AGE OF AFFLUENCE

1959 ELECTION
Britain had been led by Conservatives since 1951. Labour had been in from 1945-51 but was torn apart by arguments about the direction of the party. The 1959 election was the third victory in a row for the Conservatives.

Why did the Conservatives win the '59 election?
Conservative Strengths:

Macmillan - strong leader who could make difficult decisions.
They aligned to centrist ideas - Middle England and swing voters.
£350 million tax cuts before the election.
They reminded the electorate of economic growth, high wages and low inflation under the Conservatives.
Played on communist fears - Labour's nationalisation.

Labour Weaknesses:

Identified with the working class rather than the majority.
Public did not want nationalisation of industries.
Gaitskell was not supported by his own party- identity crisis.

Labour Strengths:

They wanted to prevent a nuclear war - unilateral nuclear disarmament.
Gaitskell established Labour as a credible party.

Circumstances:

40% of manual workers now considered themselves middle class.
Timing - it was a time of economic growth.
People remembered the austerity of the Labour government.

THE ESTABLISHMENT
Harold Macmillan
1st Earl of Stockton.
Educated at Eton and Oxford.
Married to Lady Dorothy Cavendish - daughter of 9th Duke of Devonshire.

Alec Douglas-Home
14th Earl of Home.
Educated at Eton and Oxford.
His mother was great-great-grandaughter of PM Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey.

Macmillan's government was based on nepotism - 35 of his 85 ministers were related to him.

Attacks on the Establishment
John Osbourne
1956 - 'Look Back in Anger' - angry young man generation.
His work was characterised by outspoken dissatisfaction with the establishment. His work championed the working classes but his characters were well educated, intelligent and articulate but were denied opportunities due to their social class.

That Was The Week That Was
Groundbreaking in its mocking of the establishment. Macmillan originally supported the programme but during the Profumo Affair he became one of the programme's biggest victims.

Beyond the Fringe
Synonymous with the 60s satire boom. Opened the gates for young people to breathe life into British comedy.
1964 - Peter Cook's impersonation of Macmillan had lost its topicality but was cutting.
Bennett delivered his trademark parody of awful church sermons.

The Profumo Affair
July 1961 - John and Valerie Profumo go to a country estate. Here, they meet Ward and Keeler. Profumo and Keeler's affair begins. Keeler's loved Ivanov - government warned Profumo of the risk and he ended the affair.
March 1963 - John Edgecombe attempts to shoot Keeler. 21st March, Profumo called to House of Commons - he denies any misconduct.
May/June 1963 - Profumo exposed as Keeler's lover. Profumo resigns on 4th June.

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A Sixties Social Revolution?