Thatcher part 4 - effect of Thatcherism on politics Flashcards
what were ‘the wets’ in Thatcher’s first cabinet?
those who had been appointed by Heath and were committed to the post-war consensus
e.g Jim Prior, Lord Hailsham
why did Thatcher refer to them as traitors?
they wanted to compromise with socialism
this demonstrates her uncompromising ideology in viewing socialism as the enemy
why was Thatcher unable to ‘completely exclude moderates from the cabinet’?
moderate MPs such as Prior were chiefly interested in preventing economic policies from causing social breakdown
why was Jim Prior worried about monetarism?
he feared that is would lead to rising inequalities, and therefore increased social tension
what defines One Nation Conservatives and why would Thatcher oppose them?
saw themselves as part of the natural aristocracy who had a duty to ensure the poor were provided for
Thatcher opposed this as she was against the welfare state and the dependency it created
what two factors led to the decline of One Nation Conservatism?
their values were rejected in favour of commitment to free market
party was increasingly dominated by people who weren’t born right but made their own money
where in the government did Thatcher place most of the ‘drys’?
promoted them to key economic positions
why was the rose of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland seen as a ‘dumping ground’?
position for ministers out of favour
1981: cabinet reshuffle put Prior in this position
why was the 1981 cabinet reshuffle reported as ‘the purging of the wets’?
key moderates were sacked and Thatcherites were promoted to important roles
what did Thatcher mean in 1981 when she said she was the ‘rebel leader of an establishment party’?
she viewed herself as a radical leader in a party of moderates
how long did it take Thatcher to fully dominate the Conservative party ideology?
by the end of the 80s her ideas were dominant and older consensus ideas were a minority
this indicated that Thatcher had a powerful effect on the party and changed in permanently
Who was Michael Heseltine and how did he challenge Thatcher?
one of the ‘wets’ who survived the 1981 reshuffle and was the secretary of the state of the environment
challenged Thatcher about the scale of unemployment and believed that efforts should be made to intervene in the economy in order to relive the worst-affected areas
why would Heseltine’s actions of unemployment after the 1981 have troubled Thatcher?
he developed strategies such as Enterprise Zones and Development Corporations in unemployment black spots
these policies resembled traditional corporatism rather than free-market thinking Thatcher wanted to promote
why did Heseltine disagree with Thatcher’s ‘presidential’ style?
believed it was unhealthy and instead the cabinet should play an important role in the creation of government policy
what was the Westland Affair?
Thatcher and Heseltine disagreed over the future of Westland Helicopters, an important British defence manufacturer
Heseltine resigned in outrage after a US company bought Westland
what does the Westland Affair reveal about Thatcher’s ideology?
demonstrated how uncompromising she was in her ideology and style of government
willing to jeopardise personal relationships which even resulted in resignations
why was the Poll Tax so unpopular?
most controversial policy as it introduced a flat-rate tax, regardless of income
what was the public response to the Poll Tax?
widespread anger and large-scale protests
1990: All Britain Anti-Poll Tax Federation organised a mass demonstration in Trafalgar Square, attended by 200,000 protesters
- turned into a riot
what impact did the Poll Tax have on taxpayers, the press, pensioners, and he police?
increased tax bills which people refused to pay, leaving the government with a growing crisis
bad publicity - newspapers covered stories of pensioners who couldn’t afford the charge and were jailed
police conceded it would be impossible to arrest all non-payers, demonstrating the fact the tax couldn’t be enforced
how did Thatcher’s uncompromising style become a weakness rather than a strength?
Poll Tax - being uncompromising damaged the reputation of the party as the policy remained unchanged
the only way to ditch the Poll Tax was to remove Thatcher
what reasons were there for Thatcher’s unpopularity by 1990?
Poll Tax
high interest rates
water privatisation
party divisions
how was Thatcher personally divided on the question of Europe?
committed to opening the free market across Europe but also resented interference as she feared European law world force Brain to accept ‘socialist’ policies
how was Thatcher finally ousted as a leader?
extremely unpopular by late 1990, making her position more vulnerable
Heseltine took the opportunity to challenge her for leadership and after the first round of voting she realised she’d lost support and so withdrew
what does Major’s victory reveal about the general feeling within the party about Thatcher compared to Thatcherism?
Conservatives wanted to continue similar policies
what they rejected was Thatcher herself and her ‘presidential’, uncompromising style
