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1979-1990 Flashcards

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1
Q

what are 5 facts that give an overview of thatcher

A

-a ‘conviction politician’ (strong opinions, acts out or principle rather than political expediency)
-strong aversion to consensus politics (devoid of principle/lack of political conviction)-believed in ‘new right’ conservatism
- the ideas of freidrich hayek and keith joseph led her beliefs
-middle class-father was a grocer/methodist upbringing
-went to oxford/studied law

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2
Q

what were freidrich hayeks beliefs

A

-critic of Keynesian economics shown in his book ‘the road to serfdom’ and supported free market and believed it was the best guarantee of economic/poltiical liberty and he had a distrust of unions because their power caused unemployment and lost democratic freedoms

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3
Q

what were thatchers main 5 beliefs

A

-the welfare system created a dependency culture, the hard working were subsidising the work shy-wanted individual accountability
-the state was too big (welfare/universal healthcare amounted to 31% of public spending-fuelled high prises)
-unions were too powerful
-britain was facing moral decay
-britain was hooked on borrowing

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4
Q

what did she believe were the principle solutions to her beliefs

A

-privatisation
-reform unions
-cut public spending
-tax cuts
-her gov-‘rolling back its froniters’

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5
Q

what was her majority after the 1979 election

A

43-allowed radical change

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6
Q

who was in thatchers cabinet

A

-norman tebbit (trade secretary)
-sir geoffrey howe(c of e 79-83 foreign minister 83-89)
-nigel lawson (c of e 83-89)
-willie whitelaw
-keith joseph
-jim prior (employment minister)
-micheal heseltine (leading cons politician-resigned 86)
-she was described as a ‘cabinet dictator’

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7
Q

how did thatcher increase her majority from 1979 to 1983

A

-personal ideology
-poor electoral performance of labour
-falklands

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8
Q

what were the 5 initial economic problems thatcher identified

A

-high gov spending=too much borrowing/tax/inflation
-gov unnecessarily interfered in economy,didnt agree with full employment (wanted free market)
-growth of bureaucracy meant civil servants/officials intruded peoples lives
-powerful unions created continual increase in wages but a decrease in productivity
-needed to reverse the ‘harmful trends’ successive govs had allowed to develop(stop go)

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9
Q

what is monetarism

A

theory associated with milton friedman, root cause of inflation was gov spending so gov needed to restrict money in circulation and reduce public expenditure (aligned with institute of economic affairs which was set up to show the growing power of the state was a threat to individual liberties)

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10
Q

between 1979-1983 how did she handle the economy

A
  • 1979 and 1981 budgets she cut gov spending/froze benefits to reverse PSBR defecit (won’t subsidise industries)
    -increased interest rates to 16% to keep pound strong/prevent borrowing
    -wanted redistribution of wealth
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11
Q

what was her economy like 79-83

A

-initially inflation fell from 19% to 5% then there was a recession it increased to 18% in 1980
-unemployment rose from 1.2mil to 3mil
-industrial output fell by 11%
-£ rose to £2.45 vs the dollar (bad for export based industries eg engineering)

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12
Q

what was the consequences of her bad economy 79-83

A

-social unrest (opinion polls declined significantly)
eg april 1981 brixton, black youths ran riot, burning shops, looting property
eg more riots july st pauls region(bristol), moss side (manchester),totem area(liverpool)
-gov took a tough approach and norman tebbit urged thatcher not to allow the riots to deflect her from her policies
-scarman report on inquiry into riots highlighted problems of racial disadvantage and inner city decline (found indiscriminate use of sus law)

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13
Q

why was there social unrest 79-83

A

-unemployment (poor job prospects in deprived inner city areas), the south was doing better
-alienation of young black people/discrimination eg in april over 6 day period the ‘sun’ law was used on over 1000 people
-unemployment in brixton=55% for black youths

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14
Q

what is a quote from the cons part conference 1980

A

‘the ladys not for turning’

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15
Q

what was the context of the falklands

A

-legal ownership/sovereignty of the islands complicated between argentina and britain
- falklands legally been a british dependancy since 1833 and in 1982 98% of the pop wished to remain under the british flag but argentina also claimed them who calls them ‘las malvinas’
-initially when thatcher came to power nicholas ridley (minister at the foreign office) proposed a ‘leaseback’ where britain would have ultimate sovereignty but argentina could administer the region as it own (a settlement but was ignored)

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16
Q

what happened with the falklands

A

-2 april 1982 general galtrieri (argentina dictator/president of military junta) ordered 4000 troops to invade/seize the falklands and they resisted the garrison of 80 royal marines (condemned by britain)
-8 april 1982 british forces sailed from portsmouth to southampton/ south georgia was recaptured
-1 may air strikes against argentine forces
-2 may start of british naval campaign (placed a 200 mile exclusion zone around the islands)
-argentine cruiser belgrano sunk by british submarine (controversial because it was sailing out of the exclusion zone?done deliberately to stop UN sec general negotiating a settlement)
-21 may british troops landed
-14 june liberation of the capital, port stanley and argentina surrendered (established permanent garrison)

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17
Q

what were the consequences of the falklands

A

-showed her commanding conduct/demenaour
-presented her as an outstanding war leader-thatcher ‘rejoice, rejoice’, seen to inspire the nation in wartime
-1983 won overwhelming victory as it helped weaken opposition who opposed military action eg micheal foot but supported the winning servicemen eg labour vote drop by 3mil
-resurgence of national pride in britain,better international position
-media role helped her eg the headline ‘gotcha’ had a tangible impact

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18
Q

what did thatchers majority increase to from 79-83

A

43-144

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19
Q

who were Margeret thatchers foreign secretaries

A

The Lord Carrington 5 May 1979 (resigned because of falklands)
Francis Pym 5 April 1982
Sir Geoffrey Howe 11 June 1983
John Major 14 June 1989

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20
Q

who was the governor of the falklands at the time of the invasion

A

sir rex hunt

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21
Q

who were the gang of 4 that formed the sdp split and what formalised it

A

roy jenkins
Shirley williams
david owen
bill rodgers
-(and 28 other MPs)
-limehouse deceleration jan 1981

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22
Q

why was there labour division after the 1979 election

A

-left/unions antagonised/unhappy with wage restraints/voted conserv
-right isolated/disilusioned by failure of party revisionist policies/too radical eg anti eec/domination of unions/tony benn thought labour weren’t left enough
-signified takeover of extremist groups eg militant tendency urging socialist policies over capitalist

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23
Q

what caused the sdp split

A

-labours defeat in 1979 (eg domination of unions seen as cause of their bad image/industrial strife)
-election of micheal foot in 1980 (was a left wing unilateralist-beat obvious candidate denis healey)
-constiutional changes in labour that made them more left (after 1979 election left eg Tony benn thought they needed even more socialist policies, led a campaign requiring all MPs to seek reselection by their constituencies)-good for left because they had disproportionate influence among ordinary votes over numbers in party
-1981 Wembley conference hostility to speakers by left convicted the moderates labour had been aken over by extremist left groups

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24
Q

what was the significance of the sdp

A

-forced the party ‘back to sanity’ by bringing realisation of how unelectable labour was

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25
how did the sdp split do
-won by elections eg shirley williams won conservative safe seat of crosby in nov 1981 -formed sdp liberal alliance-won 25% of vote at 83 election -over 50% in opinion polls
26
why was the coal industry becoming less important
-more costly/running at a loss -importing more coal (75% in 1984) -gov refused to spend money on a failing industry and delay the inevitable by giving redundancy settlements
27
why were mines so important to miners
-believed with investment they had profitable future -they were a way of life in northern(colliery) towns/ communities dependant on it -social consequences would be catastrophic
28
who were thatchers minister for employments (responsible for union reform)
james prior ( a wet/delicate) norman tebbit (hard line thatcherite)
29
what 2 unions represented public sector workers
COHSE and NUPE
30
how did thatcher weaken unions
-Prior employment act 1980, outlawed secondary picketing and made closed shop require high level of agreement -Tebbit act 1982, outlawed closed shop, made unions legally liable for infringements, made employers able to fire for strike action, made action illegal unless had a formal ballot -25th jan 1984 a ban on union membership was imposed on GCHQ employees in return for £1000 (mass protests-14 sacked for refusing)
31
what caused the miners strike 84-85
-frustration of how employers were treating employees eg Australian press baron rupert murdoch tried to reduce power of print unions after failed strike at murdochs wapping plant in jan 1986 over working conditions -constrained by new laws -economic reforms aroused hostility eg in public sector (NUPE/COHSE)
32
what happened in the miners strike 84-85
-1981 NCB warned of the need to close 23 pits /1984 Scargill claimed there was a secret plan to close 70 pits after they said they needed to close 20 more and plans to shed 20,000 jobs -april 19th 1984 NUM sheffield conference declares strike as national over post closures(rejects a national ballot-rules on simple majority) -june 18th battle of orgreave 6500 pickets and 3300 police clash in the worst violent dispute (tried to prevent stock filled lorries leaving the coke plant)-93 arrests,51 strikers/72 police injured including scargill (NUM defeat) -Thatcher refuses to end democracy by giving into mob rule and the 'enemy within' , over 9500 strike related arrests made costing yorkshire police £8mil -13th august first yorkshire miner goes back to work(many more in 1985) -3rd march 1985 NuM vote to return to work by a majority of 98-91 as it had lost support
33
why did the miners strike fail
-SCARGILL- alienated unions eg nottinghamshire miners continued working/formed break away union, refused to hold ballot/undeomcratically forcing, abrasive manner, thatcher demonised him in press as dangerous revolutionary -GOV made prep (energy minister peter walker stock piled coal / secured alternative sources of energy/drafted emergency plans) -LABOUR conflicted, kinnock condemned violence but also sympathised, inconsistent attitude to miners -POLICE had new equipment, experience,tactics to get lorries through picket lines (critiqued for politicalisation of police) -COAL declining industrial important over oil/gas
34
what was the impacts of the miners strike 1984-85
-unions less power(NUM lost half membership), aided anti union campaign=thatcher advantage -media divided 65% support for gov 35 for miners(maj no longer relied on industry?) -led closures to go ahead quicker=job losses(200,000 employed to 60,000), social disruption -employers began to resist union demands/convert workers to modern ways -1991 yorkshire police paid £425,000 compensation to miners for assault,wrongful/malicious arrest
35
who was the NUM and its leader
national union of mineworkers-arthur scargill(extreme left winger)
36
who was the NCB and its leader
national coal board-ian mcgregor(tough industrialist)
37
who were thatchers 3 c of e
geoffrey howe 79-83 nigel lawson 83-89 major 89-90
38
what was the westland affair
1986 -a cabinet disagreement over what to do with failing british helicopter company (lack of orders from british military) -defence sec micheal heseltine said save it by making it part of a european consortium with british aerospace but leon Brittan industry sec wanted a takeover by us company sikorsky -letter was leaked saying department of industry was putting pressure on aerospace to withdraw the consortium and hesletine resigned and Brittan later was forced too, thatcher was critiqued for her lack of hard honest decision making
39
what is supply side economics and when was it emphasised
theory that says that increasing the supply of goods and services in circulation and ensuring people have the money to spend is vital for economic growth -1986 budget
40
what policies improved deregulation
-loan guarantee scheme (made borrowing easier for businesses) -enterprise allowance scheme (encouraged unemployed to start a business by giving £40 a week for a year) -credit/exchange controls abolished to improve finance sector(Big Bang 1986) (transport/education/health services deregulated and expected to finance themselves)
41
what were supply side economic measures
-deregulation of businesses to encourage enterprise and entrepreneurship -allow people to keep more earnings to encourage productivity and spending (create competition) -making sure businesses are wealthy as possible (cutting tax on profits/removing regulations/encouage investment) to cause growth -limit trade union power
42
what were 3 pros and cons of the right to buy
C-sale of council housing was mainly in better off areas C-councils were ordered to use profits to reduce debt not make new houses C-number/quality of homes for rent reduced and waiting lists got bigger so many people were houses in emergency B&Bs which was expensive for councils=more homeless P-allowing people to improve circumstances shows hard work brings tangible resukts p-ownership leads to more stable society? P-increased voters for conservatives as home owners voted them
43
what was right to buy and how many people owned a home by 1990
-the housing act of 1980 enabled people to buy their own council house by giving discounts of 33%-50% -68% (very popular in south) -increased sense of citezenship and responsibility
44
why was privatisation good for thatcher
-gave state more money -more of pop became shareholders ='popular capitalism' (3-9 milion) -88-89 £7bil revenue from privatisation
45
what were 3 examples of businesses privatised under thatcher
british airways british steel and coal british telecom
46
how did deregulation build britains reputation
-london became strong financial capital, canary wharf developed -could compete with wall street -'yuppies' became iconic image-urban professionals with a lot of disposable income
47
what debates thatchers economic success
-availability of north sea oil -her uncompromising attitudes to north east/midlands/south wales/scotland=deprivation were critiqued eg greater london council led by ken livingstone opposed -rate capping rebellion 1985 after she introduced rate capping to reduce overspending of labour (eg sheffield/liverpool)-they refused to set any budgets at all hoping gov would intervene but they faced bankruptcy so it failed -north was poor and south was prosperous
48
what was economic realignment
the reorganisation of the economy to a shift to service industries>industries
49
how did thatchers economic policies create a new consensus
-minimal market forces -monetarism -privatisation -reduced TU power -welath creation eg entrepreneurs
50
name 3 specific facts about thatchers economy pros and cons
P-income tax 83%-40% P-rise in real wages=26% P-shareholders in britain 3-9mil P-self employed 1906000-3,497,000 P-productivity grew annual rate of 4.2% C-b of p deficit £16bil to £47bil C-indrect taxes eg VAT 2.7%-5.1% C-employed 7.1mil-5mil
51
what were the 7 main events with NI under thatcher and who's fault were they
1979-murder of airey neave(INLA) 1981-death of bobby sands(GOV) 1984-brighton bombing(IRA) 1985-anglo irish agreement(GOV) 1987-enniskillen massacre(IRA) 1988-death on the rock(GOV) 1989-censorship imposed on IRA(GOV)
52
explain the murder of airey neave
INLA(IRA group) planted a bomb in the bonnet of his car and exploded in commons car park (thatcher wanted to make him NI secretary)-thatcher took tough stance but still visited irish taoiseach in 1980 for political co operation
53
explain the death of bobby sands
he was a prisoner in maze prison for attempting to blow-up a furniture store(since 1976)protesting removal of special category status and he died after 66 days on hunger strike (sinn fein increased in votes-thatcher remained hard line=became hate figure for unionists and republicans) -in 1981 he was elected to become an MP for sinn fein(willing to use political methods)
54
when was the brighton bombing
12th oct 1984 bombing of the grand hotel that was hid in a bathroom by the IRA where the conservative party conference was, 5 killed, 30 injured (conference still proceeded-defiance)
55
what was the anglo irish agreement
15th nov 1985 =FAIL attempt to halt violence in ireland features: -gave the republic say in ni affairs -british gov said they would allow a united ireland if maj was in favour and they established intergovernmental conference headed by NI sec and I foreign minister -attempted to make a devolved government possible
56
why was the anglo irish agreement opposed
party-saw it as compromise towards NI violence eg housing minister resigned unionists-rejected irish gov involvement in north (didnt want united ireland ruled by dublin) republicans-didnt want continuation of NI as part of UK =caused mass protests but paved way for good friday agreement
57
what was the enniskillen massacre
nov 1987 the IRA exploded a bomb at a remembrance day service in enniskillen , 11 killed, 60 injured
58
what was death on the rock
at the funeral of 3 IRA members in belfast 5000 attenders were fired on by micheal stone (loyalist), 3 died, 50 injured and 3 days later 2 off duty soldiers drove through an IRA parade and were dragged from their car CONTEXT-in gibraltar the SAS shot them as they intended to blow of a car bomb to decimate british troops at a ceremony
59
why did thatcher put censorship on IRA
to dent terroists 'oxygen of publicity' eg blanking out terroist voices/replaced with actors voices
60
what measures did thatcher introduce to bring stability to NI
-anglo irish agreement -1987-the central community relations unit to develop better relations between catholics and protestants -1989 the fair employment act required employers not to discriminate -1990 the ni community relations council created to support change towards reconciliation and mutual trust
61
why was there labour division after the 1979 election
-left/unions antagonised/unhappy with wage restraints/voted conserv -right isolated/disilusioned by failure of party revisionist policies/too radical eg anti eec/domination of unions/tony benn thought labour weren't left enough -signified takeover of extremist groups eg militant tendency urging socialist policies over capitalist
62
why did labour loose the 1983 election (conservative win)
L-'longest suicide note in history' L-organsiation/propaganda poor L-foot was a liability=looked uncomfortable on tv in compared to thatcher L-divisions L-SDP factor L-military victory in falklands, pacifism of foot made labour look unpatriotic
63
why was labours 1983 manifesto the longest suicide note in history
dominated by left wing promises eg -disarmament -withdrawal from EEC -closer control over banking -fox hunting illegal -discussions with TUC of minimum wage
64
how did labour recover after the 1983 election
-foot replaced by kinnock (a pragmatist who believed reform was necessary by shifting to the right) -policy review (made SDP look uneeded) but miners strike split the party/brought them into bad light/traditional labour supporters -denouncement of militant tendency councillors at 1985 conference (were becoming a revolutionary party within a party/creating adverse media content) eg liverpool city council tried to force gov to give them money, sep 1983 they issued redundancy notices to 31,000 employees (step too far-feb 1986 suspended/explulsions of members) -with help of charles clarke/peter mandelson they improved policies and image eg officials smarter/media/friendly/emphasis on glamour
65
why did labour loose the 1987 election in spite of a good campaign
-shifts in social class patterns made the party unelectable (economic realignment meant working class were happy with conservs eg house ownership/more holidays/could own narrative )-needed further shift to right -conservs had backing of press -realised socialism would only be reintroduced by the redistribution of resources from capitalism(stressed by margaret becket) eg increasing taxes to give back to poor and reinvest in public services
66
what did labour do after the 1987 election
-created ministry for women -agreed on a national minimum wage -delors stressed them the benefits of the EEC -kinnock moved policies more centre ground, policy review ditched most of the 1983 election -split with tu, ended labours support for closed shops in 1989
67
what did thatcher do after the 1987 election
pressed on with reforming policies to make public institutions more responsive to the needs of the consumer eg controlling local gov expenditure levels (system of standard spending assessments) eg councils required to adopt 'compulsory competitive tendering' eg educational reform = education reform act 1988 introduced by kenneth baker
68
what were the features of the 1988 education reform act
-local management of schools introduced (schools could free themselves from control by the local education authority) -schools could opt to become grant maintained schools financed directly by central gov -introduced national curriculum containing core and foundation subjects -schools were to cover a set of 'key stages; to achieve learning aims -league tables of results would be published
69
what were thatchers attitudes towards society
1987 interview printed in a womens mag-'there is no such thing as society' believed in social responsibility was an individual matter not a group affair
70
what 2 unions represented public sector workers
COHSE and NUPE
71
what was the poll tax and when was it introduced
-under old rates system local taxation was based on property and thatcherites believed everyone contributing would be fairer (homeowners disliked it and wanted to increase their vote) -introduced single flat-rate, per-capita tax on every adult 1989 introduced to scotland and 1990 to england and wales -'one nation conservatives'
72
why was the poll tax so unpopular
-the recession of the early 1980s/deindustrialisation worsened effects -thatcher failed too connect to ordinary people -all britain anti poll tax federation unions set up to urge non-compliance, made it harder for police/courts/councils to enforce (scottish national party-'cant pay won't pay' ^march 1990 anti poll tax demonstration in trafalgar square 20,000 people which ended in a riot with 5000 injured/cars on fire/windows smashed/looting/300 arrests -for gov it increased costs of tax implementation(hard to find non-payers as tenants change address frequently-cost 21/2 more than rates) -was double the original estimate -cons backbench rebellions
73
what are the key elements of thatchers society
EDUCATION/ARTS CHURCH PRESSURE GROUPS MINERS STRIKE RIGHT TO BUY POLL TAX SECTION 28
74
how was thatcher opposed in education/arts
-oxford uni voted against giving her honorary degree (given to every oxford post pm) over spending cuts to higher education -playwrights eg Caryl Churchill/David Hare/Alan Ayckbourn plays satirised her -'red wedge'(musical collective) campaigned against her as well as 'alternative' comedians eg ben elton -TV shows eg 'boys from the black stuff' showed social consequences of her policies
75
how did church oppose thatcher
-c of england published a report on urban life 1985 'faith in the city' calling for gov to help deprived communities =recicved hostile response -bishops eg david jenkins/david sheppard spoke critics of her policies
76
what pressure groups opposed thatcher
-charities eg 'shelter' campaigned against increasing homelessness and 'age of concern' campaigned against pensioner poverty -CND membership grew against thatchers policy of stepping up arms race against USSR in the 'new cold war' of early 1980s / mass protest marches -PACIFISM-'The Greenham Women' campaigned after 1979 thatcher declared to station America cruise missiles at bases in britain eg sep 1981 protestors set up camp outside greenham base / april 1983 cruise missiles were meant to arrive so 70,000 protestors formed 14 mile human chain to aldermaston / 1984 newbury council evicted women and demolished their camp but they rebuilt it after dark =Cruise missiles left site in 1991
77
how did concerns of environmentalism grow under thatcher
-INDUSTRIAL DISASTERS-dec 1984 bhopal gas leak in india at pesticide factory killed 3000-8000 ppl, thousands suffered long term effects / 1986 chernobyl nuclear power plant released radioactive particles into atmosphere, killed dpeople,thousands developed cancers from the radiation -POLLUTION AWARENESS- 1985 discovery of atlantic ozone hole caused by CFCs / damage to buildings/freshawater lakes by acid rain -made pressure groups eg greenpeace/friends of the earth grew in strength
78
what was thatchers attitude towards homosexuality
-1988 local government act published section 28. stated authorities shouldn't 'promote homosexuality' / allow schools to teach acceptability of it -increased campaigning groups eg stonewall/gay pride rallies attendance
79
what was thatchers idea of the poverty trap
dilemma with the low paid, if they continued working they were penalised by being taxed so it was more beneficial to draw unemployment benefits so she introduced a 5% cut in unemployment/sickness/maternity benefits
80
what were 2 marches for jobs under thatcher
1981 liverpool to london rally , lobbied MPs, rally outside GLC 1983 demonstration in Glasgow ended in london with thousands attending
81
what was the 'haves and 'have nots' of thatchers society
by 1990 -south/midlands boomed, modernised high tech industries/social mobility/greater home ownership -northern industrialised areas left behind/crumbling infrastructure/visible decline and decay
82
why was thatcher opposed to the EEC in her 1979 manifesto
-eec principles of protectionism/centralisation were out dated / saw eec as inefficient (Brussels bureaucracy-most admin happened in Belgium which countered her revolution in britain ) -the disparity between the budget payments made by separate nations rewarded the inefficient ones and penalised the efficient -saw european federalism as a threat to national soverigneity and free enterprise-become prey of creeping socialism -her 'handbag diplomacy' -abrasive style of negotiation ruffled consensual politics favoured by european leaders
83
what was the british budgetary question 1981-84
-the treasury said eec membership was costing them £1bil a year because they recieved so little from the CAP -over 3 years thatcher negotiated for a rebate - 'i want my money back' -made herself unpopular with european leaders 1984 said 'we saved all their necks in the war' - the french president famously started reading his newspaper whenever she spoke/german chancellor yawned -1984 in fontainebleau she secured £700mil rebate
84
what was the single european act and when was it
1986 -countries committed themselves to closer monetary/political union/mentioned possibility of european monetary union/changed assembly into the european parliament and courts -principle of super nationality established (subordination of individual member states to the eec) -right to VETO against members was abolished
85
why was thatcher in favour of the single european act
would make a free market in europe a reality/ opportunity for business growth / surprising
86
what was thatchers bruges speech
-thatcher becoming increasingly worried of europe/german reunification with cold war ending/hated jacque delors (became president of the european commission in 1986) -sept 1988 in Belgium she gave a hostile warning in a speech to those who were concerned about a centralised, federal europe/ accusing eec go moving towards a big communist style of gov (populism) -OPPOSED eg geoffrey howe resigned 'we have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state of Britain only to see them re-imposed at a European level'
87
what was the ERM and why were people convinced it was needed
exchange rate mechanism -currencies are fixed to maintain currency stability -inflation rising/trade defecit/explosion in house prices /north sea oil running out -advocated by howe(foreign sec) and lawson (c of e) but she spoke to alan walters who she appointed too her special economic adviser for advise and he opposed it
88
why was there conflict over the ERM
-lawson secretly started to track the deutschmark and howe and lawson both put pressure on thatcher too join eg in a madrid summit june 1989 they walked into her hotel room and threatened toro resign -when thatcher found out howe was demoted to deputy pm in 1989 and lawson resigned and became a back bencher -in rome in october 1990 thatcher went to a european meeting and declared britain would never join the single currency(euro) and came back to parliament with her "no no no"speech and howe resigned 1990 with a speech that was crucial to thatchers downfall (calm/dissapointed tone/rallying cry to others who are fed up of her)-13th november 1990
89
why was thatcher given the nickname of the iron lady
-she helped the collapse of the soviet union (led by gorbachev) at the end of the cold war (she sensed communism no longer represented the people of the countries they had power over-was the 'enemy of freedom') so the soviet press labelled her the 'iron lady' intended to oppose her disparaging ideas but she viewed it as a recognition of her firmness of purpose
90
when did the soviets collapse and how did thatcher help
1991 -the 'velvet revolution' , anti communist movements happened through the eastern bloc in the 80s and she supported the to promote liberty eg visited places in the eastern bloc (poland/hungary/ussr) eg in poland chapels/shrines were dedicated to her as she supported the polish tu against communism 'solidarity' (led by lech walesa) and was successful in resisting attempts to suppress it
91
what was the context of hong kong under thatcher
1842-got hong kong permeantly 1860-added kowloon(harbour opposite hk) 1898-gained kowloon peninsula (new territories) on a 99 year lease
92
what happened with thatcher and hong kong
the PRC thought under the 1898 agreement hong kong would return to china in 1997, the leader deng xiaoping thought it would be a huge asset to his modernisation plans for china (legally wasn't the case) but 95% of hong kong wanted to stay british so thatcher tried to use this as justification (idea of giving up new territories but keeping hk and kowloon wasn't an option because she didnt want to give up the new territories as they supplied hong kong with water/power supplies ) -prc-uk talks began 1979, 1982 thatcher got involved and dx took a hard line approach (had the moral high ground after britain had acquired hk from exploitative colonialism in 1842/ launched opium war and thatcher knew they could easily take it by force )
93
what were the results of thatcher and hong kong
-sino british joint declaration (dec 1984)- on the expiry of the lease all areas making up hk would return to prc but in return Chinese communists declared hk as a 'special administrative region' until 2047-leaving its capitalist economic structure unaltered -opposition arose from the HK democrats as the declaration wouldn't give them enough protection after 1997 (thatcher ignored to keep good commercial relations with china)
94
what were thatchers relations with the US
-her and ronald reegan had a strong bond (both from a generation who's lives had been shaped by ww2,shared personal and ideological interests,thatcher saw 20th century as american armies rescuing 'those europeans' after they made a mess of things -both agreed on a tough stance with the USSR and deploying cruise missiles to put pressure on the soviets/ the arms race GOOD RELATIONS: -1986 thatcher gave us permission to use britsh air bases to bomb libya despite it being unpopular in britain -britain spent over £10bil buying from the us eg trident missiles to replace Polaris -1981 allowed us to install its cruise missiles at the us air force base at green ham common -1983 regain developed a strategic defence initiative ('star wars') to give us protection against missile attack =convinced ussr they couldnt keep up=soviet collapse
95
what was the context of hong kong under thatcher
1842-got hong kong permeantly 1860-added kowloon(harbour opposite hk) 1898-gained kowloon peninsula (new territories) on a 99 year lease
96
why did thatcher fall from power
-poll tax (april 1990 labour had 20 point lead in opinion polls)- 'a reform too far' -howes resignation 13 nov 1990 =catalyst for leadership contest -disagreements over europe eg lawsons resignation -loss of ministerial support eg she lost ultra safe seat at eastbourne to the liberals in a by election oct 1990(lost all 4 by election 1989/1990) and willie white law had a stroke in 1987 so less support from her -economic concerns eg 1987 stock market crash/ 1988 lawson budget led to rapid expansion of the economy (inflation 10.9%) -labour recovery under kinnock and smith
97
who challenged thatcher to a leadership contest
micheal heseltine (thatcher easily survived 1989 challenge against anthony meyer) -thatcher won first ballot(november 20th) by 52 votes she regarded narrowness of margin as evidence shed lost confidence, she withdrew from the second ballot and said she would resign after individually talker to her cabinet -by the second ballot john major and douglas hurd were in the running and major won 54 votes against heseltine
98
what was thatchers legacy
-ECONOMIC abandoned consensus poltiics eg replaced Keynesian with free market -POLITICAL reduced power of the state / made local gov answer directly to peoples needs -INDUSTRIAL limited power of unions - SOCIAL restored social accountability / individual responsibility 'no such thing as society' - FOREIGN-heroine to eastern bloc/special relationship renewed/iron lady

britain (8 decks)

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