Britain in 1951: Politics and Consensus

Britain in 1951: Politics

• 1951 election marked the start of 13 years of Conservative rule
• 1979 election initiated an 11-year period of Thatcher's dominance
• 1997 election began the era of New Labour dominance
• Labour's time in government ended in 1951, but the promises outlined in the 1945 election manifesto and its legacy arguably remained for twenty years
• Despite Conservative dominance, the impact of the Welfare State and NHS continued till the mid-1970s
• Conservatives were considered the 'natural party of government' for 35 of the 46 years between 1951 and 1997
• The Labour Party acted as an opposition party, even during their time in power, until Blair's arrival
• The two-party electoral system saw Labour and Conservatives dominating politics from 1951 onward

Britain in 1951: Consensus Politics

• The political gap between major parties narrowed, leading to the rise of consensus politics
• Labour became moderate and patriotic, while Conservatives adopted 'One Nation Tories' approach, aiming to build on national cooperation to maintain a post-war consensus

Britain in 1951: Economy

• The economy faced contradictions, with both difficulties and optimism
• The country had damaged infrastructure, massive debts, loss of pre-war markets, and declining old staple industries
• Britain relied on the US for economic recovery
• Key industries like coal, steel, and rail were nationalized by Attlee
• Many consumer goods were scarce and expensive, but rationing was coming to an end
• Britain's economic growth was slower than its competitors
• Attempts by British governments to modernize the economy and improve productivity were never fully realized
• Optimism arose from the fact that Britain was still one of the leading economic powers, with British companies at the forefront of key sectors like oil, chemicals, and shipping
• British firms were major manufacturers and exporters
• Living standards were rising, with people better dressed and owning more consumer goods
• By 2007, 'poverty' was very different compared to the version in 1951

Britain in 1951: Society

• Most towns and cities were dominated by heavy industry
• Female employment was restricted to mainly single women
• Shortages of consumer goods existed
• A sense of national unity was fostered by the war years, but class divisions remained clear
• Property-owning middle class resided in suburbs and voted Conservative
• working classes resided in urban areas close to factories and voted Labour

Britain in 1951: Social Mobility

• Social mobility had been increased by the impact of war, but Britain remained a class-conscious and deferential society

Britain in 1951: Foreign Policy

• Outwardly, Britain was still a world power, part of the Grand Alliance, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a key ally to the US in the Cold War, and an independent nuclear power
• Reality, Britain was weakened and impoverished after the war
• Its role as a colonial power was declining since WW1, symbolized by the 1947 withdrawal from India
• Britain was militarily and economically overstretched and unable to compete with the US/USSR
• The idea of Britain as a great power was mainly built on illusions

Britain in 1951: Missed Opportunities

• 1951 was a missed opportunity to reassess Britain's position in the world
• It should have scaled down military commitments, accepted the end of imperial grandeur, and joined the EEC, with eyes were fixed on the world beyond Europe, the ‘special relationship’ with the US, on the Empire and Commonwealth
• Britain decided to proceed with an independent nuclear deterrent
• Britain decided to stand aside from the process that led to the formation of the EEC
• The Suez Crisis in 1956 shattered British illusions, and France shut the door to Europe

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Politics

• In 1951, Conservative dominance was not yet apparent
• Churchill, Eden, and Macmillan succeeded each other as PMs
• Labour nearly won the election, with its vote total exceeding the Conservative vote
• Labour could have won more had Attlee been held off until the economy improved

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Attlee Legacy

• The Labour government implemented a Welfare State based on the Beveridge Report recommendations, including National Insurance, National Assistance, Industrial Injuries, and a National Health Service
• They enacted the principle of nationalization, asserting the government's right to direct key aspects of the economy for social justice and efficiency
• Government ownership was expanded to include coal and the Bank of England (1946), road transport and electricity (1947), gas (1948), and iron and steel (1949)
• In 1947, Britain accepted Indian independence, dividing India into India and Pakistan
• GB played a key role in forming NATO in 1949, a defensive alliance of 10 Western European countries to protect against Soviet expansion
• A nuclear power program was initiated
• Research by the Labour government led to the detonation of a British atom bomb in 1952 and a hydrogen bomb in 1957
• A housing program was initiated, resulting in one million new homes being built

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Problems of the Attlee Government

• Heavy economic and financial difficulties, coupled with divisions over prescription costs and nuclear weapons, weighed down Attlee's government
• Economic problems included wartime debts, a balance of payments crisis, declining exports, a dollar gap, defense expenditure, and heavy demands on fuel and power supplies
• Labour's image was tarnished by rationing and high taxation, wage freezes, and devaluation of the £
• Trade Union resentment arose from Labour's slow response to worker's demands
• The left-wing got angry over the entry into the 1950 Korean War
• Some argued that without financial aid from the US, Britain and Europe would not be sustained

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Bevanite Rebellion

• Financial difficulties forced Attlee to impose charges on dental treatment, spectacles, and prescriptions, leading to the Bevanite Rebellion in 1951
• The rebellion resulted in several ministers, led by Bevan, resigning from the Cabinet

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Conservative Recovery

• Labour divisions boosted the Conservative's morale and sharpened attack
• Under Lord Woolton, the party was reorganized
• The nationalization problem was a rallying point for opposing the government

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Conclusions

• Attlee's loss of office was caused by Conservative recovery
• Between 1945 and 1951, Labour gained 2 million votes, while the Conservatives gained nearly 4 million and squeezed into power
• The Liberal Party's decision to field only 109 candidates, a drop of 366, benefited the Conservatives
• The Labour Party gained the highest aggregate vote ever achieved by any party
• In Britain, a party can poll more votes than its opponents and still be defeated due to the 'First Past the Post' electoral system

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Labour's Legacy

• Labour set policies followed in essentials by Labour and Conservative governments for 35 years
• Before Thatcher, there was a broad level of agreement on domestic and foreign issues
• 1951 Britain was shaped with the Great Depression of the 1930s never to be repeated
• Nation had come together to defeat the forces of evil by heroic national effort in Second World War

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Consensus Politics

• Keynesian principles of public expenditure and state direction, with unemployment never exceeding 2%
• Welfare based on the Beveridge Report
• Education focused to create equal opportunity
• Pro-American and anti-Soviet foreign policy
• Independence for Britain's former colonies

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: The Post-War Consensus?

• Legacy of national unity
• Conservatives convinced of the need for 'big government'
• Acceptance of the importance of trade unions
• Implementation of the Beveridge Report with the NHS iconic
• Mixed Economy

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Why Conservertives Continued Labour Policies

• Welfare state and nationalisation could not be outright rejected or reversed
• The mixed economy and Keynesian economics were accepted by both parties
• Sharp policy differences and broad lines of convergence existed, making consensus difficult to define

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Arguments Supporting Consensus

• There existed a collective age of politics because of shared experiences of Second World War
• There existed broad agreement between all parties on fundamentals of economic, social and foreign policies

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964:Arguments Against Consensus

• It is possible to consider consensus an illusion that rapidly fades the closer one gets to it
• Conservatives denationalised the steel industry and road transport

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Historial Opinions on Consensus

• Attlee set the foundation stone of all that is best about post-war Britain, including the fusion of hospitals into the National Health Service, and the changing empire into a Commonwealth
• The Attlee government of 1945-51 set the political agenda for the next quarter century with big government and a drive towards Equality
• Post war consensus was a mistaken belief leading to Britain overly depending on a 'nanny state' producing a generation unable to look after themselves

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Potential Exam Question

• Approach explanation of post-war consensus by covering legacy of Attlee, national unity, reorganisation of conservatives and election result of 1951

The Post War Consensus 1951-1964: Factors Effecting Politics

• A fear amongst leaders not to be seen as party of unemployment
• Realisation experiences because of Second World War made state intervention and planning acceptable
• Rise of Nigel Lawsons big government
• Positive Trade Union relations
• British Politics prone to the Pendulum effect if radical policies employed
• Lack of strong parliamentary majority

Conservative Dominance 1951-1964

• Reorganisation of party led by Lord Woolton and new Conservative MP's with ideas
• Recognition of public for legacy of Attlee administrations
• End of austerity and start of post-war boom
• Strong individuals in power
• Infighting between Bevanites and Gaitskellites weakening Labour

Conservative Dominance 1951-1964: Themes

• Mixed economy
• National Unity
• Big Government
• Full Employment
• Strong Trade Unions
• Welfare State
• Conservative majority too small to dismantle Attlee Legacy

Post War Politics 1951-1964: Personalities

• Churchill served as PM from 1951-55
• Anthony Eden roles as acting PM and key ministers such as Butler and MacMillan
• Anthony Eden actual PM from 1955-57
• MacMillan was a successful housing minister before becoming PM in 1957

Conservative Dominance 1951-1964 Age of Affluence

• Weekly wage rises of £8.30 in 1951 to £15.35 in 1961, large increases in personal savings, car owner ship, home ownership and arrival of new towns saw state subsidies to farmers and end of rationing
• Surge in consumer goods ownership in TV's, white goods and furniture symbolised affluence

Conservative Dominance 1951-1964 General Election Win

• Conservatives won 68 seats on 49.7% vote and Labour 46.4%
• 'give-away' budget boosted by middle class
• Affluence created a feel good factor
• Eden called an early election after Churchill
• Splits in Labour continued
• Attlee Retires

Conservative Dominance 1951-1964 Eden V MacMillan

• 1955 Eden becomes Prime Minister with high sense of optimism and desire to focus on progressive ideas in domestic and industrial affaris
• Ironically Edens downfall came from a failure in international affairs with the 1956 Suze Crisis due to American pressure and economic reasons
• Eden seemed weak, losing support
• Macmillan was elected as Chancellor and led for Britain to abort Suez
• Eden resigned from poor health in 1957

Conservative Dominance 1951-1964 Macmillan Takeover

• Conservative Party recovers quickly due to Macmillan with no lasting splits
• Economic prosperity continued gaining votes for minister who provided successful housing minister
• Labour Party in this period with their own problems with Gaitskell
• Few change in party with Eden disappearing

Dominace 1951-1964 Macmillan

• Post Economic boom in operation and Labour party in disarray because of internals
• Media Seemed to support Macmillan elegance and theatrical style
• The era considered most the most left wing

Conservative and Unionist Cabinate

• Cabinate efficient in political view
• Favourable election because of economy

Conservative Victory 1959

• Affluence grew
• Post economic consumer prosperity and confidence rose
• Supermac personality and efficient cabinate of managers
• Opposition divisions through labour over disagreement issues
• Conservative recovery with power to manage labour split

Labour Divisions in Dominace Period

• Loss in 1951, Labour pulled in 14 million votes
• split between Bevan and Gaitskell harmed effectiveness
• Opposition in constant disaray due to personal and idelogical feuds
• Failiure to Exploit Suez crisis, although the loss of the Labour's

Success

• Nuclear weapons, Europe and Clause IV caused concern within Labour

Labour Divisons After Dominace loss

• Split due to oppostion to leadership
• Divison seen due to nuclear weaponry
• Labour position increased because private eye

Summarised Labour Divisons In The Dominance

• Gaitskill took over with problems due to his right position
• Internal divison over government and prosperity led way to poor elections

Conservative Economics

• Macmillan surived crisis to do good
• Made sure inflation did not stay
• Made clear to avoid an employment crises

Economics Through Macmillan

• Summer issue with a risk in devualtion of wages
• Overheated conomy came in
• MacMillan side with expansionist and stop go
• Problems because trade did not work out well in empirial empire

Macmillan Conservative Record

• Ecnomy picked up in 1950
• Trade did not improve. Britain fell
• Share in manufacture and exports went down

Eurpoean Outlook In Era

• 1959 - British led and formed European Free Trade area ,not matching EEC!
• Hope boost production lead to better economy

Economic Decline

• Unemployment rose due to cutting and tax
• Economic Boom improved consumer spendings but wages high and value reduced
• Economy went down through 1962 onwards
• Stop Gap lead up the high infaltion and loans
• EEC was rejecing
• Bleeching act

Conseravtive Economic Policy

• economic decline in high infaltion in B and Germany

The Fall Of Macmilllan

• Government cut,
• Scandal of his 1963,
• Illness in Douglas Homen

Macmillan Economics

• Supermac
• Mixed economics, target attacking the inflations
• Social tension
• Living tension ,Youth and Employment

Conservative Decline

• Close to Election
• Government Embarrassed , Scandanals
• Labour increased

The Society Under Conservative Reign

• Moulded by ww2 and national service
• Great to people
• Three effects
• Heath
• Immigation
• Social Changed

Infracstructure

• Government wanted to replace old houses and slums
• Change to lives
• Cars
• Main Roads
• Rails

Violence Rise under conservative Rule

• Immagrants
• Teddy boys
• 1950 crime wave
• 1960 new crimes

Factors rise

• Not crimes
• Disrespected
• Overthetop politics

Education

• Class divide
• Test issue
• Rowe Conformise change
• Suez crisis changed manuiplating Culture

Economy and Press

Culture

Society

• Immigration
• Democracy
• Press