveridge Reprt do?
Laid out plans for a universal social security and formed the basis of Attlee's ost-war social reforms.
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What did the government White Paper of May 1944 do?
Committed future governments to the maintenance of a high and stable level of employment after the war.
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What were the failures of the Churchill coalition?
*Japanese surrender in Singapore 1942
*Intense disagreements in cabinet
*Opposition from independently minded Labour MPs
*Revolts
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By 1945, how many posts did Labour hold?
Mainly what?
27 - Mainly Home Front - dominated social and economic affairs.
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When was the wartime coalition formally ended?
23rd May 1945
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How many candidates did Labour, Conservatives and Liberals have?
L+C both had 600+
Liberals had just over 300
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What was the turnout of the 1945 election?
73.3%
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Who won the majority and what was it?
Labour - 47.8%
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Where did Labour's support come from?
Most came from a MC background
Less than half were WC
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What role was Ernest Bevin?
Foreign Secretary
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What role as Herbery Morrison?
Leader of the HoC
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What role was Hugh Dalton?
Chancellor of the Exchequer
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What role was Stafford Cripps?
President of the Board of Trade
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What are some of the reasons for the Labour victory?
*Left wing shift during the war
*Conservative memories of 1930s - Labour was a new start for the country
*Labour's electoral propaganda
*Labour coalition members well known
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What were Labour's main aims?
*nationalisation
*establish a welfare state
*set up a NHS
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What was the aim behind nationalisation?
Enable the government to gain ownership of the 'commanding heights of the economy'.
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Where was there strong opposition to nationalisation?
Steel production and road transport - first area the Conservatives denationalised in 1951.
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What did Labour use to stimulate the economy?
Taxation, interest rates and the budget
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When did the Conservatives return back to power?
1951
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What were the key reasons for Conservative dominance?
*Reorganisation of the party
*Infighting in Labour
*1951 marked the end of austerity
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Who was left in charge of day-to-day running of government?
Anthony Eden or Rab Butler and Harold Macmillan
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When was the next general election?
1955
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Who won the 1955 election, with what majority?
Eden - Conservaties - majority of 70.
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What crisis could have helped Labour win the next election?
Suez crisis - Eden lied to the commons
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Who assumed PM position after the suez crisis?
Macmillan - quickly re-establised party unity
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What was the issue for Labour leader Gaitskell?
Associated with the right wing of Labour
Feuds between Gaitskellites and Bevanites=no unity
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After the 1959 defeat, what split Labour even more?
*Nuclear weapons programme
*Opposition to the party leadership from trade unions
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What progress was made with the atomic bomb?
1952 - first tests
1957 - hydrogen bomb first tested
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What was formed in 1958?
The Campain for Nuclear Disarmament
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What did CND want the government to adopt a policy of?
Unilateral nucear disarmament
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Who began to challenge Labour over nuclear weapons?
Trade unions - Frank Cousins
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Where were significant Labour press conferences?
1960 Scarborough
1959 Blackpool
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When did Labour's political position slowly improve?
Why?
1960
Cultural shift - public more critical of government
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Where was the cultural shift of 1960 symbolised?
The satirical journal Private Eye and on tv by That Was The Week That Was.
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Who took over from Gaitskell in 1963?
Harold Wilson
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What was the Establishment?
The informal networks that connected the social and political elites.
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Who did the Establishment include?
The aristocracy, High Court judges and barristers, civil service mandarins and diplomats, Anglican Church bishops and senior officers in the armed forces.
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What was the progression of the Establishment figures?
Private boarding schools -> prestigious colleges -> positions of power/influence.
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Who was the first PM to break the convention of Establishment PMs?
Harold Wilson
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What did left wingers/moderates in Labour want to do to remove the establishment process?
Left wing - Private schools and HoL abolished
Moderates - meritocratic society
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What scandal rocked the Macmillan government and the Establishment?
Profumo Affair - John Profumo caught in a sex scandal with a young model, she was also sleeping with a Soviet spy.
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Who won the election of 1964?
Labour - by 3 seats
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Why did Chamberlin resign and Churchill take over?

Back

Britains attempt to move the Germans out of Norway was a humiliating failure and he was forced to resign.

Card 3

Front

Who made up Churchill's war cabinet?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

How was Churchill a good war-time leader?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Who criticised Churchill?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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