Why did the Conservatives win elections from 1951-64

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  • Why did the Conservatives win elections from 1951-1964?
    • Conservative Strengths
      • Impressive organisation and leadership
        • Macmillan was a popular leader
        • Able to quickly remove leaders who failed (Eden after Suez crisis)
        • The "Churchill Factor" - 1951-1955
      • Economic Manipulation
        • Tax cutting budgets around the time of elections made voters temporarily more prosperous
      • Exploiting Labour Weaknesses
        • Denationalized the steel industry
        • 1955 election campaign capitalized on a divided party
        • Pulled Britain out of the Korean War - Labour brought the country into it
      • Consensus Policies
        • Committed to full employment
        • Maintained the NHS
        • Investment in housing - 1.7 million built between 1951-1964
        • "Butskellism" accepted most of Labour's policies
    • Labour Weaknesses
      • Party divisions
        • 1951 - Divide between Bevan and Gaitskell over prescription charges
        • 1955 - Nye Bevan opposes the H-Bomb - causes the Bevanite Split
        • Bevin (not Bevan) dies in 1951
      • Poor image
        • 1951 - Labour party made of of old-fashioned, out of touch politicians
        • Did not capitalize on the Suez Crisis (1956)
      • Controversial policies
    • Chance Factors
      • Favourable economic factors
        • Post-war boom gave the illusion of successful economic policies
        • Labour's policies from 1945-1951 did more to aid the economy than the Conservatives did
      • The electoral system
        • First Past the Post system allowed the Conservatives to win in 1951, despite losing the popular vote

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