OCR Specification focus:
‘Conservative leadership of Churchill, Eden, Macmillan and Home; economic policies, Butskellism; scandals including Vassall, Philby, Argyll and Profumo.’
Britain between 1951 and 1964 was shaped by Conservative dominance, influenced by leadership styles, economic approaches, and public scandals that both reinforced and undermined party authority.
Leadership of Conservative Prime Ministers
Winston Churchill (1951–1955)
When the Conservatives returned to power in 1951, Winston Churchill was already aged and in declining health. His leadership was largely symbolic, with his reputation as a wartime leader securing political credibility. However, his government was relatively inactive on major domestic reforms, leaving day-to-day governance to deputies such as Anthony Eden, Rab Butler and Harold Macmillan.
Churchill prioritised foreign affairs, particularly relations with the USA and managing Britain’s place in the Cold War.
Domestically, he maintained the post-war consensus, continuing with Labour’s welfare provisions and mixed economy.
Anthony Eden (1955–1957)
Eden succeeded Churchill in 1955 with a strong reputation as Foreign Secretary. Initially popular, his authority quickly collapsed following the Suez Crisis of 1956.
His decision to join France and Israel in an invasion of Egypt after Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal ended in humiliation when the USA refused support.
The crisis exposed Britain’s weakened global position and destroyed Eden’s credibility, leading to his resignation.
Harold Macmillan (1957–1963)
Known as “Supermac”, Macmillan restored stability and enjoyed widespread popularity for much of his premiership. His leadership combined confidence in prosperity with careful management of his Cabinet.
He cultivated the image of calm reassurance, famously claiming that Britons had “never had it so good.”
Harold Macmillan photographed in 1960 during his premiership. The image supports discussion of his reassuring leadership persona amid rising affluence and low unemployment. It is an official archival photograph and does not add policy detail beyond the syllabus. Source
He expanded housing, oversaw economic growth, and maintained the balance of the post-war consensus.
However, his government later faced challenges from wage inflation, economic slowdown, and public scandals.
Alec Douglas-Home (1963–1964)
Home became Prime Minister unexpectedly after Macmillan’s resignation due to ill health. His aristocratic background and perceived outdated style weakened his public image.
He faced a revitalised Labour Party under Harold Wilson.
His brief premiership was marked by a struggle to modernise the Conservatives and limited time to exert authority before the 1964 election defeat.
Economic Policies
Butskellism
The term Butskellism was coined from the names of Conservative Rab Butler and Labour’s Hugh Gaitskell.
A 1950s political cartoon satirising the bipartisan economic consensus dubbed “Butskellism.” Nameplates and props underscore the blending of Labour and Conservative approaches. The cartoon also alludes to foreign-policy bipartisanship, which is extra detail beyond the syllabus focus on domestic economic policy. Source
Butskellism: A broad political consensus in the 1950s and early 1960s in which both Labour and Conservative governments supported a mixed economy, welfare state, and moderate Keynesian economic management.
This consensus included:
Maintaining the welfare state and National Health Service.
State intervention in key industries alongside private enterprise.
Commitment to full employment.
Keynesian demand management, adjusting taxes and spending to control growth and inflation.
Conservative Economic Management
The Conservatives benefitted from post-war affluence and a consumer boom. Key features included:
Rising living standards, higher wages, and increased consumer spending.
Expansion of house building, with Macmillan overseeing ambitious targets of 300,000 new homes per year.
Low unemployment for much of the period, rarely rising above 2%.
However, weaknesses began to appear:
Stop-go economics: a cycle of government intervention alternately stimulating and restraining the economy to address balance of payments problems.
Pressure on sterling and dependence on foreign loans.
Limited investment in modernising industry, leaving Britain lagging behind competitors such as West Germany and Japan
Political Scandals
The Vassall Affair (1962)
John Vassall, a civil servant at the Admiralty, was exposed as a Soviet spy. Although ministers were cleared of wrongdoing, suspicion of homosexual blackmail (at a time when homosexuality was illegal) damaged the government’s reputation.
The Philby Case (1963)
Kim Philby, a senior MI6 officer, defected to the Soviet Union, having been a member of the Cambridge Spy Ring. His long history of betrayal raised questions about government competence and security services.
The Argyll Divorce Case (1963)
The Duke of Argyll’s divorce revealed allegations of adultery involving high-profile figures. The scandal fuelled perceptions of immorality among Britain’s elite, compounding a sense of establishment decline.
The Profumo Affair (1963)
The most damaging scandal of the era involved John Profumo, Secretary of State for War.
Spring Cottage, Cliveden, where John Profumo first encountered Christine Keeler, providing the setting for the 1963 scandal that damaged Macmillan’s government. The image offers geographical context to the episode. The page’s note that the cottage is part of a hotel today is extra background and not required by the syllabus. Source
Profumo Affair: A 1963 scandal in which John Profumo admitted to misleading Parliament about his affair with Christine Keeler, who was simultaneously involved with a Soviet naval attaché.
The affair suggested both moral corruption and national security risks. Macmillan’s government never recovered from the loss of credibility, with the scandal symbolising the collapse of Conservative authority before the 1964 election.
Impact of Leadership, Economics and Scandals
The combination of steady but cautious leadership, the maintenance of consensus economic policy, and damaging public scandals created a contradictory political climate. While prosperity and stability characterised much of Conservative rule, the party’s reputation for integrity and modernity eroded, setting the stage for electoral defeat by Labour in 1964.
FAQ
Churchill’s advanced age and declining health meant he often delegated domestic affairs.
Key deputies included:
Anthony Eden handling foreign policy.
Rab Butler managing economic and educational reforms.
Harold Macmillan overseeing housing targets.
This reliance created continuity but also highlighted Churchill’s symbolic role more than his practical governance.
The Suez Crisis caused deep divisions within the Conservative Party. Some MPs believed Eden had acted decisively to defend Britain’s interests, while others criticised his lack of honesty about the collusion with France and Israel.
The episode weakened loyalty to Eden, damaged Britain’s international credibility, and undermined the Conservatives’ claim to strong foreign policy leadership.
Delivered in 1957, the phrase symbolised prosperity. Macmillan linked rising living standards to Conservative economic management.
However, the speech also contained warnings about inflation and consumer debt, often overlooked in public memory. It became a cultural shorthand for the consumer boom of the 1950s, reinforcing Macmillan’s reassuring leadership style.
Douglas-Home was criticised for his aristocratic background and outdated image.
He renounced his peerage to sit in the Commons but remained associated with an elite class.
His conversational, informal leadership style contrasted with Labour’s Harold Wilson, who portrayed himself as a modern, scientific leader.
This contrast reinforced perceptions that the Conservatives were failing to adapt to social change.
The scandal showed growing public scrutiny of political and sexual morality.
Tabloid press coverage intensified, exposing private lives of politicians.
Links between sex, espionage, and government credibility revealed Cold War anxieties.
The public appetite for transparency indicated a decline in deference towards the political establishment.
It symbolised a cultural shift, making scandals more politically damaging in the television and mass media age.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks)
Name two political scandals that damaged the reputation of the Conservative governments between 1951 and 1964.
Mark Scheme:
Award 1 mark for each correctly identified scandal (maximum 2 marks).
Accept: Vassall Affair, Philby Case, Argyll Divorce Case, Profumo Affair.
Do not award marks for vague answers such as “spy scandal” without naming it.
Question 2 (6 marks)
Explain how the economic policies of the Conservative governments between 1951 and 1964 were influenced by the idea of Butskellism.
Mark Scheme:
Level 1 (1–2 marks):
Limited knowledge of Butskellism, e.g. a basic statement such as “Conservatives followed Labour’s policies.”
Minimal or no explanation.
Level 2 (3–4 marks):
Some accurate knowledge of Butskellism (e.g. support for the welfare state, full employment, mixed economy).
Some explanation of how Conservative policies reflected this (e.g. building 300,000 houses a year, low unemployment, acceptance of nationalised industries).
Explanation may be partial or lack depth.
Level 3 (5–6 marks):
Clear, developed knowledge of Butskellism as a consensus between Butler and Gaitskell.
Specific explanation of Conservative economic policies in line with this consensus: maintaining the NHS and welfare state, demand management, “stop-go” economics.
Direct link between the concept of Butskellism and the practical policies pursued.
