Harold Wilson Facts & Worksheets

Let’s find out more about Harold Wilson!

Harold Wilson served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) for eight years. Wilson's first administration ran from 16 October 1964 to 19 June 1970, and his second administration began on 4 March 1974 and ended with his resignation on 5 April 1976. He was considered one of the key figures during the late sixties when he led the nation to become a more liberated society. Wilson made significant social and cultural changes in the country. He used technological and scientific development rhetoric to appeal to voters, claiming that technological advancements will lead to progress.

EARLY LIFE: EDUCATION, FAMILY, CAREER

• Wilson was born on 11 March 1916, in Warneford Road, Cowlersley, in the western suburbs of Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. His father, James Herbert Wilson, was an industrial chemist who was involved in the Liberal Party, one of the two leading political parties in the UK. James even served as Winston Churchill’s deputy election agent in a 1908 by-election but eventually switched to the Labour Party. Ethel, Wilson’s mother, was a schoolteacher before she married James.
• Wilson visited London when he was eight, and an image of him standing on the threshold of 10 Downing Street was widely reprinted. He moved to Australia with his family when he was ten years old, and he got attracted by the pomp and splendour of politics.

EDUCATION

• Wilson got a scholarship to Royds Hall Grammar School in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, which is now a comprehensive school. In December 1930, Wilson transferred to Wirral Grammar School for Boys, when his father moved to Spital, Wirral Peninsula for a job on December 1930. At Wirral, Wilson became the first Head Boy of the school. 
• Wilson excelled in school and, although he missed out on a scholarship, he was awarded a monetary prize, supplemented by a county grant that enabled him to attend Modern History at Oxford, in 1934. While studying at Oxford, Wilson was already active in political issues directly affecting him as a student. He considered G.D.H Cole, an advocate for cooperative movement, as someone who greatly influenced his political perspectives. R. B. McCallum, Wilson’s teacher in politics, considered him the best student he ever had.
• He completed his education, becoming one of the century’s youngest Oxford fellows at 21. He became a lecturer in Economic History at New College and a research fellow at University College 1937 onwards.

FAMILY

• Wilson married Mary Baldwin on New Year’s Day of 1940 in the chapel of Mansfield College, Oxford. They had two sons, namely Robin and Giles. Due to their father's prominence, Robin and Giles were under a kidnap threat from the IRA (Irish Republican Army) when they were young. This paramilitary force sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland. Later on, both Robin and Giles became teachers. Robin was a professor of Mathematics, while Giles chose to become a train driver after years of teaching. 

CAREER

• Wilson volunteered for military service at the start of World War II but was classified as a specialist and assigned to the civil service instead. For much of this time, he worked as a research assistant for William Beveridge, the Master of University College, investigating unemployment and the business cycle. Wilson went on to work as a statistician and economist for the coal business. In 1943-44, Wilson served as the Director of Economics and Statistics at the Ministry of Fuel and Power, and later on, was awarded a Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to the field of politics.

WILSON AS MEMBER OF THE PARLIAMENT

• Wilson was elected as a Member of the Parliament during the 1945 election, where the Labour Party received a landslide vote. Clement Attlee, the Prime Minister then, named Wilson as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works. Two years later, he was appointed Secretary for Overseas Trade, where he travelled to the Soviet Union to negotiate supply contracts.

CABINET MINISTER

BONFIRE OF CONTROLS

• On 29 September 1947, Wilson became the President of the Board of Trade. At first, Wilson favoured a more interventionist policy which required government officials to be seated on the Board of Directors, further price controls, and nationalisations of private industries that opposed government policies. However, he abandoned these plans after his colleagues disagreed. With this, he prioritised reducing wartime rationing, which he called a ‘bonfire of controls.’

THREE AMBITIOUS YOUNG MEN

• In mid-1949, with Chancellor of the Exchequer Stafford Cripps in Switzerland attempting to regain his health, Wilson was one of three young ministers convened to advise Prime Minister Attlee on financial matters, all of whom were former economics dons and wartime civil servants. The others were Douglas Jay, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, and Hugh Gaitskell, Minister of Fuel and Power, who soon grew to distrust him.

SHADOW CABINET

• Wilson served in the Shadow Cabinet when Aneurin Bevan, a Labour Party politician, resigned from his position. Wilson was backed up by Richard Crossman, a member of the Parliament, but Bevan and his followers disagreed with Crossman’s actions. Despite Wilson’s previous relationship with Bevan, he supported Hugh Gaitskell, the right-wing candidate in the internal Labour Party, against Bevan in the party leadership election in 1955.
• When Gaitskell won the party election, he appointed Wilson as the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1955. Some of Wilson’s significant works while in position were: 
  • He delayed the progress of the Government’s Finance Bill in 1955.
  • He inquired into the Labour Party’s organisation following its defeat in the 1955 general election.

OPPOSITION LEADER

• Gaitskell died in January 1963, just as the Labour Party was beginning to unite and appeared to have a reasonable prospect of winning the next election since the government of Harold Macmillan, the Prime Minister of the UK from 1957 to 1963, was in difficulty. Wilson delivered his best-remembered address, on the implications of scientific and technological revolution, at the party’s annual conference in 1963. He contended that:

…the Britain that is going to be forged in the white heat of this revolution will be no place for restrictive practices or for outdated measures on either side of industry". This speech did much to set Wilson's reputation as a technocrat not tied to the prevailing class system.

• The Profumo affair, an extramarital scandal of a Cabinet Member, had harmed Harold Macmillan, a politician from the Conservative party and the rest of the Conservatives. This incident benefited Labour Party’s campaign during the 1964 election. 

WILSON’S FIRST PREMIERSHIP

• Harold Wilson’s significant difficulty as prime minister during his first term was dealing with Britain’s balance of payments and inflation difficulties, which were compounded by the Conservatives’ reliance on Stop-Go cycles, an approach wherein the government exerted control in the economy to keep the employment high and the inflation low. Wilson inherited an £800 million balance of payments deficit when he became the Prime Minister in 1964.

ECONOMIC POLICIES

• Harold Wilson’s signature campaign promise was his pledge to forge Britain in the ‘white heat of technological revolution.’ With scientific and technological breakthroughs during the century, this vow attempted to modernise Britain’s economy. Britain was falling behind other developed economies, and Wilson positioned himself as the man for the job.

MINISTRY OF TECHNOLOGY

• The creation of the Ministry of Technology was featured in Wilson’s 1964 manifesto. However, Wilson’s government lacked the financial means and skills to deliver on its promise of a technological revolution. Frank Cousins was appointed Minister for Technology despite having no Parliamentary experience, while Roy Jenkins was appointed Minister for Aviation despite having no scientific competence.

ROAD TO DEVALUATION

• Wilson argued that there were only two possibilities for saving the pound and, by extension, the British economy: deflation or devaluation. Wilson hesitated to discount the pound for fear of becoming known as ‘the party of devaluation,’ as Clement Attlee’s Labour government had been obliged to do in 1949. Devaluation is the depreciation of a currency in relation to other currencies. Devaluation has the advantage of lowering the cost of exports and aiding in reducing trade deficits.

THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS AND THE NATIONAL PLAN

• In his first days in the government in 1964, Harold Wilson established the Ministry of Economic Affairs (DEA). The DEA’s mission was to find a way out of the Stop-Go cycles that had kept the economy afloat during the Conservative administration’s tenure. As a result, the DEA was tasked with developing long-term plans for sustainable economic growth. The DEA was a one-time project. Chancellor James Callaghan was irritated that Wilson had created a separate ministry to handle the economy while the Treasury was in charge. George Brown, First Secretary of State and the New Ministry of Economic Affairs, also earned a negative reputation due to his drunkenness, which rendered him untrustworthy.

DEVALUATION CRISIS OF 1967 

• Strikes such as the Seamen’s strike of 1966 and the Dock Strikes were held by workers and trade unions, resulting in enormous economic disruption. Wilson opposed these strikes. These strikes put additional strain on the pound. The Six-Day War between Arab states and Israel impacted Britain’s oil supply, boosting the price of oil. Harold Wilson requested another loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), an international financial institution, but it did not cover Britain’s trade and balance of payments imbalances. 
• Despite securing a $3 billion rescue package, freezing wages, and having some successes with the National Plan, Wilson had to do the one thing he did not want to do. On 18 November 1967, he set in motion the pound’s devaluation. The pound dropped by 14%, from $2.80 to £1 to $2.40 to £1.

From now the pound abroad is worth 14% or so less in terms of other currencies. That doesn’t mean, of course, that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket or purse or in your bank, has been devalued. What it does mean is that we shall now be able to sell more goods abroad on a competitive basis.  - Harold Wilson

PURPOSE OF DEVALUATION

• Lowering the cost of British goods encourages foreign economies to purchase from the UK, increasing exports and offsetting the trade deficit.
• Importing goods from other nations will become more expensive, making purchasing things produced in the British Isles by British enterprises more cost-effective.

DOMESTIC POLICIES

• During Harold Wilson’s first term in office, Britain experienced substantial societal change. His ministry was responsible for educational and social changes. The establishment of the Open University in 1969 was a significant triumph for the Wilson administration. The Open University provided higher education to those who did not match the admissions requirements of established universities.
• Secretary Roy Jenkins authored or sponsored all social reform legislation bills passed during the Wilson administration. Thus, the Wilson administration is recognised for enshrining the social progress of the Swinging Sixties in law and encouraging more individual liberties. Below are some significant social reform policies during Wilson’s premiership.

  

SOCIAL REFORMS

• THE MURDER ACT OF 1965. Abolished capital punishment.
• THE ABORTION ACT OF 1967. Made abortion more accessible to women.
• SEXUAL OFFENSES ACT OF 1967. Decriminalised private-sphere homosexual relations.
• RACE RELATIONS ACT OF 1965 AND 1968. Made race-based discrimination a civil offence.
• THEATRES ACT OF 1968. Ended theatre censorship.
• DIVORCE REFORM ACT OF 1969. Made divorces more accessible to unhappy couples.

FOREIGN POLICIES 

• On the foreign relations aspect, the Wilson cabinet continued Harold Macmillan’s decolonisation effort while maintaining a special relationship with the United States.

DECOLONISATION

EAST OF SUEZ

• Denis Healy, Secretary of Defence under Wilson’s government, said in January 1968 that Britain would withdraw its military posts from all states East of Suez. The goal was to reduce Britain’s military defence spending, as the cost of maintaining Britain’s overseas military facilities in colonies was putting a significant strain on the British economy.

RHODESIA

• Wilson opposed leaving Rhodesia in the hands of racist Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith, who refused to offer locals equal voting rights. Wilson’s talks with Ian Smith failed, as did the oil restrictions on Rhodesia. The decolonisation and independence of Rhodesia remained a difficulty by the end of Wilson’s first administration.

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES (US)

• Harold Wilson maintained the importance of the unique relationship with the United States. For example, he kept his backing for the UK-US Nuclear Deterrent project. Wilson’s administration also supported the United States Cold War involvement in the Vietnam War. However, Wilson declined to send British soldiers to support the US front in Vietnam, successfully keeping Britain out of another war at the cost of jeopardising the special relationship.

WILSON’S MINISTRY, 1974 - 1976

• In the 1970 general election, Harold Wilson was defeated by Edward Heath. In 1974, Harold Wilson returned to power as a minority government. Britain suffered the breakdown of the postwar consensus under the Heath administration of 1970-74, which persisted through the Labour government of 1974-79.
• Wilson’s 1974-76 ministry was marred by economic hardship and labour disputes. On top of that, the Labour Party had an internal conflict. The first general election, held in February 1974, resulted in a hung parliament; Labour won by five seats but lacked an overall majority in the Commons, forcing Labour to form a minority administration led by Harold Wilson. Wilson called a second general election in October 1974, citing the inherent risk of having a minority government. Labour won a 42-seat majority over the Conservatives, giving them a three-seat majority overall, but it was a razor-thin margin.

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY

• The 1974 Labour Manifesto promised to renegotiate Britain’s membership terms in the European Economic Community (EEC) and hold a referendum. Foreign Secretary James Callaghan emphasised the importance of this pledge. Wilson requested a referendum on Britain’s participation in the EEC on 5 June 1975, after renegotiations on the UK’s membership terms finished.
• Wilson’s primary purpose for calling the referendum was to strengthen relations with unions and the Labour Party’s supporters, both dubious of the EEC’s Common Market scheme. The Labour government favoured remaining in, but widespread opposition was in the Labour Party. Many Labour MPs, like Tony Benn and Barbara Castle, saw the Common Market as a capitalist venue that would deter any chance the Labour government had of making Britain more socialist.
• Wilson’s second term’s financial fragility persuaded the public to vote to remain in the EEC in the 1975 Referendum; 67.2% of the voters voted ‘Yes’. Britain’s membership was, therefore, safely reaffirmed, resolving the Labour Party’s division on the subject.
• Wilson resigned as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party in 1976. Wilson stated in a press conference on 16 March 1976, the day he resigned, that he never meant to stay in office for more than two years. He said it was a good time to resign because the economy was recovering, and a new leader would help provide a fresh perspective on Britain’s challenges. Wilson was succeeded as Prime Minister by James Callaghan, who served from 1976 to 1979.

LEGACY, LATER LIFE AND DEATH OF WILSON

• Harold Wilson’s impact is frequently assessed by his ability to bring Britain into the modern world, both socially and economically. Wilson’s legacy is mostly the liberalising legislation enacted during his Sixties administration. Wilson’s administration legalised abortions and divorces, abolished the death penalty and stage censorship, and made progress towards decriminalising homosexuality. Wilson ensured that the measures were well-supported in Parliament by his Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins.
• Regarding social reforms, Wilson can be regarded as successful in socially modernising Britain; nevertheless, he was unable to realise his promise of modernising Britain’s economy, being handicapped instead by economic difficulties. Wilson’s reputation was tarnished by the 1967 Devaluation Crisis, which added to the perception that he was an inconsistent politician who could not keep his promise.
• After his resignation as Prime Minister, Wilson hosted two editions of an interview programme entitled Friday Night, Saturday Morning, aired on BBC News Channel. He also appeared on the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Special in 1978.
• Wilson was not a particularly active member of the House of Lords, however he did start a debate on unemployment in May 1984. Wilson regularly attended the House of Lords until just over a year before his death. He died from colon cancer and Alzheimer’s on 24 May 1995, aged 79.