The Making of modern Britain 1951-2007.pdf

alevel history

1. The Making of modern
Britain 1951-2007

2. Learning objectives
●Conservative government and reasons for political dominance:
○Churchill, Eden, Macmillan and Home as leaders
●Domestic policies
●Internal labour divisions
●Reasons for the conservatives fall from power

3. Good Leader

4. Conservative govt and reasons for political
dominance
Key individuals

6. Churchill
-Known for leading wartime Britain to victory - but 1951-1955 he was not the
best PM
-He was old, with serious ailments, suffered a serious stroke which left him with
impaired speech in 1953
-Thought of himself as an international statesman, not a domestic politician -
spent more time meeting world leaders than in Downing street
-Believed he was above party politics
-Absenteeism - left the govt with Eden, Butler, Macmillan - tensions/ rivalries

7. Eden as PM
-When he became PM - high hopes in the party - increased majority from 17 seats to 60
-Lack of experience and interest in domestic affairs became apparent
-Anxious on making decisions, conscious of his lack of knowledge on economic issues
-Weakness as a leader -> tried to move Macmillan from the Foriegn Office to the
Treasury in October 1955 - delayed it too December
-Suez Crisis - ended his career as PM - Eden came under heavy attack from the Labour
Party in Parliament and from sections of the national press, notably the Manchester
Guardian. He was accused of lying to the House of Commons and his reputation was
badly damaged. - Resigned in 1957
-

8. Macmillan as PM
-Emerged as leader as most of Eden’s cabinet preferred Macmillan
-Party unity restored + economic prosperity continued to gain approval from
voters
-5 years - full control of affairs
-1959 - called for a general election - nicknamed ‘Supermac’ -> majority of 100
seats
-

9. Domestic policies
-Attitudes towards industry, trade unions and social policy woud be different from 1930s -
experience of war made people more ready to accept need for state intervention and planning
-Post war consensus - a deal of agreement between main political parties on the major issues
-Housing: manifesto promised to build 300,000 houses a year
-Education: tripartite system continuation which developed after Butler Act of 1944 -
grammar school, technical school and secondary
-Social Reforms - Clean Air Act (1956) present smog of the early 1950s and House and Factory
Acts aimed to improve living and working conditions
-Butler was more liberal as Home secretary - actions taken on homosexuality and death
penalty - Homicide Act of 1957 restricted when death penalty would be imposed

10. Neither Churchill nor Eden were effective
political leaders between 1951 to 1956 - explain
why you agree or disagree

12. Internal Labour Divisions
-Labour narrowly lost the 1951 election
-Suffering from deep internal problems - intensifed during 1950s
-Growing split in ideology and personalities
-Aneurin Bevan (left wing) and Hugh Gaitskell (right wing) - key figures
-Left: more socialist
-Bevan opposed developing nuclear weapons -> 1957 announced his opposition
to unilateral nuclear disarmament
-1959 - Defeat was a suprise - divisions became more apparent
-Before the GE - Gaitskell wanted to abolish Clause IV of the party constitution -
committed party to nationalism
-1960s - improve - people became more critical of cons govt