ESSAY: How Successfully did MacMillan Deal with the Problems he Faced as Prime Minister
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AS Unit F961 - British History Period Studies
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An essay discussing Harold Macmillan's success at dealing with the problems he faced whilst Prime Minister, including economic, political and social issues. Includes in-depth discussion and evaluation of these issues, and whether he can truly be held at fault for his inability to resolve problems h...
How Successfully did MacMillan Deal with the Problems he Faced as
Prime Minister?
Harold Macmillan was prime minister from 1957 to 1963 and consequently was faced with
many problems, many of them due to his fellow Conservative predecessors. As the
Conservatives lost the 1964 general election, it could be argued that from the point of view
of the British public, he had failed to resolve issues important to them; however, realistically
many of the problems he encountered as leader would have been challenging to solve
successful whilst being favourable to the British public. These problems can be grouped into
three areas: economic, social and political.
Macmillan’s failure to improve the economic situation of Britain during his time in office
was a major reason behind the appearance of Conservative economic incompetence which
pushed many to vote for Labour in 1964. Previous ministers such as Churchill and Eden had
possessed no clear economic plan for growth, instead adjusting interest rates and import
controls as they saw fit in order to respond to inflation or deflation. Although Macmillan
could see the negative effects of this by the time he came to power, such as the rate of
Britain’s’ economic growth when compared to countries in Europe, he failed to implement a
clear plan, leading to an economic downturn in 1961, Unemployment also increased during
his time in power, which considering the amount of money spent on ensuring full
employment must be regarded as a failure. This failure to act allowed Britain’s economic
problems to grow more troublesome; however, it could be argued that a shift in economic
policy would have been challenging without a radical shift in tactics, which would have
increased the unpopularity of the party. Overall, it was almost impossible for Macmillan to
solve the economic issues of Britain. Living standards increased whilst he was in power, and
the public greatly supported the economic policies which had improved their lives. There was
no viable way for him to solve this problem, and therefore he cannot be truly deemed a
failure.
Social problems also arose during Macmillan’s time in office. His response to the 1958 Race
Riots was the passion of the Commonwealth Immigration Act in 1962, which put limits of the
number of immigrants coming into Britain from the Commonwealth each year. However,
during the period between the announcement and the implementation of the act, there was a
rush of immigrants to the country, which exacerbated the issues felt by many who were not
able to accept British multiculturalism. This meant that Macmillan’s response to this issue
can only be deemed as partially successful. Another problem faced by Macmillan, although
arguably far less crucial to be dealt with, was the growth of different forms of media intent on
undermining the government such as Private Eye. This damaged public perception of
Macmillan, and his attempt to go to comedy shows and laugh it off was largely unconvincing.
However, this was only a small amount of the British media, with others praising him and
calling him ‘Supermac”. There was little in his power that he could do to resolve the trivial
problem of media undermining, and therefore he cannot be seen as a failure because of it.
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