Churchill as Prime Minister 1951-55 Eden as Prime Minister 1955-57 Macmillan as Prime Minister 1957-63
Churchill won a 17-seat majority but labour Eden increased the Conservative majority to 60, Macmillan, or ‘Supermac’ won a
won 48.8% of votes, but the first past the post Butler becoming Chancellor and Macmillan being Conservative majority of 100.
system meant the conservatives were in power. Foreign Secretary. Macmillan’s main rival was Butler however,
Churchill had a reputation due to leading Britain Eden was nervous about making decisions, especially Butler was not popular enough to be
through war however, he was now old and ill within the economy, and his declining health due to a picked as PM and Butler’s reputation had
(retiring at age 80), suffering from various botched surgery which had led to a dependence on been damaged after introducing the ‘Pots
strokes as well as neglecting his national duties. painkillers, made his job hard. and Pans’ tax cuts before the 1955 election
Churchill focused on international policy, Eden was disgraced from his party after the Suez but were quickly reserved- Butler became
leaving ministers such as Rab Butler (Education Crisis (in Foreign Policy section) in 1956, after he lied Home Secretary instead.
Act 1944 + Chancellor) Anthony Eden (Foreign to the House of Commons about how much he
Secretary), and Harold Macmillan (Housing actually knew about the event- 40 Conservative MPs
Minister, Military Liaison Officer). rebelling. Conservative Dominance
Eden resigned not long after due to ‘ill-health’ 1951-64
Domestic Policies Internal Labour Divisions Conservative Fall From Power Post War Boom
Beveridge Report during Clement Atlee Labour narrowly missed the Macmillan was losing his Food rationing ended in 1954.
(1945-1951) saw the introduction of the 1951 election but failed to win ‘Supermac’ title by 1962, Fast growing population- 1961
NHS and national insurance, the for another 13 years. especially after the Night 51 million people.
conservatives keeping this policy. Labour split into 2 sides; those of the Long Knives where 1955 full employment had been
A Post-war consensus was created, where who supported Nye Bevan and Macmillan reshuffled his achieved, less than 1% of the
the conservative and labour parties those who supported the cabinet alongside sacking work force being unemployed.
generally agreed on major issues to leader, Hugh Gaitskell. 1/3 of them. 1955 saw tax cuts worth £134
rebuild Britain- this era being called Bevan was more right-wing Multiple spy scandals million by Rab Butler.
Butskellism, after Rab butler and labour and initially supported took place, such as By 1960, the average annual
leader Hugh Gaitskell. unilateral nuclear George Blake being a wage increased by 8%.
1951, the Conservative manifesto disarmament before changing Soviet double agent and Britain imported 29% more
promised to build 300,000 houses to his mind. John Vassal. goods than it had in 1951 for the
replace the slum, under Macmillan. Gaitskell pushed for the Profumo Affair 1963- same number of exports.
Conservatives also continued the tripartite abolition of Clause IV John Profumo, Secretary In 1951, wages averaged at
system in education after the Butler Act (nationalisation) but was of State for War had an £8.30 but 1961 they were £15.35
1944 which saw Grammar schools, forced to back down on this affair with Christin Car ownership between 1957
technical skills, and secondary modern. view after outrage Keeper who had and 1959 rose 25% and holiday
1956 Clean Air Act aimed to prevent smog Gaitskell opposed unilateral connections to a Soviet sites such as Butlins had 60,000
and the Housing and Factory Acts aimed nuclear disarmament and Spy. guests each week.
to improve living and working conditions gained criticism from the After having a major In 1951 only 1/5 of women went
Homicide Act 1957 restricted the death Transport and General operation which kept to work.
penalty and the Wolfenden Commission Workers Union under Frank him hospitalised, However, British productivity
recommended that homosexual Cousins- one of the first signs Macmillan resigned due was fairly low and British shares
behaviour should not be illegal. of how disruptive the trade to his health, Lord Home in world trade dropped 25% to
unios would become. taking his place. 15% in 1950 to 1962.
,Balance of Payments and ‘Stop-Go’ Policies EEC and Britain’s Economy
The government struggled to persuade trade unions Macmillan reversed his party’s previous policy about not joining the EEC as the trade with the Empire
that their members shouldn’t have high wage and the Commonwealth was not sufficient to keep the economy thriving.
increases, especially within the coal industry, in an Selwyn Lloyd, chancellor, set up the National Economic Development Council which consisted of
attempt to curb inflation and taxes. government representatives, academics, employers and trade unionists, to try and bring economic
The government fell into the pattern of ‘Stop-Go’ modernisation.
policies. Britain’s application was rejected in 1963.
The ‘Stop’ phase would see imports exceed exports, 1963, the Beeching Report was published, recommending cuts in Britain’s rail network and the closure
which the government would respond to by of 30% of the railway network, causing hundreds of branch lines and stations to be axed, leaving rural
increasing interest rates and freezing wage increases, areas isolated.
this causing demand to fall and output to decrease. Reginald Maudling, the 4th chancellor, pushed the economy into a ‘go’ phase by lowering bank rates,
Then, the ‘Go’ phase would see the controls of Britain’s growth rate rising from 4% in 1963 to 6% in 1964.
interest rates and wage freezing removed, causing an Even though exports rose just over 10% between 1961 and 1964, imports remained nearly 20% higher.
increase in demand and rising imports, leading to
imports exceeding exports, restarting the cycle.
Although higher salaries had created a large internal Conservative Economy Impact of Affluence and Consumerism
There was a massive surge in ownership of consumer
consumer demand, it did not encourage 1951-64 goods, such as televisions, washing machines, refrigerators
manufacturers to increase their export trade, leading
and new furniture bought on hire purchase.
to a trade deficit which helped to cause problems
Rising Living Standards A visible symbol of the affluence was the advertising
with the balance of payments.
1951 Britain’s infrastructure industry, especially after the ITV was launched in 1955 and
Macmillan’s Chancellor, Peter Thorneycroft, believed
was run-down and needed adverts became popular in between popular programmes.
in monetarism- limiting wage increases and to cut the
modernising, especially within Between 1957 and 1959, the number of households owning
money supply.
housing as slums such as a television rose 32% and by 1960, there were 10 million
Other cabinet ministers, like Iain McLeod, opposed
Harlow or Kirkby needed televisions in use, it being estimated 50% of the population
such a policy because it would lead to increased
replacing with real houses. watched television during the evening.
unemployment and cutbacks in housing
From 1952, men’s wages were Car ownership rose 25% between 1957 and 1959, meaning
Macmillan ended up siding with those who wanted to
going up, £8.30 in 1951 to more roads were built, car travel also changing the ideas of
keep up an expansionist economic policy, Macmillan
£15.35 10 years later. holidays and leisure as places such as Butlins became
overruling Thorneycroft which led him to resign in
Farmers were doing well and popular, receiving 60,000 people each week.
1958.
were encouraged by the However, foreign holidays were still a luxury that only 2% of
The financial crisis did no lasting harm to the
continuation of generous state the population enjoyed.
Conservative’s popularity and the Sterling continued
subsidies. People now had more time and money to develop hobbies,
to gain value, the economy expanding so much that a
Food rationing had completely such as DIY and gardening which both became popular in
tax cut in April 1959 saw £370 million be cut.
ended in 1954. the 1950’s and television programmes started to reflect
The government was still trapped in the ‘Stop-Go’
Homeownership increased, these interests.
policies, as in 1961 there were worries about the
helped by easy access to At the beginning of the 1950’s, television programmes were
economy overheating, which forced the government
mortgages however, people only broadcast from 3-6pm and then 7-10:30pm and there
to introduce a ‘pay pause’ to hold down inflation and
living in council houses and being only 1 channel however commercial television
to ask for an IMF loan.
rented accommodation still changed this.
Britain was falling behind in economic especially in
outnumbered private The Queen’s coronation was televised and was a great spur
comparison to West Germany and Japan.
homeowners. for people to buy a TV, as 56% of the population watched.
,Class and the ‘Establishment’ The Position of Women
Class loyalties in 1951 were strong, as in the 1951 election 65% of the working Women were seen as housewives in the 1950’s- the ideal woman was a
class voted labour and 80% of the middle class voted Conservative. wife and mother.
However, these attitudes were changing as old social restrictions stared to break The average of marriage was 21 and 75% of all women were married, and
down, and events such as the Suez Crisis exposed the lies of the government and only 1 in 5 women went to work in 1951.
the rise of the CND encouraged challenging authority. Family Allowance was paid to women, which was made to ensure women
The Profumo affair further disgraced the Establishment as the government could did not need to work, other than this, women were dependent on men as
do nothing to prevent the publication of sensitive information. mortgages and bank accounts were in the husband’s name.
A satire boom also took place, which saw shows and media in the 1960’s expand During the 1960’s it was still uncommon for married women to work, and
such as Private Eye, Beyond the Fringe, and That Was The Week That Was. trade unions tended not to support women working as they believed this
Critics of the Establishment believed that Britain was held back by its ruling elite- would lower wages.
Macmillan’s government being made up of a duke, 3 earls, and a marquess. For women who did work, there were improvements as equal pay for
A group of writers, the ‘angry young men’ attacked the attitudes of the upper teachers (1951) and civil servants (1954) was introduced.
class, one of these plays being Look Back in Anger by John Osborne. Women’s lives in the home was improved as between 1957 and 1959, the
number of households owning a washing machine rose by 54%, one
Attitudes to Immigration and Racial Violence Hotpoint washing machine being called the ‘Liberator’.
Conservative Society
Empire Windrush sailed from Jamacia
to London in 1948, which carried 492 1951-64 Youth Culture and Social Tensions
migrant workers seeking a new life in National service was stopped in 1960.
Britain. Notting Hill Riots 1958 A survey in 1959 saw there being 5 million teenagers in Britain, about 10%
By 1958, 210,000 Commonwealth In August 1958, gangs of of the population, and due to the post-war boom, teenagers were engaging
immigrants had settled in Britain, 75% white youths went on hunts in fashion and music trends.
of them being male, working to support in Notting Hill after pub The early 1950’s saw the Teddy Boys but by the late 1950’s, they were
their families back home. brawls to attack the migrant replaced with Mods and Rockers, who were known for their violent clashes
There was also outward migration from community living there, such as in 1964 in Brighton, though the full extent of the violence was
Britain, in the 1950’s Britain receiving causing a riot to break out. exaggerated by the media.
676,000 immigrants while 1.3 million The violence was mostly Social tensions were reflected in popular film and television programmes,
Brits left. white youths attack West such as a 1959 crime thriller Sapphire showed racial tensions or gang
In the 1960’s, inward migration was Indians, however violence violence in A Clockwork Orange.
1.25 million while outward was 1.92 affected both sides. There was also a breakdown of censorship and social taboos, A Taste of
million. The police were unprepared, Honey, a play, telling the story of an unmarried pregnant women after a
Originally, immigration was lacked experience dealing relationship with a black sailor.
economically desirable as immigrants with race riots and ended up Lady Chatterley’s Lover was published by Penguin Books in 1962 which
filled many important low-wage jobs arresting 140 people during caused outrage due to the novels sexual nature, resulting in a court case
however by the late 1950’s, racial the 2 weeks of disturbances. under the Obscenity Act, which Penguin won which saw 2 million copies of
tensions were high. Leader of British Fascism, the book being sold.
In 1962, the Commonwealth Act was Oswald Mosley, tried to use This new culture wasn’t accepted by all, Mary Whitehouse being a major
passed to control immigration which the Notting Hill Riots as figure who saw it as ‘immortality and depravity’.
the Labour part opposed, but never grounds for repatriation- There was also criticism from the left wing that the concentration on
appealed after the 1964 general which is returning someone material affluence had also had negative effects, undermining decency in
election. to their place of origin. society.
, EFTA and The EEC Relations with the USA and USSR
The Schuman Plan of 1950 set up proposals for a Coal and Steel Community that would integrate French and Britain and the US were close allies in the
German heavy industry to promote economic reconstruction, this being supported by Britain and the USA. Cold War, Britain supporting the UN in
Britain did not initially get involved, due to few politicians favouring Britain taking a leadership role in Europe that Korea and the US to sustain West Berlin.
was on offer, the Left was suspicious of the free market principles behind the Common Market, while the Right Macmillan had formed good relations with
wanted to preserve traditional trade links with the Commonwealth over Europe, Britain still considering itself a both President Eisenhower and Kennedy
world power, and some still viewed Germany as a potential enemy following the war. and was involved in plans for a summit
The EEC, or European Economic Community, was established by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, without Britain. conference with Khrushchev in 1960.
1959 Britain formed the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) to rival. Kennedy kept Macmillan informed during
1961, Macmillan’s government submitted Britain’s application, hoping the EEC would boost industrial production the Cuban Missile Crisis however, the
for a large-scale export market, increase industrial efficiency with greater competition, and to stimulate economic relationship did experience stress during
growth with the rapid economic expansion already seen in the EEC. events such as the Suez Crisis and the
Britain wanted to keep its connections with the USA and Commonwealth and economic structures, such as the Burgess and Maclean Affair- UK
Common Agricultural Policy, made it hard for Britain to compromise. government officials who defected to the
Edward Heath led negotiations but French President Charles de Gaulle vetoed Britain’s entry in 1963. Soviet Union, which worried the US.
Nuclear Deterrent Korean War 1950-53
The first tests of the atomic bomb was
Foreign Relations Britain sent 90,000 soldiers, the second largest contribution, to combat the invasion
in 1952, making Britain the third 1951-64 of the Communist forces, resulting in the deaths of over a 1000 British troops.
country in the world to develop nuclear
weapons, Britain’s Hydrogen bomb Suez Crisis 1956
being tested in 1957. The Suez Canal in Egypt connected major trade routes, 80% of Western Europe’s oil passing through.
The CND (Campaign for Nuclear Colonel Nasser, the nationalist leader of Egypt, announced the nationalisation of the Suez Canal Company.
Disarmament) formed in 1958, to Eden viewed Nasser as another Mussolini and hated Nasser, planning with France and Israel to invade to take back the
protest against nuclear development canal, concealing the plans from America and parliament.
and supported unilateral disarmament. It failed, as Britain ran out of money and had to beg for money from the US, who would only give a loan if Britain
Around 8000 people took part in a retreated, forcing Britain to retreat in an embarrassing international display.
demonstration at Aldermaston in 1958, It highlighted Britain’s inability to act without the support of the United States and Britain’s reputation as a force for
a second, larger march in 1959 taking good in the world
place a year later.
1958, the US agreed to share nuclear Wind of Change and Decolonisation
technology with Britain under the By 1951, Britain had already started to retreat from the Empire after India’s independence in 1947.
Mutual Defence Agreement, which saw In the early 1950’s, it was believed there would be a gradual transition from the Empire to the New Commonwealth
Britain allow the US to set up nuclear however, the need for independence exploded into violence amongst some of the colonies.
submarines in British waters. Britain forces found themselves fighting against national independence movements in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus.
Britain’s own project, Blue Streak, was 1952 Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya saw the death of over 11,000 and atrocities were committed on both sides.
abandoned in 1960 in favour for the US After the Suez Crisis, British policymakers began to speed up decolonisation, starting with Ghana in 1957, Nigeria and
Skybolt, which was cancelled within Cyprus in 1960, Sierra Leone in 1961, Uganda in 1962, and Kenya in 1963.
itself, and the American Polaris missile This change in policy was also signalled by Macmillan’s ‘Wind of Change’ speech, where Macmillan gave a speech to
were eventually created and sold to the South African government declaring that a wind of change was blowing through Africa and called for
Britain. decolonisation and the recognition of independence movements.
