Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Harold Macmillan
1957 - 1963
- Coming Into Power
- Eden abdicating, Butler unimpressive in his place
- Macmillan unscathed from Suez
- Macmillan speech 'learn from Suez but don't get overwhelmed'
- 3rd January 1957 as C of Ex. Week later becomes PM
- Economy
- Stop-go
- Prices rising too quickly, 'brake' put on
- Interest rates and taxes rise, harder to borrow
- Production and exports decline, 'accelerator' pressed
- Interest rates and taxes cut, easier to borrow
- Stagflation
- Industry declining, inflation persisting, worst possible occurrence
- By 1964, Balance of Payments deficit of over £800million
- 1959, Heathcoat-Amory election winning giveaway budget. U-turn soon
after
- Britain's GDP lowest in Western Europe
- 1951-1964 GDP Growth Rate: UK 2.3%, Italy 5.6%
- Large defence expenditure over this period,
doesn't reflect data accurately
- 1964, Britain spending £1.7billion on defence. 10% of GDP
- Society
- July 1957, Britain 'never had it so good' speech
- Living standards continually rising
- Average weekly wage of male worker, more than doubled
between 1951-64
- Hire Purchase
- Relatively easy to pay off over time, brought greater freedom and consumer boom
- 1950-65 car sales almost quadrupled
- Housing, 300,000 to be a built a year
- By 1964, Tories claimed to have built 1.7m new homes
- Rent Act, 1957
- 6m properities on market due to end of rate control
- Rent rate considerably high, harder for poor to afford
- 'Property-owning democracy', number of home-owners increasing
- Unemployment
- By 1963, 800,000. Double 1957 Level
- Education
- Edward Boyle, Education Minister 1962-64
- Pushed for end of 11+
- Comprehensive
schools
implemented as test
- Relations
- Emigration still far exceeded Immigration
- Lack of jobs, immigrants blamed
- 1958-59 Riots
- August 1958 Notting Hill
- 'The Salmon Report'
- Teddy Boys
- Commonwealth Immigrations Act 1962
- Many condemnned act as racist
- 1960-62, 230,000 Immigrants To UK
- As News circling
- Youth Subculture
- Mods vs Rockers
- Young ignoring traditional ways
- Especially with rise of satire
- Winds Of Change Speech
- 3 February 1960
- Granting independence to its colonies
- Later Years
- De Gaulle vetoes EEC application
- Americas 'special relationship' with UK cause
- Highly embarrassing for Macmillan
- Vassal Affair 1963
- Profumo Affair 1963
- John Profumo, Minister For War
- Christine Keeler, mistress of Soviet Spy
- Profumo denies in Parliament, then confesses
- Labour Over The Period
- Gaitskell gifted politician, faced differences over party image
- Left of party opposed Gaitskell, Bevanites
- Unilateralists mainly left of party
- CND mainly left
- 1960, Gaitksell manages to drop policy of unilateralism