(4) How far did the Conservatives follow Labour policy from 1951-5?

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A level British History (Conservatives, Churchill, Eden 1951-57) Mind Map on (4) How far did the Conservatives follow Labour policy from 1951-5?, created by Marcus Danvers on 18/12/2013.
Marcus  Danvers
Mind Map by Marcus Danvers, updated more than 1 year ago
Marcus  Danvers
Created by Marcus Danvers almost 11 years ago
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(4) How far did the Conservatives follow Labour policy from 1951-5?
  1. Housing
    1. The minister for Housing Macmillan achived 318,750 houses in the years 1952-3, beating there and Labours target of 300,000 homes a year.
      1. This was achivied because of the lowering of standers, allowing slighly smaller council houses to be built. Some of the restrictions on privet house building and the use of land were relaxed, but still 80% of houses built were local authorities
        1. There were differences in the housing policy compared with Labour, the standards were dropped but the numbers of house promised were the same
        2. Health
          1. Macleod left the NHS much the same as he found it, this was a period of consolidation.
            1. Spending on the health service did fall from 3.75% of GDP to 3.24% in 1953-4
              1. There was growing evidence in the 50's that smoking causted lung cancer but the Conservative government did nothing because the tobbaco company pay huge amoute in tax (the more smokers, the more profits than more income tax would be collected) so no actio was taken.
                1. Conserative approach to health was similar to Labours policies
                  1. The new deal pressure limited the Conserative from "recuting of the jewel of Labours wealfare crown"
                2. Education
                  1. The new Eduction Minister Florence Horsbrough wanted the butler act fully implemented but education found it self at the back of the quew for money, under Labour it was behind Housing, Health and Defence. The Conservative followed this approach
                    1. School building in the post war baby boom came to a halt and pupil-teacher rations in primary schools declined in the 1953-4.
                      1. University students fell from 85,000 in 1950 to 82,000 in 1954
                        1. Not until a strong-mined minister, David Eccles in October 1954 did matter improve because he remade the case for education as a national investment not a tax payer burden
                        2. Economy
                          1. The conservatives government faced grave balance of payments sitution. The Korean war had raised commodity prices and exports to the us has temporarily fallen. The result was another dollar gap and a run on Britain's reserves to pay for imports. the hude defence commitments abroad also drrained money form the UK, "blood is draining from the system and the prospect of collapse greater than in 1931"
                            1. Dollar Gap means: A shortage of dollars earned from exports which were necessary to pay for imports
                            2. The bank rate was raised and travel allowances was cut the £50. Steel denationalisted, Rationing ended and Churchill wanted to continue the development of a Nuclear Weapon. Butler Cut income tax and purchase tax in 1953 due to the healthier state of the reserves (this was because of a surge in exports to the USA as the country enteres a boom , despite the cuts
                              1. There were differences in how the Labour and Conservatives ran the economy
                                1. Gatskill favoured high direct taxation and government control
                                  1. Butler favoured economic control through interest rates
                                    1. But they did agree on trying to maintain full employment whilst achieving economic growth
                                  2. Workers and strikes
                                    1. The conservative failed to take on rising trade union power. There membership had swollen in numbers to record levels of membership
                                      1. Due to the high rates of employment, high demand from customers starved of goods, and relatively high corporate profits meant that there was an insatiable demand for skilled labour.
                                        1. It was easy for forms to pass on higher costs caused by generous wage settlements.
                                        2. Butler at the treasury confessed that he had no wages policy.
                                          1. "Walter's friend with trade union leaders"
                                            1. There was an astonishing number of industrial works were employed by the state - some 1.7 million in the transport, the mines and power industry alone. Monckton bought them off
                                              1. They know what they were doing, as Macmillan, when chancellor said the railway strike of June 1955 had done "much harm" to the economy
                                              2. By 1958 as prime minister, he steeled himself to hold out against just the kind of transport strike Churchill would have settled with a phone call. due to the rise of Inflation
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