Thatcher Flashcards

1
Q

Issues in 1979

A

-winter of discontent
-trade unions
-inflation
-increasing unemployment
-gov spending

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2
Q

What type of politician was Thatcher

A

Conviction politician, goes off her own extreme beliefs not conservative beliefs

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3
Q

4 of Thatchers beliefs

A
  • state was far too big
    -trade unions too powerful
    -Britain was facing moral decay
    -Hooked on borrowing
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4
Q

Result of 1979 election

A

339 conservative seats
269 labour seats

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5
Q

Reasons for labour loss

A
  • winter of discontent
  • high inflation
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6
Q

who were Thatchers 3 chancellors

A

Geoffrey Howe 79-83
nigel Lawson 83-89
John Major 89-90

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7
Q

What side economics did her governments emphasise?

A

supply side economics- encourage entrepreneurship

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8
Q

What was the effect of mass privatisation

A

between 1979-90 number of shareholders in Britain rose from 3m-9m

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9
Q

What was the housing act of 1980

A

enabled people to buy their own council house

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10
Q

result of the Housing act

A

House ownership rose by 15% between 1981-90
68% of pop owned their own home by 1990

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11
Q

3 examples of supply side economics

A

-improving infrastructure
-removing regulations that prevent firms from growing
-cutting corporation taxes

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12
Q

What did the credit and exchange abolishment lead to?

A

‘Big Bang’ of 1986 where market activity rose and London place as a financial capital strengthens

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13
Q

What happened in April 1981 in Brixton

A

hundreds of black youths ran riot burning shops and property likewise in ST Pauls Bristol, moss side Manchester

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14
Q

How much did inflation fall from 1979-83

A

19% to 5%

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15
Q

Who was Willie Whitelaw

A

Home sec
Deputy PM
helped with the groundwork for the sunnigdale agreement

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16
Q

When was the Death of Bobby sands

A

1981

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17
Q

What caused bobby sands death

A

used hunger strikes to complain about their prisoner status.
Elected to become an MP for Seinn Fein.
Died a few weeks later from starvation

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18
Q

result of Bobby sands death

A

Ira gained a lot of publicity
Thatcher viewed his death as a failure as they had not achieved special category status

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19
Q

When was the Brighton Bombing

A

1984

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20
Q

What was a the Brighton Bombing

A

planned assassination attempt by the IRA.
Targeted as many Cabinet members as possible
Blast killed 5
Thatcher began next session off conference exactly on time in defiance to the bombers

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21
Q

When was the Anglo- Irish agreement

A

1985

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22
Q

What was involved in the Anglo-irish agreement

A

Gave Republic of Ireland a say in Northern Irish affairs

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23
Q

Result of the Anglo-irish agreement

A

Provoked rather than unified Ireland
Agreement caused protests but considered vital for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998

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24
Q

When was the Enskillen Massacre

A

1987

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25
Q

What was the Enskillen massacre

A

Ira exploded a bomb on remembrance day service
11 killed 60 injured

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26
Q

Reasons for Labour split

A
  • Labours election defeat 1979
    -Election of Michael foot as leader
    -constituional changes that pushed the party further to the left
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27
Q

Split of labour party

A

-moderates believed the best way to save labour was not to fight the left wing but build a new party aimed to appeal to ordinary voters
- gang of 4 plus 28 created SDP party

28
Q

When did Neil Kinnock replace Michael foot as leader

A

1983

29
Q

Reasons for conservative victory in 1983 election

A
  • invasion of falklands islands created the ‘Falklands factor’
    -people felt more patriotic
    -Thatcher growth in confidence and began to dominate
30
Q

Reasons for labour loss of 1983 election

A
  • labour leadership lacked credibility, foot struggled to deal with divisions
    -foots poor display on tv
    -Longest suicide not in history manifesto with promises for withdrawal of eec and unilateral disarmament
31
Q

When did the liberal party and SDP merge

A

1988 called the Liberal Democrats

32
Q

Where did Ian Paisley give the ‘ never, never, never’ speech

A

200,000 people attended a protest rally in Belfast

33
Q

What measures were in the 1981 budget

A
  • reduction in government borrowing
    -grants to local councils cut and benefits frozen
34
Q

What were there measures in the 1981 budget trying to encourage?

A
  • belief that people spent money more efficiently than the government
    -shift from direct taxation to more indirect e.g VAT
35
Q

How much had the top rate of income tax fell by 1988?

A

83% to 40%

36
Q

How much did VAT rise in 1979

A

8% to 15%

37
Q

Who was the face of the ‘loony left’

A

Ken Livingstone as he was he leader of the Great London Council

38
Q

When was BP and British Aerospace privatised

A

1979 and 1980

39
Q

What mechanism was used to control inflation in the early years

A

interest rates

40
Q

what were interest rates raised to in 1979

A

17%

41
Q

What was the consequence of the high interest rates

A

economy went into recession and many businesses went bankrupt

42
Q

What did inflation peak to in May 1980

A

22%

43
Q

How much was steel production cut by?

A

30%

44
Q

What was the unemployment in 1983

A

over 3 million

45
Q

Which areas were hit the hardest

A

Northern areas, Liverpool areas reached high off 25% unemployment

46
Q

Drawbacks of the housing act of 1980

A
  • council house sales were predominantly in better off areas
    -Councils were advised to use profits to pay off debts and not build houses
    -led to the number of properties that could be rented reduced leading to longer waiting lists
47
Q

How long did the Newspaper proprietors strike for?

A

Led by Rupert Murdoch, strikes as government trying to reduce power of print unions, went on for 13 months

48
Q

Why was the government confident of not running out of energy in 1974 during the miners strike

A

North Sea oil and large supplies of coal had been stocked

49
Q

what issue did Scargill face gathering the unions in 1974

A

Failed to overcome historic divisions with the miners.
Nottinghamshire miners formed a breakaway union.
Accused of being scabs and traitors

50
Q

Battle of Orgreave

A

Mass picket at the coke plant in Orgreave by 5000 miners
8000 police
More than 50 picketers injured and 70 police

51
Q

Reasons for defeat at Orgreave for Scargill

A
  • police had new equipment and more experience of riot control therefore better tactics
    -Scargill alienated moderates; never got support from the Labour Party made it easy for Thatcher to alienate him in a democratically elected government
52
Q

Employment in the coal industry in 1990

A

60,000

53
Q

Aim of the poll tax

A

Make councils more accountable to their electors by ensuring that everyone contributed

54
Q

Reaction to poll tax

A

-1989, trialed in Scotland and was very unpopular and pushed the conservative popularity in Scotland even further down
-Anti-poll tax unions set up all over the country
-some people didn’t pay, 30% in some areas
1990 poll tax demonstration in Trafalgar Square, more than 200,000 attended and turned into a riot

55
Q

Education and arts view of thatcher

A

Oxford Uni voted against giving that her an honours degree due to cuts to spending in higher education

Artistic department anti-thatcher due to cut in public spending to arts

56
Q

CND pressure group view of Thatcher

A
  • Thatchers involvement in arms race with USSR led to re-fuelled anger
    -Decision for American cruise missiles to be stored in Britain led to mass protest marches
57
Q

Greenham women

A

1981 a group a women protesters set up camp outside greenham base where missiles were to be kept
1983, cruise missiles meant o arrive 70,000 protesters lined the streets
1984, Newbury council evicts the camp and demolishes it but the women re build it

58
Q

When did argentine forces surrender?

A

14 June 1981

59
Q

Impact of Falkland’s on Britain’s foreign position

A
  • Britain’s position as a world power was on a resurgence and restored national pride
60
Q

Thatchers relationship with Reagan

A
  • strong bond both personal and ideological
    -Thatcher gave permission for US to use British bases to bomb Libya
61
Q

When did Thatcher get the rebate in Europe?

A

1984, she believed Britain’s was paying more into the eu than others

62
Q

When was the single European act?

A

1986

63
Q

Single European act

A

Changed the assembly into the European Parliament and mentioned the possibility of a future European monetary union.
Was beneficial as it fitted thatchers idea of free market in Europe but gave up some British sovereignty

64
Q

The Westland affair 1986

A
  • affair over who would take over Westland helicopter company
  • Michael heseltine favoured a European takeover however Thatcher was not bothered and would allow an American takeover
  • heseltine storms about cabinet meeting a resigns
65
Q

when and what was the single European act

A

1986
Outlined to improve political cooperation between countries in Europe

66
Q

1988 bruges speech

A

Thatcher wanted to express her views as she wanted a single market as this was in line with her economic views but felt the EEC was not moving in this direction.

Delors did not agree with this and led to clash and other euproean leaders did not like this.

Also caused divides in government as eurosceptics agreed with her speech but John major and Geoffrey howe did not.

67
Q

contribution to end of Cold War

A

harsh line with Gorbachev meant he realised that USSR was no longer a real power

good negotiating skills with Megan helped bring a peaceful end to the Cold War