(EARLY 1970S-FIRST HALF OF THE 1980S) At the turn of the 60s and 70s, changes began in the political arena of Great Britain, which led to a significant violation of the post-war model of domestic political development, the stereotypes of political behavior of the masses. The agreement that had existed for many years between the two main parties on the fundamental issues of foreign and domestic policy began to give way to an increasingly noticeable aggravation of inter-party struggle. The process of polarization of the main political forces was accompanied by sharp fluctuations in the likes and dislikes of the electorate, the emergence of a new, centrist group in the political arena of the country. At the same time, as a result of the crisis of traditional British reformism, the axis of internal political development in England shifted noticeably to the right. What was the basis of such significant changes and how exactly did they manifest themselves? Despite the best efforts of the ruling circles to overcome the chronic lag of the British economy from the economies of most other countries of developed capitalism, it continued to worsen. Attempts by first the Conservative and then the Labour governments of the 1960s to introduce elements of state-monopoly planning and programming, and to use state intervention to accelerate scientific and technological progress and economic growth, did not have the expected effect. Britain's share of industrial production in the capitalist world continued to decline steadily, from 11.6% in 1950 to 9.3% in 1960, 8.3% in 1965, and 7.1% in 1970.1 The average annual growth rate of the gross national product decreased from 3.2% in 1958-1961 to 2.2% in 1965-1970.2 and was significantly lower than in other capitalist countries. Accordingly, the growth rates of household incomes and social insurance payments have also decreased. By the late 70s and early 80s, the standard of living in the UK was 20-25% lower than in France and Germany, and a ... Read more