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Britain since 1945 - Coggle Diagram
Britain since 1945
1964 – 1970 Harold Wilson (Labour)
The Labour successfully addressed issues in the new era of liberalism => promised economic growth from government planning (failed)
Social reforms: capital punishment abolition, allow homosexuality, legalise abortions, make divorce easier, lower voting age 21->18, race legislation, equal pay legislation
Apolitical independent open votes on social issues => no interparty divide + no strong association with Wilson
1990 – 1997 John Major (Conservative)
"Back to basics" campaign on core Conservative policies and values
No vision or ideology; his lack of judgment managed to alienate just about every part of his Party.
Raised taxes substantially, presided over the ejection of sterling from the European Monetary System, and failed to heal his Party’s rift over the issue of further political integration in the European Union
2001 William Hague new leader of the CP
"Euro-sceptic" policy
Manifesto on keeping the pound
1997 – 2007 Tony Blair (Labour)
Privatisation was retained, as were low direct taxes, and apart from a brief period of reversal so were quasi-market based reforms to public services. However, government regulation of the economy grew exponentially and indirect taxation grew massively too in order to finance expenditure on public services
Deregulation
No vast idological difference
The opposition campaigns on a technocratic ticket
1945 – 1951 Clement Attlee (Labour)
Labour had a clear transformational vision for society (universal welfare state, state ownership) , unlike conservatives' "cult of personality" of Churchill
Electorate was scared of unemployment of 1930s => Labour Keynesian Demand management could guarantee full employment
1951 – 1955 Winston Churchill (Conservative)
1945 "I have nothing to say to them [electorate]" no vision beyond wartime transformation
1945-51 Churchill was uninterested in domestic politics, staying abroad => Got away with it due to his historic status
Poor office manager compared to Atlee
Good orator - Nobel Prize for literature
Reluctantly accepted the idea of a mixed economy by Atlee, although was opposed to state ownership
1955 – 1957 Anthony Eden (Conservative)
The catastrophe of the Suez crisis in 1956
1957 – 1963 Harold Macmillan (Conservative)
Government became subject to economic stagnation => stagflation
The "Profumo" scandal
"The night of the long knives" - fired a third of his Cabinet
Sudden prostate issue led to resignation => No clear successor => Unilateral decision on the predecessor
1970 – 1974 Edward Heath (Conservative)
Principal policy achievement was to negotiate Britain’s entry into the European Economic Community
Heath also brought us U-turns in both industrial and macro-economic policies, and the so called ‘three day week’ in the winter of 1973-74
1976 – 1979 James Callaghan (Labour)
"Lib-Lab pact"
1979 – 1990 Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)
Vigorous free market policies
Hostile towards EEC
2010 – 2016 David Cameron (Conservative)
Coalition with Nick Clegg as the deputy Prime Minister
Rise of UKIP => Brexit referendum
Failed to make it apolitical like Wilson => Huge party divide => "Referendum on David Cameron"
2016 – 2019 Theresa May (Conservative)
Cult of personality
No clear stance on how to have Brexit done
Minority government with the support of DUP (NI)
Parliament didn't agree on May's withdrawal agreement nor on any alternative => Constitutional crisis
2019 - ??? Boris Johnson (Conservative)
"Nuclear strategy" to force through the withdrawal irrespective of Parliament
1963 – 1964 Alec Douglas-Home (Conservative)
1974 – 1976 Harold Wilson (Labour)
2007 – 2010 Gordon Brown (Labour)