Conservative political dominance between 1951 and 1964 essay

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Conservative political dominance between 1951 and 1964 was mainly due to the qualities of their leaders. Assess the validity of this view?

The conservative party were able to enjoy political dominance partly due to the qualities and strengths of their leaders as they were experienced and appealed to the electorate, however the growth of affluence was the most significant cause for their political dominance as there was a growth of prosperity and living standards had considerably improved since WW2 which persuaded the electorate to vote for the conservatives allowing the conservatives to win a 26-seat majority. There are other factors such labour divisions within the party which portrayed them an unorganised and incompetent of running the country. The conservatives handling of the economy meant that the electorate no longer had to face the austerity and viewed the tory as competent.

The strengths of the conservative leaders had contributed to their political dominance as they were experienced which made them well suited for this role. Churchill was experienced and received credibility for having led England to the victory of WW1 which suggests that he was suitable for this position and had the support of the electorate. However, he was often out of the country fulfilling his role as a statesman which means that he did not focus his energy on the domestic issues within Britain. This did not appeal to voters. Eden was also well experienced in running the country as deputy prime minister whilst Churchill was out of the country, but the Suez crisis was a humiliating event for Eden as he was portrayed a poor leader suggesting this was not the main cause for their political dominance. Moreover, Macmillan had become a target for satirists in the 1960s as he had an association with the establishment which had significantly damaged his reputation and was criticised for his government being dominated by aristocratic ministers. Home had a poor media image and was seen as out of touch. His inability to effectively handle the profumo scandal in 1963 indicated his weakness as a leader. Although the conservative leaders were well experienced this was not the main cause for their political dominance as their reputation had been damaged by the scandals and involvement in foreign affairs.

The labour weaknesses had contributed to the tory political dominance as they were unable to portray a strong party image. There were huge disagreements between the prescription charges which had led to the resignation of a few cabinet members as this was seen as a betrayal of socialist principle. There were also divisions over nuclear disarmament. The left wing of the labour party was seen as being close with CND which angered many voters as giving up nuclear weapons would portray Britain as weak and will no longer be seen as an influential world power which had contributed to the conservative political dominance as it allowed the conservatives to focus on their ideal and the labour was losing support.

The conservatives use of budget politics was a method used to appeal to the voter during elections which had contribute to their political dominance. In 1959 Macmillan introduced a give away budget which included a range of tax cuts and made accessing credit easier. This was a political ploy to appeal to the electorate with the 1959 general election in mind suggesting that the use of budget politics had contributed to their political dominance as they persuaded the electorate that they were experiencing an improvement in the standards of living. However, this resulted in a familiar pattern of inflation and balance of payment crisis. Inflation had reached 5.5% in 1961, this quick reversal policy between expansionist and deflationary meant that the use of budget politics was not the most important reason for their dominance as conservative approach to the economy was criticised.

The conservative political dominance was due to the growth of affluence as the electorate had experienced a growth of prosperity after the poor living conditions experienced during the war. rationing had ended in 1954 and Britain had made an economic recovery from the war which led to a decrease in unemployment and an increase of real wages form £8.30 in 1951 to £15.35 in 1961 meant that the sense of affluence had continued despite the high inflation. Consumer spending had also increased for example car ownership increased by 25% in 1959. This suggests that the growth of affluence was the most important cause for the conservative dominance as they experienced an improvement in living standards which meant that they continued voting for the conservatives.

To conclude, despite the conservative leaders having the experience and expertise in running the country they were often associated with the establishment which opened them up for criticism, the divisions within the labour party had portrayed them as ineffective and unorganised which did not appeal to the electorate which contributed to the conservative dominance. The use of budget politics was partly effective in convincing the electorate to vote for the electorate however it had led the country to experience high inflation. Ultimately it was the growth of affluence which led to the conservative political dominance as they experienced improved standards of living which appealed to the electorate which meant the conservatives were able to gain support.

what mark do you think this essay is. its out of 25.
improvements I can make to this essay???

Conservative political dominance between 1951 and 1964 was mainly due to the qualities of their leaders. Assess the validity of this view?

The conservative party were able to enjoy political dominance partly due to the qualities and strengths of their leaders as they were experienced and appealed to the electorate, however the growth of affluence was the most significant cause for their political dominance as there was a growth of prosperity and living standards had considerably improved since WW2 which persuaded the electorate to vote for the conservatives allowing the conservatives to win a 26-seat majority. There are other factors such labour divisions within the party which portrayed them an unorganised and incompetent of running the country. The conservatives handling of the economy meant that the electorate no longer had to face the austerity and viewed the tory as competent.

The strengths of the conservative leaders had contributed to their political dominance as they were experienced which made them well suited for this role. Churchill was experienced and received credibility for having led England to the victory of WW1 which suggests that he was suitable for this position and had the support of the electorate. However, he was often out of the country fulfilling his role as a statesman which means that he did not focus his energy on the domestic issues within Britain. This did not appeal to voters. Eden was also well experienced in running the country as deputy prime minister whilst Churchill was out of the country, but the Suez crisis was a humiliating event for Eden as he was portrayed a poor leader suggesting this was not the main cause for their political dominance. Moreover, Macmillan had become a target for satirists in the 1960s as he had an association with the establishment which had significantly damaged his reputation and was criticised for his government being dominated by aristocratic ministers. Home had a poor media image and was seen as out of touch. His inability to effectively handle the profumo scandal in 1963 indicated his weakness as a leader. Although the conservative leaders were well experienced this was not the main cause for their political dominance as their reputation had been damaged by the scandals and involvement in foreign affairs.

The labour weaknesses had contributed to the tory political dominance as they were unable to portray a strong party image. There were huge disagreements between the prescription charges which had led to the resignation of a few cabinet members as this was seen as a betrayal of socialist principle. There were also divisions over nuclear disarmament. The left wing of the labour party was seen as being close with CND which angered many voters as giving up nuclear weapons would portray Britain as weak and will no longer be seen as an influential world power which had contributed to the conservative political dominance as it allowed the conservatives to focus on their ideal and the labour was losing support.

The conservatives use of budget politics was a method used to appeal to the voter during elections which had contribute to their political dominance. In 1959 Macmillan introduced a give away budget which included a range of tax cuts and made accessing credit easier. This was a political ploy to appeal to the electorate with the 1959 general election in mind suggesting that the use of budget politics had contributed to their political dominance as they persuaded the electorate that they were experiencing an improvement in the standards of living. However, this resulted in a familiar pattern of inflation and balance of payment crisis. Inflation had reached 5.5% in 1961, this quick reversal policy between expansionist and deflationary meant that the use of budget politics was not the most important reason for their dominance as conservative approach to the economy was criticised.

The conservative political dominance was due to the growth of affluence as the electorate had experienced a growth of prosperity after the poor living conditions experienced during the war. rationing had ended in 1954 and Britain had made an economic recovery from the war which led to a decrease in unemployment and an increase of real wages form £8.30 in 1951 to £15.35 in 1961 meant that the sense of affluence had continued despite the high inflation. Consumer spending had also increased for example car ownership increased by 25% in 1959. This suggests that the growth of affluence was the most important cause for the conservative dominance as they experienced an improvement in living standards which meant that they continued voting for the conservatives.

To conclude, despite the conservative leaders having the experience and expertise in running the country they were often associated with the establishment which opened them up for criticism, the divisions within the labour party had portrayed them as ineffective and unorganised which did not appeal to the electorate which contributed to the conservative dominance. The use of budget politics was partly effective in convincing the electorate to vote for the electorate however it had led the country to experience high inflation. Ultimately it was the growth of affluence which led to the conservative political dominance as they experienced improved standards of living which appealed to the electorate which meant the conservatives were able to gain support.