Conservative Party Flashcards
1
Q
Traditional conservatives and origins of the Conservative Party
A
- originated in the late 17th century Tory Party
- by the 1830s, under the leadership of sir Robert peel, it was evolving into a party dedicated to the defence of property and traditional authority against the threat of revolution.
- Peel stressed the importance of gradual reform in order to protect and conserve established institutions.
- by appealing to both the middle class and aristocracy, the conservatives broadened their support and were very successful in the late 19th century and early 20th centuries,
2
Q
One-nation conservatives
A
- traditional conservatism developed into one-nation conservatism.
- sought to bridge the gulf between classes through a paternalistic social policy - paternalism
- Disraeli and later leaders sought to win popular support through social reform and a ‘patriotic’ foreign policy.
- ideology peaked in the years after WW2, when the party broadly accepted the changes introduced by the 1945-51 Atlee government.
3
Q
John Major (1990-1997)
A
- following Thatcher’s departure in November 1990, the party struggled for a decade and a half to find an identity independent of her. JOHN MAJOR in a way represented the continuation of Thatcherism, with the privatisation of Coal and Railways, however he was a less confrontational figure. (1990-1997)
- narrowly won 1992 GE
- he experienced troubles with divisions over Europe - these divisions, along with a series of scandals and a growing sense of exhaustion on the part of the government, led to a huge defeat to Tony Blair in 1997.
4
Q
The Conservative Party during the Blair years
A
- next three tory leaders were unable to unseat Tony Blair. All three leaders failed to distance themselves from the now discredited Thatcherism and move the party beyond an association with Europe, immigration and law and order.
- the party’s ageing membership and outdated policies failed to appeal to an increasingly diverse society.
5
Q
How did Cameron ‘Detoxify’ the Conservative Party
A
- Cameron’s election as party leader in December 2005 brought the fresh thinking of a new generation to the party; respectful of Thatcher but aware Britain had considerably changed since she left office.
- he showed an interest in the environment, an issue gaining more and more importance and demonstrated that he valued public services such as the NHS.
- he attempted to shift the party somewhat back to a moderate one-nation conservatism.
6
Q
How did Cameron seek to move away from Thatcherism
A
- both Cameron and May maintained that they stood on the side of ordinary people rather than just the elite and tried to move the party away from its image as the ‘nasty party’.
- whilst Thatcher presented the Conservatives as the party for individualism and self-determination, Cameron emphasised the bonds between people, ranging for co-operation between the state and voluntary sector in building the ‘Big Society’.
- Thatcher’s morally authoritarian tone was replaced by, for example, support for the legalisation of gay marriage.
7
Q
Theresa May
A
- sought to continue Cameron’s liberal and one-nation approach combined with continued austerity, but her premiership became largely defined by divisions over Brexit.
- at the start she sought to invoke ‘strong and stable leadership’ but she turned out to be the opposite following losing the Conservatives’ majority in the 2017 election.
8
Q
Boris Johnson
A
- a hardline Brexiteer and successfully passed a hard Brexit deal after the 2019 election.
- quickly became defined by COVID and its aftermath, especially the ‘partygate’ scandal.
- government and policy was largely defined by events rather than ideological position, but he dud move the party away from austerity in the 2019 election and sought to promote a ‘levelling up’ agenda.
- significantly departed from Thatcher’s gov
9
Q
Liz Truss
A
- sought to reintroduce Thatcherism in order to try and boost the UK’s economy in the context of the Cost of Living crisis but failed miserably and resigned after just 45 days in office.
- her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng introduced a mini-budget which announced Truss would be cutting taxes significantly including corporation tax, abolishing the top rate of tax and cutting stamp duty.
- the mini-budget was disastrous, resulting in the rapid fall in the value of the pound and the Bank of England responding by increasing interest rates.
- she tried to reverse some of her policies and replaced Kwarteng with Jeremy Hunt, but it was too late and she resigned.
10
Q
Rishi sunak
A
- Brexiteer and chancellor under Boris Johnson
- took over from Liz Truss
11
Q
The policies of the Conservative Party under Thatcher:
Economic policy
A
- reduced taxes and public spending in an attempt to encourage individualism
- supported privatisation and the removing of the state from the market and introduced a series of massive privatisations starting in 1981 with British Telecom.
12
Q
The policies of the Conservative Party under Thatcher:
Law and order
A
- took on the unions calling them the ‘enemy within’ and successfully reduced their powers, by making striking more difficult and using the police against striking workers, often violently.
- despite cutting the budgets of other departments, she increased funding for the police and armed forces, representing a strong law and order policy
13
Q
The policies of the Conservative Party under Thatcher:
Welfare policy
A
- with the 1998 education reform act, Thatcher removed the control over education from local politicians, making schools self-governing and the curriculum decided by the UK Government.
- Thatcher cut the budgets of many government departments and reduced some benefits, but didn’t privatise the NHS due to the string public support for it.
14
Q
Foreign Policy
A
- thatcher had a very strong, assertive foreign policy leading to her gaining the reputation of being the ‘iron lady’
- she was eurosceptic and sought to protect Britain’s sovereignty against a growing EU. She did support the economic community and liberalisation of the EU though.
15
Q
Thatcher overall
A
Completely rejected one-nation conservative ideas of compromise, instead being a ‘conviction politician’ and successfully implementing her New Right agenda.
