GrtBritain2

Great Britain Prime Ministers:

Monarchs:

Decolonization Leaning toward Socialism __General Themes__

1950s-1970s**: **__Economy grows faster than ever, but begins to lose manufacturing dominance(ECONOMIC)__** **1957**: Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb on Christmas Island, joining the USSR and US as a nuclear power, and leading to a debate in Britain over the dangers of nuclear weapons (POLITICAL) **1963**: Britain entry into the European Common Market (a market without tariffs between the six countries of the Coal and Steel Community) is vetoed by France because, according to de Gaulle, the British government lacked "commitment" to European integration (ECONOMIC) 1963: Britian, the Soviet Union and the United States sign a nuclear test treaty banning everything but underground testing **1964**: Resale Price Maintenance is abolished resulting in the rise of supermarkets and the decrease of small independent shopkeepers(SOCIAL) **1964**: **Harold Wilson** of the __Labour Party__ becomes Prime Minister, narrowly beating the Conservative Party (POLITICAL) **1967:** Abortion and Homosexuality are legalized by Parliament (SOCIAL ) **1969**:  Post Office   **    Nationalized    ** (ECONOMIC) **1969:** Divorce Act passed by Parliament (SOCIAL) **1977**: British Aerospace  **   Nationalized   ** (ECONOMIC) **1978**: Louise Brown, the first test-tube baby was born in Oldham; by the end of the century, 1,400 test tube babies were being born each year (SOCIAL)
 * 1950s-1970s** :__ ** Welfare State ** (ECONOMIC)__
 * 1950s-1970s**: **__Peace, Stability, Progress (SOCIAL)__
 * 1950:** **Clement Atlee** from __Labour Party__ elected Prime Minister, his primary objective being full employment; however, as enthusiasm for the Labour Party's post war vision diminishes, it majority falls significantly (POLITICAL)
 * 1950**: British troops arrive to support the United States in the **Korean War** having been sent by the United Nations to halt the invasion of South Korea by Communist North Korea (POLITICAL)
 * 1951**: ** Winston Churchill ** from __Conservative Party__ elected Prime Minister; he focused on foreign affairs, particularly maintaining a relationship with America and reducing Cold War tensions (POLITICAL)
 * 1952**: The ** European Recovery Plan ** (the official name of the **Marshall Plan** ) ends; Britian had recieved a substantial amount of money from the four years the plan was in effect ( 1948-1952) (ECONOMIC)
 * 1952**: Britain does __**NOT**__ join the Coal and Steel Community with France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg (ECONOMIC)
 * 1952**: Ratifies Multilateral Peace Treaty, demonstrating improving relations between Britain and Japan (POLITICAL)
 * 1952:** ** Elizabeth II ** succeeds her father George VI (POLITICAL)
 * 1954:**  Atomic Energy ** Nationalized **    (ECONOMIC)
 * 1955**: ** Winston Churchill ** retires as Prime Minister (POLITICAL)
 * 1955:** **Anthony Eden** from __Conservative Party__ elected as Prime Minister (POLITICAL)
 * 1956:** **Clean Air Act** passed in attempt to limit the burning of coal in urban areas (SOCIAL)
 * 1956:** Britain turns on its first Nuclear Power Station, **Calder Hall** (SOCIAL)
 * 1956**: Britain invades Egypt following the **__Nationalization__**   of the Suez Canal, along with France; pressured by America, Britain retreated; the Suez Crisis demonstrated Britain's declining world status and its subordination to America (POLITICAL)
 * 1957**: **Anthony Eden** retires as Prime Minister because of the Suez Crisis (POLITICAL)
 * 1957**: **Harold Macmillan** from __Conservative Party__ elected as Prime Minister (POLITICAL)
 * 1957**: Britian's colonies begin to achieve independence and then enter into association with Britian as members of the ** British Commonwealth of Nations **  (POLITICAL)
 * 1957**:  Loses Ghana to ** Decolonization ** ; beginning of rapid African decolonization   (POLITICAL)
 * 1957**: Loses Malaya to    ** Decolonization **   (POLITICAL)
 * 1958**: Foundation of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament as a result fo the 1957 nuclear testing (POLITICAL)
 * 1958**: Motorway system opens with M6 Preston Bypass; this developing system encouraged a rise in long distance private and goods transportation by road (SOCIAL)
 * 1960s:** **__Cultural Creativity (SOCIAL)__**
 * 1960s**: **__Youth Movement (SOCIAL)__**
 * 1960**: Loses Nigeria to    ** Decolonization **  (POLITICAL)
 * 1963**: New Universities open and students get state support, resulting in a higher percentage of working-class students (SOCIAL)
 * 1963**: __Conservative__ **Sir Alec Douglass-Home** becomes Prime Minister (POLITICAL)
 * 1963**: Loses Kenya to ** Decolonization  ** (POLITICAL)
 * 1965:**  Anthony Crosland Labour government's education secretary replaces the division between "grammer" and "secondary modern" to create an all-inclusive "comprehensive" school; first step to equal education for all pupils  (SOCIAL)
 * 1965:** The death penalty for murder was abolished, basically abolishing the death penalty and symbolically reducing the power of the State (SOCIAL)
 * 1966:** Labour Party gains a larger margin over the Conservative Party in the general elections (POLITICAL)
 * 1966:** Loses Guyana to ** Decolonization  ** (POLITICAL)
 * 1969**: Concorde, the first supersonic airliner, developed jointly by Britain and France takes its maiden flight (SOCIAL)
 * 1970s**: Irish, Scottish and Welsh minorities believe they do not have full civil, political, and economic rights; protests begin turning violent (POLITICAL)
 * 1970:** __Conservative__ **Edward Heath** elected Prime Minister; reflects doubts of Labour Party's economic management and ability to rally supporters (POLITICAL)
 * 1970**: Equal Pay Act passed by Parliament (SOCIAL)
 * 1971:** The first British soldier is killed in **Northern Ireland's "Troubles":**Catholic/nationalistic/republicans vs. Protestant/ loyalist/unionist because of political reasons (respectively: North Ireland should be independent/part of the Republic of Ireland or remain as a part of the UK), economic reasons ( Catholics believe they have been economically discriminated against) and religious reasons (respectively: religiously repressed by Church of England/fear influence of Pope and Roman Catholic Church); Britian intervened in Northern Ireland to try to restore order (POLITICAL)
 * 1971:**Decimalised currency replaces the pound, shilling and pence; blamed for an increase of inflation (ECONOMIC)
 * 1971**:Oil discovered under North Sea; boosts British public finances(ECONOMIC)
 * 1972:** British army kills 14 in Northern Ireland on **Bloody Sunday**, having opened fire on civil rights protestors, who were marching in protest at the policy of detention without trial (POLITICAL)
 * 1973**: Britain joins **European Economic Community (EEC),** along with Ireland and Denmark (ECONOMIC)
 * 1974**: **Harold Wilson**, from the __Labour Party__ becomes Prime Minister, following a "hung Parliament" and winning by a small majority (POLITICAL)
 * 1976**: **James Callaghan** of the __Labour Party__ replaces a retired Harold Wilson as Prime Minister (POLITICAL)
 * 1976**: Britain is forced to borrow money from the International Monetary Fund, following a crisis in sterling; it was the first western government forced to take this course of action; government spending was cut as a result of the loan (ECONOMIC)
 * 1976:** British National Oil Corporation ** Nationalized  ** (ECONOMIC)
 * 1977**: British Shipbuilders ** Nationalized  ** (ECONOMIC)