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The sixties 1964-70 - Coggle Diagram
The sixties 1964-70
Wilson and labour governments
Wilson's ideology and leadership
He was left wing and a Bevanite. He supported Britain having nuclear weapons and he attempted to reform the trade unions
Economic policies and problems
Modernisation of the British economy was a key priorities. Britain was lagging behind other countries at this time. the affluence of the PWC had not been reflected in productivity and growth rates. Britain was trapped in a cycle of stop-go policies. the 2 economic solutions to this; deflation and devaluation Wilson didn't want to do. instead Wilson set up the DEA. He put brown in charge of it. none of browns policies past so instead the government bought in a prices and incomes polices but there was still another sterling crisis in 1966. Labour survived this sterling crisis. they were rejected from the EEC again. Roy Jenkins used deflationary methods which helped labour get a strong victory in the 1970 general election
Industrial relations and the trade unions
A key element in the post war consensus was the influence of the trade unions. In 1966-67 industrial relations began to deteriorate. strikes were on the rise. a lot of strikes were sudden and by local activists. Wilson and his new employment minister planned to limit the unoffical strikes.
Domestic policies
labour felt that the domestic reforms would make people over look the economic problems and make them popular again but it didn't
Troubles in Northern Island
The troubles started after the war of independence. the people of northern Ireland were split into 2 groups unions and nationalists. most People in northern Ireland were protestant. the police force set up to stop violence in Ireland were biased against Catholics. Civil rights movements that Occurred to protest against catholic discrimination
the End of the Post War Consensus
there were the first signs that the post war consensus were breaking down, trade unions were uncooperative. they were questioning wether to reform unions and if they ensure full unemployment.
The loss of the 1970 election
In some ways the conservative win was a surprise, the labour government got it through hard times but they still lost
Liberal reforming legislation
Private members bill
These allowed backbench MPs to propose legislations and reforms and the home secretary was sympathetic and enabled enough time to be available for the reforms to be passed
The end of capital punishment
There had always been opposition to the death penalty but i received a particular boost after ruth ellis was sentenced to death. the Tories had lowered the crimes that carried the death penaltu but the labour backbencher Sydney Silverman advocated for it and in 1969 it was permanently banned
Divorce reform
Until the 1960s to get a divorce it need evidence that one party had committed adultery. Roy Jenkins believed that this Law was outdated following the divorce reform it mean that people could get divorced if they had lived apart for 2 years and both parties wanted divorce and if they had lived together for 5 years and one party wanted a divorce
The legislation of abortion
Until 1967 abortion was illegal the only way to terminate was through back street abortions. 100-200 thousand abortions happened a year illegally and 35,000 were admitted to hospital due to backstreet abortions. The liberal MP David Steel led the campaign in the parliament. The Abortion Act permitted the legal termination of pregnancy within the first 28 weeks, under medical supervision, and with written consent of 2 doctors,
The legislation of homosexual relations
up into the 1960s men could be imprisoned for 2 years for being homosexual. the conservatives had rejected the recommendation to decriminalise it. A Labor back-bencher Leo Abse took it to parliament. in 1967 the sexual offences act was passed. although it didn't legalise homosexuality it decriminalised it if these conditions were met; both partners had to consent, it had to be in private, both had to be over the age of 21
Educational reform
they developed comprehensive schools, the expansion of higher education and the inauguration of the open university.
Prime Ministers
Harold Wilson