Conservative Governments in Modern Britain - AQA A Level Notes

Conservative Political Dominance $1951-1955$

Churchill's unexpected return to power in 1951 came despite Labour actually winning more votes - the quirks of our electoral system gave the Tories more seats with 48.0% of the vote versus Labour's 48.8%. Labour was also dealing with the Bevanite Quarrel, a damaging split when Aneurin Bevan resigned over prescription charges being introduced.

Churchill brought serious wartime credibility but struggled with domestic politics after 1951. At 77, he was often ill (including a major stroke in 1953 that was kept secret) and spent more time travelling abroad than actually running the country. His approach was quite unconventional - he even tried to get Liberal politicians into his Conservative cabinet because he saw himself as above party politics.

The day-to-day running of government fell to three key figures: Anthony Eden (the expected successor), R.A. Butler (Chancellor who worked well with trade unions), and Harold Macmillan (a "one-nation Tory" who believed the upper classes had obligations to help the working classes). However, these three didn't get along particularly well, creating underlying tensions that would last throughout the Conservative years.

Key Insight: Churchill's leadership style meant he was more of a figurehead whilst his deputies actually ran domestic policy - quite different from how we expect Prime Ministers to operate today.

Eden and Macmillan's Leadership $1955-1963$

Anthony Eden initially looked promising when he finally became PM in 1955, even increasing the Conservative majority by 43 seats in that year's election. However, his expertise was in foreign policy, and he quickly showed he was completely out of his depth with domestic issues and economic decisions.

The Suez Crisis of 1956 absolutely destroyed Eden's career. He secretly planned with France and Israel for Israel to invade Egypt, then lied to Parliament about Britain's involvement. When the Americans forced Britain to back down, it exposed just how financially weak the country had become. Eden resigned in 1957, officially due to "ill health" but really because his reputation was in tatters.

Harold Macmillan took over and proved much more successful initially. He restored party unity and benefited from the post-war economic boom - unemployment was low and living standards were rising. His confident media presence earned him the nickname "Supermac," and in 1959 he won a landslide election victory with the famous slogan about people having "never had it so good."

The Conservatives largely accepted Labour's earlier reforms, creating what became known as the post-war consensus - both parties agreed on supporting the NHS, working with trade unions, maintaining full employment, and having a mixed economy with both state and private sectors.

Key Insight: The "Butskellism" concept (combining Butler and Labour's Gaitskell) showed how similar the main parties had become on major policy issues during this period.

Labour's Internal Struggles and Conservative Decline

Labour's defeat in 1951 was particularly frustrating because they'd actually won 14 million votes - more than in their previous victories. The party was torn apart by a bitter rivalry between Aneurin Bevan (the left-wing architect of the NHS) and Hugh Gaitskell (representing the party's right wing). This split completely undermined Labour's effectiveness as an opposition.

The divisions got worse after their 1955 leadership contest, with arguments over nuclear weapons and how socialist the party should be. When Frank Cousins became leader of the massive Transport Workers Union, he led fierce opposition to Gaitskell's more moderate approach. Things only improved after 1960 when Harold Wilson emerged as a unifying figure.

Meanwhile, Macmillan's government began falling apart in the early 1960s. A series of disasters hit: Britain's application to join the European Economic Community was rejected, several spy scandals embarrassed the government, and the Profumo Affair (where a cabinet minister lied about his relationship with a woman who was also involved with a Soviet spy) made the Tories look completely out of touch.

The final blow came when Macmillan became seriously ill and resigned in 1963. The Conservatives chose Lord Home as his replacement - an aristocrat who had to give up his peerage to sit in the House of Commons. This made the party look like it was stuck in the past, setting them up perfectly for defeat by Labour's more modern-looking Harold Wilson in 1964.

Key Insight: The Conservative decline shows how quickly political fortunes can change - from "Supermac" at his peak to a party that looked completely outdated within just a few years.