1970-79

Question 1

What was the Conservative majority in the 1970 election?

Answer 1

31 seats

Question 2

How was Heath labelled?

Answer 2

Selsdon Man

Question 3

What did the 1971 Industrial Relations Act do? (3)

Answer 3

Concept of ‘unfair industrial practice’ introduced
NIRC set up
Unions required to put themselves onto gov register for strike to = legal

Question 4

What was created that represents Heath’s NR vision?

Who headed it?

Answer 4

The Department of Trade and Industry

Headed by John Davies

Question 5

Who did Heath state he wouldn’t help?

Answer 5

‘Lame Ducks’

Question 6

What did Anthony Barber introduce?

Answer 6

Income tax cuts
Reductions in gov spending
Scrapping Prices and Incomes board

Question 7

What government expenditure cut was particularly unpopular?

Answer 7

1971 withdrawal of free school milk

Question 8

What made the gov U-Turn on the NR? (2)

Answer 8

Inflation rose to 15% by 1971

Declining industrial output

Question 9

What businesses did the government bail out?

Answer 9

Rolls Royce

Upper Clyde Shipbuilders

Question 10

Who were the gov afraid of that led to bail out of UCSB?

How much did was the company given?

Answer 10

Unionist Jimmy Reid

£34 mil

Question 11

What was the response to the 1971 IRA from the unions?

Answer 11

TUC resisted by voting not to cooperate

No unions registered

Question 12

How many working days were lost under Heath’s gov?

Answer 12

60 mil

Question 13

What happened at 1971 Battle of Saltley Gate?

Answer 13

Flying pickets were used - 15,000 car workers came to join miners

Question 14

What was introduced in 1973 by the gov?

How did Unions respond?

Answer 14

6 month pay freeze

‘Work to rule’ policy.

Question 15

How many working days were lost in 1972?

1974?

Answer 15

24 mi

14.75 mil

Question 16

What happened in the 3 day week?

Answer 16

Industrial and commercial premises limited to use of electricity to 3 days / week

Question 17

How was the 3 day week resolved?

Answer 17

NUM gained 21% wage increase - almost 3 x amount employers originally offered

Question 18

What was one of the harsh demands placed on Britain when they joined the EEC?

Answer 18

Commonwealth food and goods could no longer enter Britain on preferential terms - they now had to have European tariff placed on them.

Question 19

What were 3 advantages to joining the EEC?

Answer 19

Gained access to European markets
British regions entitled to European development grants
British workers could work in EEC countries

Question 20

How was Britain defined in the EEC?

What did this mean?

Answer 20

An advanced industrial economy

Paid 20% of revenue raised by EEC, and only received 8%

Question 21

What was Britain a victim of when they entered the EEC?

What did this cause?

Answer 21

CAP’s dear food policy

Caused inflation - by 1980 estimated to be £1000 on average / family

Question 22

What did Britain have to impose onto their products?

At what rate?

Answer 22

VAT
1873: 8%
Doubled to 17.5%

Question 23

What policy affected Britain’s fishing rights?

Answer 23

The Common Fisheries policy

Question 24

What crisis happened in 1973?

What did it cause?

Answer 24

International Oil Price Crisis

Prices of a barrel increased from $2 to $35

Question 25

What were the economic effects of the Oil Price crisis?

Answer 25

Balance of payments deficit increased to £1 bil Annual inflation increased to 16% Value of sterling dropped $2 to $1.57

Question 26

How did Britain change their relationship to China? | Who was annoyed by this?

Answer 26

1972, switched diplomatic relations to Taiwan and China under ‘One China.’ The US

Question 27

What controversial policy did Heath introduce into NI?

Answer 27

Internment

Question 28

What happened in 1972 Bloody Sunday?

Answer 28

28 unarmed civilians shot | 6 of those just under 17 years old

Question 29

What report was conducted into Bloody Sunday? What did it state? How was it described?

Answer 29

Widgery report Protestors shot first ‘Instead of justice we got Widgery?

Question 30

What 1974 bombing took place by the IRA? | What was the result of it?

Answer 30

1974 Birmingham Pub Bombings | Killed 21 people

Question 31

What minister formed the Sunningdale Agreement?

Answer 31

Winnie Whitelaw - the NI Minister

Question 32

What was the 1973 Sunningdale Agreement?

Answer 32

Power sharing experiment | First time Catholics had share of government

Question 33

What was controversially set up in NI 1972? | Why were they controversial?

Answer 33

Diplock Courts | Heard cases without a jury. Catholics claimed they were titled against them.

Question 34

What film encapsulated the British zeitgeist of fear? | How was it described?

Answer 34

A Clockwork Orange | Daily Mail stated Britain had become a ‘Clockwork orange society’

Question 35

What was unique about the 1974 election?

Answer 35

Both parties lost votes. | Labour, who won, had their popular vote decrease by 6%

Question 36

What was the height of Labour’s majority following the 1974 election?

Answer 36

3 seats

Question 37

What was formed to support Labour? | Who was it made by?

Answer 37

1977 Lib-Lab pact | Callaghan and David Steel

Question 38

Who resigned in 1976? | What did this mean?

Answer 38

Harold Wilson | Callaghan was more of a moderate, and he had to take on the left

Question 39

What divided the Labour party? (3)

Answer 39

EEC Membership IMF Approach to Unions

Question 40

Why did Labour lose their majority in 1978?

Answer 40

Lib-Lab pact lapsed By-election cancelled out their majority SNP withdrew their support over lack of Devolution

Question 41

What crisis happened in 1973? | What impact did it have?

Answer 41

Oil Price Crisis Inflation peaks at 16.5% For the first time, the pound fell below $2

Question 42

What did the government loan in 1976? | What did this mean?

Answer 42

£3 billion from IMF | Government spending had to be cut

Question 43

Were the requirements of the 1976 government loan met?

Answer 43

Yes - 1979, spending is cut by £3 billion

Question 44

Why was the 1976 financial loan controversial to left of the party?

Answer 44

Left argued there wouldn’t be a need for the cuts if the gov pursued policies e.g. nuclear disarmament Government spending cuts came at cost of unemployment, which reached 1.6 mil 1978

Question 45

What agreement was made 1972?

Answer 45

Wilson made agreement with Vic Feather - the New Social Contract Stated when Lab returned to power the gov would pay for benefits if Unions didn’t increase wage demands

Question 46

How many working days were lost: 1974? 1979?

Answer 46

1974: 14.7 mil 1979: 29.5 mil

Question 47

What were two significant 1977 strikes?

Answer 47

Fireman’s strike - led PM to declare a state of emergency | Workers from ‘Grunwick Photographic Works’ clashed violently with police

Question 48

What happened to start the winter of discontent?

Answer 48

22nd Jan 1979, 1.5 mil public sector workers went on strike

Question 49

Who went on strike? | What happened to popular London area?

Answer 49

Bin men, grave diggers, and fuel truck drivers | Leicester Square became rubbish dump

Question 50

What resolved the Liverpool Grave Digger’s strike?

Answer 50

They went back to work only after achieving their 9% pay rise

Question 51

What Sun Headline was published in response to Callaghan on a foreign trip?

Answer 51

‘Crisis? What Crisis?'

Question 52

What did Wilson call in 1975?

Answer 52

A referendum on Europe

Question 53

Why did the 1975 EEC referendum expose Labour divisions?

Answer 53

Majority of labour and conservative MPs were for staying in, but majority of Labour MPs wanted to leave

Question 54

Who were Labour Pro Europeans? | Anti?

Answer 54

Pro: Roy Jenkins + Shirley Williams Anti: Tony Benn + Michael Foot

Question 55

What was the result of the 1975 EEC referendum?

Answer 55

64. 5% voted yes | 35. 5% voted no

Question 56

When should Callaghan have called an election?

Answer 56

Autumn 1978 when opinion polls were higher