How did British politics and government change between 1930 and 1997, from the slump to the end of the post-war consensus?
Unit 1 Option (e.g. Y113 Britain 1930 to 1997): the slump and the National Government, the post-war consensus and the welfare state, the politics of the 1950s and 1960s, and the Thatcher governments and the breaking of the consensus.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 1 British period study guide to British politics and government from 1930 to 1997. Covers the slump and the National Government, the post-war consensus and the welfare state, the affluent society of the 1950s and 1960s, and the Thatcher governments that broke the consensus, with the period-essay and enquiry skills the paper rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
OCR Unit 1 offers a modern British option, Britain 1930 to 1997, as well as the Early Tudors. For this option you trace politics and government across the century: the slump and the National Government of the 1930s, the post-war consensus and the welfare state, the affluent society of the 1950s and 1960s, and the Thatcher governments that broke the consensus. The Section B essay (AO1) asks you to judge change and continuity across the long period.
The answer
The slump and the National Government
The post-war consensus and the welfare state
The Second World War transformed expectations, and the Attlee Labour government (1945 to 1951) built the foundations of the post-war settlement:
- The National Health Service (1948), free at the point of use, the centrepiece of the welfare state inspired by the Beveridge Report (1942).
- Nationalisation of key industries (coal, rail, steel, the Bank of England).
- A commitment to full employment and an expanded welfare system.
This became the post-war consensus, broadly accepted by the Conservatives, who did not reverse it when they returned under Churchill in 1951.
The affluent society of the 1950s and 1960s
Thatcherism and the breaking of the consensus
From the 1970s economic crisis (inflation, the 1976 IMF loan, the "Winter of Discontent" of 1978 to 1979) discredited the consensus, and Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister 1979 to 1990) broke it:
- Privatisation of nationalised industries and the sale of council houses.
- Trade union reform and the defeat of the miners' strike (1984 to 1985).
- Monetarism and the priority of controlling inflation over full employment.
Thatcherism shifted the centre of gravity so far rightwards that by 1997 New Labour under Tony Blair had accepted much of the market settlement, ending the old consensus rather than restoring it.
Examples in context
A model paragraph on Thatcherism would argue that it transformed the economic settlement (privatisation, union reform) more than the social one (the NHS survived), and that its deepest mark was forcing Labour to accept the market, which is why 1997 confirmed rather than reversed the change.
Try this
Q1. How far do you agree that the National Government of the 1930s successfully managed the problems of the slump? [20 marks]
- What the marker wants. An AO1 essay weighing its successes (recovery in new industries, financial stability, protection) against its failures (persistent regional unemployment, limited intervention), with a judgement on how successful its management was.
Q2. In what year was the National Health Service established? [2 marks]
- Cue. 1948, the centrepiece of the welfare state created by the Attlee government and inspired by the Beveridge Report of 1942.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR H505 Y113 201920 marksTo what extent did the years 1945 to 1951 create a lasting post-war consensus in British politics?Show worked answer →
A Section B period study essay (AO1) judging the creation and durability of the consensus over the period. Level 6 ranks the evidence and judges, rather than narrating Attlee's government.
For. The Attlee government built the welfare state (the NHS in 1948), nationalised key industries, committed to full employment and was largely accepted by the Conservatives under Churchill and Macmillan, producing a consensus that lasted into the 1970s.
Against. The consensus was always contested (over the scale of nationalisation, defence and Europe), strained by economic crises, and ultimately broken by Thatcher after 1979; some historians question whether it was ever as solid as the term implies.
Level 6 judges how lasting the consensus was, tracing its survival to the 1970s and its breaking in the 1980s, with a supported conclusion.
OCR H505 Y113 202120 marksHow far do you agree that Thatcherism transformed British politics in the years 1979 to 1997?Show worked answer →
A Section B essay (AO1) on the impact of Thatcherism across the period, weighing change against continuity.
For. Thatcher broke the post-war consensus: privatisation, the defeat of the miners' strike in 1984 to 1985, trade union reform, monetarism, council house sales and a smaller state reshaped politics, and New Labour under Blair accepted much of it by 1997.
Against. The welfare state and the NHS survived, public spending did not fall as far as the rhetoric suggested, and continuities in foreign and European policy remained; some change was contested and partial.
Level 6 judges the extent of transformation, noting that the consensus shifted rightwards (New Labour's acceptance of the market) rather than being wholly replaced.
Related dot points
- Unit 1 Option (e.g. Y113 Britain 1930 to 1997): Churchill and the wartime coalition, the impact of total war on society, the Labour landslide of 1945, and the achievements and difficulties of the Attlee government to 1951.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 1 British period study guide to Britain from 1939 to 1951. Covers Churchill and the wartime coalition, the social impact of total war and the Beveridge Report, the Labour landslide of 1945, and the achievements and economic difficulties of the Attlee government, with the period-essay and enquiry skills the paper rewards.
- Unit 1 Option (e.g. Y106 England 1485 to 1558): the establishment of the Tudor dynasty under Henry VII, his government and finance, the pretenders and rebellions he faced, and his foreign policy and consolidation of power.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 1 British period study guide to the establishment of the Tudor dynasty under Henry VII from 1485 to 1509. Covers Bosworth and the securing of the throne, government and royal finance, the pretenders Simnel and Warbeck, the major rebellions, and foreign policy, with the period-essay and enquiry skills the paper rewards.
- Unit 1 Section A: the enquiry question, evaluating four contemporary sources for their use in testing a given hypothesis, weighing content and provenance against the historical context (AO2).
An OCR A-Level History Unit 1 guide to the Section A enquiry. Explains how to answer the source question, evaluating four contemporary sources for their use in testing a hypothesis, weighing content and provenance against the historical context, with a Tudor worked example and the AO2 skills the enquiry rewards.
- Unit 1 Section B: the period study essay, building a sustained analytical argument across the period that ranks factors and reaches a substantiated judgement (AO1).
An OCR A-Level History Unit 1 guide to the Section B period study essay. Explains how to read the command, plan a ranked thematic argument across the period, deploy precise evidence and reach a substantiated judgement for AO1, with a worked Tudor example and the essay skills the paper rewards.
- Unit 3 Option (e.g. Y319 Civil Rights in the USA 1865 to 1992): the thematic study of civil rights across four strands (African American, Native American, women's, and trade union rights) over the whole period, assessing change, continuity and the drivers of progress.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 3 thematic study guide to Civil Rights in the USA from 1865 to 1992. Introduces the four strands of African American, Native American, women's and trade union rights, the role of federal government, the Supreme Court and protest, and how to write the synoptic thematic essays across the whole period.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR A Level History A (H505) specification — OCR (2015)