The Myth of Mr Butskell
The Politics of British Economic Policy, 1950-55
Scott Kelly(Author)
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 20. December 2023
Book
Hardback
978-1-138-73659-7 (ISBN)
Description
This title was first published in 2003:It is often assumed that a general consensus existed between the post-war Labour and Conservative governments in matters of economic policy. Indeed, by 1954, The Economist was able to satirise the situation with the invention of 'Mr Butskell', a fictitious political figure created by an amalgam of the names of Hugh Gaitskell and R A Butler. For decades afterwards the character of Mr Butskell came to personify the idea of a consensus over economic policy that was only broken with the election of the Thatcher government in 1979. The longevity of the Butskell figure suggests that the post-war consensus was a given fact, but on what basis are these assumptions made? The purpose of this work is to reassess the historical basis of Mr Butskell by examining the conduct of economic policy from the moment Hugh Gaitskell joined the Treasury in 1950 as Stafford Cripp's deputy, to Rab Butler's departure in December 1955.
Reviews / Votes
'By casting his net wider than purely demand management, to take seriously the interrelationship between domestic and external economic policies [...], he also makes a useful contribution towards a more complete economic history of the early post-war period.' Business History 'The argument about the extent of consensus in British society in the 1950s and 1960s continues to excite interest, and this book makes a significant contribution to that literature.' AlbionMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
ISBN-13
978-1-138-73659-7 (9781138736597)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
Contents: Introduction; The changing structure of economic policy-making; The treasury view; The wider economic policy network; The Chancellors; The politics of economic controls; The politics of convertibility; 'One-world' or 'two-world'? Discord and international trade agreements; The expanding role of budgetary policy; A difference of faith in monetary policy; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.