3328541
Description
Flashcards by Olivia Grocott, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Olivia Grocott
almost 9 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Who were the Prime Ministers of the period 1945 - 1964? Which parties did they represent? | Sir Clement Attlee, 1945 - 1951 (Labour) Sir Winston Churchill, 1951 - 1955 (Conservative) Sir Anthony Eden, 1955 - 1957 (Conservative) Harold Macmillan, 1957 - 1963 (Conservative) Sir Alec Douglas-Home, 1963 - 1964 (Conservative) |
| What was the 'post-war boom'? | The 'post-war boom' was a period of economic wealth, which occurred at the end of World War II in 1945, and lasted until the early 1970s. It ended with the collapse of the Bretton Woods system in 1971, the 1973 oil crisis and the 1973 - 1974 stock market crash, which led to the 1970s recession. During this time there was high worldwide economic growth. |
| Who were the Gaitskellites and the Bevanites? Why did they come into conflict with each other? | The Gaitskellites represented the political right of the Labour Party and were led by Hugh Gaitskell. They were opposed by the Bevanites - who represented the political left of the Labour Party and were led by Nye Bevan. In the 1945 election, the Labour Party won its first majority in Parliament, with Clement Atlee becoming Prime Minister - both Gaitskell and Bevan took positions in the Cabinet. Gaitskell's budget of 1951 introduced charges for certain for prescriptions on the National Health Service. The budget caused a split in government, and caused Gaitskell to fall out with Bevan. |
| Who won the 1964 general election? What was significant about the leader of the party that won the 1964 election? | Harold Wilson - a Labour leader - won the 1964 election by only four seats. He happened to be Prime Minister (leading a left wing party) at a time when post-war political and economic change in Britain (and elsewhere) was just beginning to be perceived - it was possibly the greatest period of social and industrial change in the 20th century. As a labour leader, Wilson won four of the five General Elections he contested - including minority government. He became leader after the death of Gaitskell in January 1963. Before the 1964 election, the Conservative Party had been in power for thirteen years, and Wilson was a complete contrast to their new leader - Sir Douglas-Home. |
| What were the main promises made by Harold Wilson in 1964? | The Labour Party exploited the powerful public mood that it was 'time for a change' and their slogan 'thirteen years of Tory misrule' proved very effective. Wilson promised to modernise Britain as they were lagging behind more advanced economies (West Germany and Japan). Trying to break out of cycle and reorganise the economy was also a key aim. Wilson supported liberalising laws on censorship, divorce, abortion and homosexuality, he abolished capital punishment and promised to stop discrimination against women and ethnic minorities. He focused on domestic issues - a weak point for Sir Douglas-Home. |
| What evidence was thee of social change taking place in the 1960s? | The 1960s saw dramatic shifts in attitudes and values led by youth. Pop music became a dominant form of expression for the young, and bands like The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were seen as leaders of the youth culture. Youth-based subcultures such as the mods, rockers, hippies and skinheads, became more visible. Reforms in education led to the effective elimination of the grammar school. The rise of the comprehensive school was aimed at producing a more egalitarian education system, and there were ever-increasing numbers of people going into higher education. Immigration from mainly British Colonies began to escalate, leading to racism. Predictions were made about the effect of immigrants on the British Society, and tension led to race riots. |
| Who were the Prime Ministers of the period 1970 - 1979? Which parties did they represent? | Sir Edward Heath, 1970 - 1974 (Conservative) Harold Wilson, 1974 - 1976 (Labour) James Callaghan, 1976 - 1979 (Labour) |
| What impact did the Miners' strike of 1972 and the threatened strike of 1974 have? | The 1972 Miners' Strike was noticeable as it was the first time since 1926 that British miners has been on strike. It came about because of disagreements between the miners and the government over pay. On 9th January 1972, the British miners went on strike for seven weeks - a state of emergency was declared. As a result of the strike, the miners' wages were increased, becoming amongst the highest of British working class. By 4th February 1974, the miners' situation had deteriorated and a national strike was called again. Sir Edward Heath called a general election hoping that the electorate would support the government's attempts to deal with the deteriorating industrial situation, but the Conservative Party was defeated. The new Labour government reached a deal with the miners shortly afterwards. |
| What was the 'Winter of Discontent'? What effect did it have on Britain? | The Winter of Discontent refers to the winter of 1978 - 1979, during which there were widespread strikes by public sector trade unions demanding larger pay rises. The strikes were a result of the Labour government's attempt to control inflation by a forced departure from their social contract with unions by imposing rules on the public sector that pay rises be kept below 5% to control inflation in itself, and as an example to the private sector. However, some employees' unions conducted negotiations within mutually agreed limits above this limit with employers. While the strikes were largely over by February 1979, the Government's inability to contain the strikes earlier helped lead to Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Victory in the 1979 General Election and legislation to restrict unions. |
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