The Affluent Society (1951-1964)

Attlee won a 146 seat majority

Creation of the NHS and establishment of welfare state

Increase in housing: 1 million built by 1951, many of them council houses

Nationalisation of coal, gas and electricity

Rearmament programme caused a financial crisis 1947 and slowed down the economy

Understanding that after WWII there was general agreement between the parties on major issues.

Areas of agreement: mixed economy, welfare state, full employment and working with trade union and employers

Butskellism reflected the consensus: Butler and Gaitskell both had moderate views and upheld the consensu

Won election with 17 seat majority

Many thought he was past his prime and thought government would be short

Wasn’t interested in domestic issues with day-to-day running of the country being left to Eden (foreign secretary), Butler (chancellor) and Macmillan (housing minister)

Promised to build 300,000 houses annually to help improve living conditions and enable slum clearance, lead to the breakup of established communities, more people lived in council houses or rented than owned their own home

Continued the Tripartite education system of 1944

Burgess and Maclean Affair 1951: British intelligence officers who defected to the soviet union

Defence spending due to the rearmament programme constituted 14% of GDP in 1951 compared with 8% a year before

Took over after Churchill retired in 1955 and in the election of that year increased the Tory majority to 60 seats.

Appointed Butler as Chancellor and Macmillan as Foreign Secretary

Lacked experience in domestic affairs and economic issues

Clean Air act 1956: aimed to prevent smog

1952-57 defence employed 7% of population and used 12% of metal industry’s output

Tainted by Suez crisis which caused his resignation

Main rival for party leadership was Rab Butler but he wasn’t popular within the party and linked with appeasement policies before the war.

Was a One-nation Conservative: believes that all classes have obligations to one another and that those who are well off should support those who are worse off

1959 election majority increased to 100 seats.

1955-64 over half a million slums were cleared and 1.5 million rehomed

1962 cabinet reshuffle caused sacking of 1/3 of his cabinet in the Night of the Long Knives

Peter Thorneycroft (chancellor 1957-58) wanted to limit wage increase to prevent inflation but Macmillan opposed and he resigned

NEDC set up 1961 was responsible for long-term planning by Selwyn Lloyd (new chancellor)

Beeching report 1963 recommended tax cuts in rail: 30% rail network closed

Profumo Affair 1963: defence secretary had an affair with a woman who was sleeping with a soviet spy

Divisions within the party: Aneurin Bevan was more left-wing and stood against the more moderate Hugh Gaitskell for party leader in 1955. Gaitskell won.

Bevanite Quarrel occurred 1951: resigned form the party due to introduction of prescription charges

Bevan was opposed to unilateral nuclear disarmament but many left-wingers wanted disarmament and joined CND.

Gaitskell put forward idea of abolishing Clause IV which committed the party to nationalisation, was unpopular with the left and he had to back down. Led from his focus on revisionism and growing the party

Left more focussed on extension of public sector and nationalisation, right focussed on administering welfare state and maintaining post-war consensus

‘Stop-go’ policy: economy grew during ‘go’ phase which increased spending and caused inflation, government increased taxes and demand fell + unemployment grew in ‘stop’ phase, taxes lowered again to cause another ‘go’ phase

1951 taxes were increased and implemented pay-freeze for public sector workers to combat crisis under Labour, 1955 when election was near they reduced taxes by £134 million to help boost economy and increase votes

Increasingly favourable economic conditions more likely came from the ending of the Korean war

Coal exports fell from 5.5 million tons 1955 to 2.6 million in 1960 but steel production increased between 1950-1960 from 16 million tons to 24

Unemployment levels increased from 253,000 1951 to 573,000 1963 (1.3% to 1.7%)

Shares in world trade decreased between 1950-62 from 25% to 15%

Pay pause introduced 1961 to prevent wage inflation

1950-1973 GDP grew by 2.5% in Britain but 8% in Japan

Cabinet filled with old Etonians who seemed increasingly out of touch with modern society, 48% Tory MPs 1964 had been to private school followed by Oxbridge

Increasing tensions over immigration and the Commonwealth

Selwyn Lloyd’s unpopular deflationary policies in a period were the voters expected constant affluence, demonstrated by poor by-elections in 1961-2 in which Liberals made gains such as in Kent with a swing of 27%

Low morale within the party after 1962 cabinet reshuffle caused sacking of 1/3 of his cabinet in the Night of the Long Knives including Lloyd

Not being admitted into EEC halted any association of further economic growth with Tories

Dishonesty of cabinet over the Profumo affair, Profumo had been backed by the government after lying about not being involved

Douglas-Home’s appointment unpopular with most as a compromise candidate between Butler and Hailsham, later described as un-democratic and out of touch

After President Nasser of Egypt announced nationalisation of Suez canal Britain and France unhappy, 2/3 of Western Europe’ oil imported via the canal.

Protocol of Sevres signed in Paris in secret by Britain, France and Israel which agreed to invade Egypt.

UN calls for a ceasefire which Britain and France veto but pressure from US causes the ceasefire to occur by withholding loans until Britain withdrew.

Britain begins military withdrawal and Eden resigns

Showed that Britain was unable to act without US and their changing position in the world.

Led to a run on the pound

may have encouraged decolonisation elsewhere but many plan already in place for decolonisation before Suez e.g. Ghana

Military cut backs from 700,000 to 350,000 men in forces

Schuman plan 1950: set out proposals for a coal and steel community which formed basis for ECSC in 1957 (European coal and steel community)

EEC created from ECSC formed by the Treaty of Rome in 1957 which was dominated by French and German partnership which ran economic industries.

Britain not involved: left suspicious of free-market principles behind common market and right wanted to preserve traditional trade links with the Commonwealth and maintained assumption that Britain was still a major power

Britain formed EFTA 1959 with other countries not in EEC to promote trade without damaging commonwealth trade links but was unable to match the economic growth

Macmillan government submitted application to join EEC 1961

Hoped joining would stimulate economic growth in response to declining world exports (down from 29% 1948 to 13.7% 1964)

USA wanted them to join to link themselves to Europe

De Gaulle of France vetoed the application because he didn’t want American involvement and wanted France to be the leading power in Europe

Long negotiations had to take place as Britain wanted to make sure they could retain their Commonwealth commitments.

Review of the Empire made under Macmillan showed that the economy wouldn’t be damaged by a withdrawal and that external investment may be a contributing factor to the lack of investment

EEC application a turning point from an imperial power to more regional

Fear that nationalists would turn to the Soviet Union and China for support if decolonisation didn't occur which may lead to new communist regimes, withdrawing would allow democratic governments to be set up

However the focus was on Africa rather than in Far East, wanted to maintain some military presence in Aden and Singapore to contain communism, supported by US in this, 80 ships in this area during ‘60s

1960 ‘Winds of Change’ speech Macmillan called for decolonisation

Sudanese Independence 1955: British rule caused internal divisions despite integration attempts leading to the later division between Sudan and South Sudan

Indian Independence 1947: Separate nations of Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan

Kenyan independence 1963: Mau Mau rebellion began in 1952 against British rule, although it also targeted those in the country who benefitted from British rule with only 95 white people killed compared with 14,000 non-whites.

Britain was a member of NATO from its creation 1949

Involved in Berlin airlift 1958-59 after Stalin blockade

Supported US-lead involvement in Korean War (1950-53) and sent 900,000 troops to prevent communist invasion

Spy scandals created reluctance to share intelligence

Mutual Defence Agreement 1958 with US: committing both to share nuclear technology, dependence on US

Attlee government first committed to nuclear weapon development

Atomic bomb tested in 1952

CND formed 1958: marches at research base in Aldermaston 1958-59

Defence white paper 1957 proposed that a nuclear deterrent would be the main source of Britain’s military power and having a small reserve of nuclear weapons would reduce the risk of war.

End of food rationing 1954

Baby Boom: 5% population increase 1951-61

1951 full employment was achieved, 1960 5 million employed in service industries

Wage increase of around 6.5% between 1948-58

Increase in imports: 29% more goods than 1951 for same number of exports, lead to trade deficit

Men's weekly wages increased from £8.30 1951 to £15.35 1961

TV ownership rose by 32% between 1957-59, 1958 8 million TV licences had been issued up from 4.5 million 1955, with launch of ITV 1955 from the Television act advertising increased

Car ownership rose by 25% 1957-59 with new roads such as M1 1958, 1957-63 1200 miles of new or upgraded road

Holiday camps: 1950s Butlins had 60,000 each week

Class voting statistics: 80% middle class voted Conservative, 65% working class voted Labour

decreasing respect for the Establishment with Profumo affair showing greater questioning

Only 362,000 domestic servants down from 2.4 million 1920s

Increase in satire: That Was The Week That Was 1962, Private Eye 1961, Angry Young Men were writers who rebelled against traditional literature such as John Osborne who wrote Look Back in Anger in 1956

Average marriage age for women in 1950s was 21

Only 20% of women worked but 31% of total labour force were women which increased to 33% 1961

Trade unions reluctant to support women as they thought they would lower wages and others thought it would damage child development

Equal pay for teachers 1952 and civil servants 1954

1961 women made up 15% of doctors and 3.5% of whole legal profession

Labour saving devices made homelife easier: 1957-59 washing machine ownership rose by 54% and fridge ownership by 58%

Empire Windrush arrived 1948

1958 210,000 had settled in Britain from the Commonwealth, 75% men

Commonwealth Immigration Act 1962: limited the right of entry of Commonwealth citizens who had originally been allowed free entry. Male citizens entering must have a work permit and employment lined up

1950s 1.3 million left and 676,000 arrived

Notting Hill Race Riots 1958: white violence against Caribbean communities

Fascist leader Oswald Mosley tried to run for MP after riots and wanted repatriation

1959 10% population were teenagers caused by Baby Boom with 5% population increase 1951-1961

National Service ended 1960 which helped fuel the teenage lifestyle

Teddy Boys: Early 1950s subculture, dressed in smart clothes, liked with violence and race riots

Mods: Late 1950s subculture, listened to pop, smartly dressed

Rockers: Late 1950s subculture, listened to rock n roll, wore leather, rode motorbikes

1964 riots: Clashes between Mods and Rockers at Brighton, Clacton and Margate