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Britain Transformed 1918-79 Revision Summary Table
1918-19311931-19391939-451945-19641964-79
To what extent did the political landscap e change 1918- 1979?1918 – after war and divided politically Main parties were liberals and conservatives. Soldiers weren’t home yet. PM was Asquith – then DLG (1916 coalition) = man who won war.Split liberal support and lost values. Maurice debate – A oust DLG – didn’t work.Coupon election 1918 to get conservative support. Split never healed and LG corruption came to light e.g., cash for honours so resigned 1922 as Tories left him. Baldwin spoke against LG in Carlton club 1922 when conservative abandoned coalition. Liberal decline due to WW1 e.g., conscription, rise of conservative and labour, split.FPTP made labour new main ops. Baldwin 1922-1923.Ramsay MacDonald 1 st
Labour leader 1924 – 9 months (working class vote), JR Campbell case he didn’t enquire who was his friend – corrupt (Editor of Workers’ weekly wrote article urging soldiers not to fire on fellow workers during strikes, Campbell arrested and charged with incitement to mutiny but persecution withdrawn..Minority gov backed by liberals. Labour seen dangerous as links to communism e.g. MacDonald had relations with Russia.Election campaign damaged by letter from Russian communist Zinoviev which appeared in Daily Mail 4 days before polling, containing instructions on how to organise revolution. Official inquiry called on Campbell case and Macdonald 1929-1931 .Crisis year 1931 due to WSC 1929. Raised taxes caused division in cabinet – betrayal to workers. 1931 Labour gov collapsed.Macdonald wanted to resign but king said to form national government – coalition. Country before party but labour furious – traitor for power. Few labour support and labour expelled MacDonald.Coalition was conservative majority.Snowden joined. 1931 election – liberal was weak as it split and supported conservative = shows dominance of Tories. 1931 – 215 labour MPs lost seats.Most labour moved into op under Henderson against national government. Was a moment. Labour fell victim to work bankers and were betrayed by MacDonald who allowed red. Scare tactics to reduce labour party support.MacDonald’s health fell, Baldwin served as PM from 31 and in 1935, Baldwin elected. 193-37 Issues 1931-34- Nazi rise, Mussolini, weakness of LON, unemployment and hunger marches.1934 BUF has 50,000 members, 1936 abdication crisis, Edward VIII abdicated for US divorcee Wallis Simpson, government.Thought it inappropriate for them to marry, not respected king.WW2 declared by Neville’s chamberlain on Germany Sep 1939 after. Hitler invade Poland. 1940 – bad campaign. – resigned and Churchill became pm .Churchill popular ‘man of the hour’ hard working, inspiring, bullish qualities – kept up morale with speeches.1940 – emergency powers act - allowed the government to issue whatever controls and regulations it felt were necessary to pursue the war effectively on the home front.June 1940 - Extension of the Emergency Powers Act which gave the government power to direct anyone over 16 to perform any work which might be required for the war effort.New wartime departments e.g., Aircraft.1945 election – Churchill defeated by Clement Attlee – Labour leader. Wartime coalition – cabinet mobilised Britain for war, Attlee deputy PM. Churchill predicted to win but good war qualities = ill-suited to domestic politics after war, singlemindedness – neglected conservatives in war. Bad campaign – focused on man who won war – Britain wanted to move on like Labour’s slogan ‘let us face the future’. Called labour Gestapo – desperate bid.Labour – Effectively ran Homefront in war, popular and social reforms.Ministers - -Herbert 1945 – 146 labour majority, 1950 – 5 seat majority, 1951-64– CONSERVATIVE 17 seat majority.Labour successes – National insurance act 1946, Beveridge report, NHS, national assistance act 1948, school leaving age 15, butler act, over a million homes built, nationalised industries e.g., gas and electricity, granted independence to India etc.However, riddled with dept and had martial aid, electorate not as impressed.1951 why labour lost – old members were tired, divided and damaged.Had many financial issues due to welfare, public against their high tax and rationing. 1950 Korean war increased financial dept, NHS glasses, dental work and prescriptions coast money so Bevan walked out, concerns of economic and foreign policy widened division, nationalised iron and steel.Why conservatives won – strong team, modernised, shifted to centre, recovered and re designed campaign after 1945, Lord Woolton reformed financial, influx with young politicians – new ideas and dynamism.Attractive ideas e.g., 300,000 new homes year, more than labour, reduce rationing e.g. red meat, 1957-63 Conservative Macmillan Labour 1964-70 - Wilson Conservative 1970-74 - Heath Labour 1974-79 – Wilson and Callaghan Labours Harold Wilson wins, reasons for Conservative loss of support -Dissent on the Right – 3 high profile resignations 1959 as Macmillan’s gov spending too much = causing future economic issues.Worries abt inflation, wanted cuts/tax rises, their resignation was embarrassment to gov but with low unemployment and inflation, resignations has little impression on public.Later years, inflation was huge issue Night of the Long Knives – 1962, Conservative popularity declining, privileged and 25 Etonians – public felt they lost their touch.Gaitskell, Labour, argued they got their position due to connections, Macmillan needed to show his control, he sacked 7 ministers from cabinet to solve image issue. Action of sacking ministers showed Macmillan was taking action Scandal - Conservatives were mistrusted over national security, Cold war, 3 high profile spy scandals – John Vassall,
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Britain Transformed 1918-79 Revision Summary Table MacDonald forced to resign and call re-election. Pros - They eased unemployment, undid Geddes axe cuts but still unrest, united. After war, well-funded by unions.Wheatley's housing act 521,000 built in 10 years, 80% electorate WC, ruled with caution. Hadow Report important milestone in English education, Taxes cut on basic foods such as tea, sugar, Old Age Pensions and unemployment benefits were increased Baldwin 1924- 1929 was reassuring and pragmatic, protectionism, financial competence, rebranded party, wanted to appeal as equal to public, hated liberal, had plural votes.Labour win 1929. - flapper election but not majority.Implemented social reforms e.g. 1930 housing act clearing 750,000 slums, coal mines act 1930 ensured better pay for workers. Government limited due to economic crisis e.g.WSC, aimed to keep pound stable with 10% cuts in unemployment assistance but hard on Britain’s poorest. Split party and cabinet, 24 August 1931 government resigned.
Extremism e.g., Oswald mosey – BUF, 50,000 members, anti-sematic.1936 public order act banned groups for wearing uniforms and protesting so they lost support and only 0.2 of vote in 1931.Fascists and communism resisted by labour. Communists got 0.4%. Success in Some London Boroughs- peaked at 18,000.ppl wanted fair society. After mass unemployment.Neville Chamberlin became PM 1937 - talented in administrative and social reform, appeased Hitler and agreed Sudetenland.Morrison in home defence and Blitz repairs. Minister of labour and national service – Ernest Bevin. Ran propaganda - conservatives appeased Hitler and led mass poverty and unemployment of 30s e.g., hunger marches. New social order idea, welfare state, Beveridge report, free medical services appealed to UK after war.Transformed political agenda. Tories didn’t like Beveridge report. Ensured soldiers would get vote unlike 1918 election (DLG failed to improve and keep promises) Labour landslide of 393. Less scary socialist ideas as Russia were allies in war “Uncle Joe”. Labour was strong whilst conservative lacked domestic effort – now primary issue moving forward.
- main reasons labour
won WW1, their campaign and long-term causes.still committed to labours achievements and welfare state and wouldn’t reverse these. Churchill still popular – hero and won war.The industrial charter 1947 – 3.5m copies, laid down framework of conservative policy such as greater state role and trade unions to overcome bitterness from earlier relations e.g. 1926 strike, depressions, marches.Some people still really disliked Tories from those years.Conservative dominance due to divided labour, ending austerity, strong leaders and consensus politics, untied after Suez Crisis.Post war consensus of conservatives – government intervention in policies, full employment, trade unions, keeping welfare reforms, mixed economy Churchill – popular, traditional, lacked dynamism. Ill so Eden became PM 1955, young and popular, expertise foreign policy. Progressive ideas about domestic affairs. resigned after Suez crisis which split party, US exposed UK financial weakness, invasion of Suez Canal zone with France and Israel angered America but they wanted it as trade route for Asia when Nasser (Egypt’s leader) wanted it back and took it causing invasion. Eden Harold Philby, links to Soviet-union. -June 1963 – Profumo was Secretary of State, admitted to having an affair and the girl was linked to a Russian, little security breach but press focused on spy angle Sir Alec Douglas-Home – 1963, Macmillan’s health forced him to retire, Douglas-Home took his place. Was regarded as skilled and astute but suffered image issue. Was in the HoL and an Earl so was ridiculed for aristocratic manners Economic Problems by 1964 – unemployment in 1963 grew to highest level since end of war, increased consumer spending also increased foreign goods demand which caused balance of payments issue and threatened pound value.1961 Government refused to devalue pound and borrowed £714 million from IMF to support it.Harold Wilson More relatable to public – young (contrasted to elitist and old conservatives). Dynamic, grammar school boy, wants to transform Britain Leadership challenge in 1975, Heath resigned a leader of the Conservative. Margaret Thatcher was chosen as their leader, her party seemed damaged; the party of industrial unrest and the 3 day working week.
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Britain Transformed 1918-79 Revision Summary Table was blamed for whole crisis, rebellion and 40 MPs resigned, crisis left with Eden and Macmillan was safe choice.Macmillan became PM, successful, helped speedy economic recovery, won 1959 election with majority of 100 as well as ‘Supermac’ nickname.Affluence of consumer society helped. Supported by media and ministers.RA Butler – key in policies and party and rival to Macmillan but lacked party support and rank. Labour had bevanites and gaitskellites fighting – divided. Gaitskell was labour leader after Attlee, Bevan had different personalities and ideologies, so Bevan resigned 1951. Gaitskell much more central. 1959 – landslide conservative victory. Labour wanted nuclear disbarment which Gaitskell opposed but was defeated by labour. 1963 Harold Wilson became labour leader.
CONSENSUS POLITICS
(in sections below) Attlee’s middle way, collectivism from war, Conservative government didn’t roll back labours state extension.Widespread agreement of leaders over policies – economic, social. Slight ideological differenced e.g. Bevan calling Tories ‘ lower than vermin’ and Labour still seen as socialist, Tories accepted
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