Conservative governments and reasons for political dominance: Churchill,…

The idea

Between 1951 and 1964, the Conservative Party dominated British politics under Churchill, Eden, Macmillan, and Home. Their success stemmed from pragmatic domestic policies, such as building 300,000 houses annually and maintaining the post-war consensus, which fostered rising living standards and affluence. This dominance was heavily aided by internal Labour divisions between Bevanite left-wingers and Gaitskellite moderates over issues like unilateral nuclear disarmament and Clause IV. However, Conservative hegemony eventually fractured. Economic 'stop-go' policies, the Profumo affair, Macmillan's 'Night of the Long Knives', and Home's out-of-touch aristocratic image contributed to their narrow defeat by a revitalised Labour Party in 1964.

What earns the marks

• Evaluate the leadership styles and public appeal of Churchill, Eden, Macmillan, and Home, noting Macmillan's 'Supermac' persona and its later decline.
• Analyse the success of Conservative domestic policies, particularly housing targets and the management of the 'affluent society' through consensus politics.
• Assess the impact of Labour's internal ideological splits, specifically the Bevan versus Gaitskell disputes, on their electoral failures in 1955 and 1959.
• Examine the economic difficulties of the early 1960s, including 'stop-go' economics and rising unemployment, as catalysts for the Conservative decline.
• Explain how scandals, notably the Profumo affair, and political miscalculations like the 1962 cabinet reshuffle undermined public trust in the Conservative government.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Stating that the Conservatives dismantled the welfare state after 1951.

  Put it right: The Conservatives largely accepted the post-war consensus, maintaining the NHS and expanding housing rather than dismantling Labour's reforms.

• Attributing the 1964 Conservative defeat solely to the Profumo affair.

  Put it right: While damaging, the defeat was also caused by underlying economic stagnation, 'stop-go' policies, and a modernised Labour campaign under Harold Wilson.

• Treating the Labour Party as entirely united during the 1950s.

  Put it right: Labour was deeply fractured between the left, led by Aneurin Bevan, and the right, led by Hugh Gaitskell, over nationalisation and nuclear weapons, which kept them out of power.

Exam tips

• Contrast the electoral asset of Macmillan's leadership in 1959 with how his Edwardian image became a liability by 1963 against Wilson's modernising rhetoric.
• Use specific domestic policy achievements, such as Macmillan delivering on the 300,000 houses pledge, to explain working-class Conservative voting patterns.
• When evaluating the fall from power, balance short-term scandals like Profumo with long-term structural issues such as economic relative decline and 'stop-go' cycles.