Thatcher (PM case study)

Question 1

What political movement did Thatcher become the figurehead for in the party?

Answer 1

The ‘new right’

Question 2

List Thatcher’s three parliamentary majorities

Answer 2

• 1979: 43
• 1983: 144
• 1987: 102

Question 3

What two factions was the conservative party split between until 1983?

Answer 3

The wets and the dries

Question 4

Describe the wets

Answer 4

They were more traditional, ‘one nation’ conservatives who believed in centrist policies. Given this name because they were seen as weak in dealing with economic issues

Question 5

Describe the dries

Answer 5

Held neoliberal beliefs; led by Thatcher

Question 6

What did Thatcher do to unite the party around her?

Answer 6

Purged the wets from party leadership and replaced them with her allies

Question 7

List three of Thatcher’s key policy goals

Answer 7

• Privatisation
• Balancing the budget
• Curbing TU power
• Cutting taxes
• Deregulation
• Slashing welfare
• Emphasising defence and national security
• Strongly confronting the USSR

Question 8

Describe Thatcher’s style of leadership

Answer 8

Extremely dominant personality who refused to compromise with her opponents. Supporters called her principled and visionary, while her opponents called her stubborn and uncompromising

Question 9

Why was Thatcher unpopular until 1982?

Answer 9

The measures she introduced did not save the struggling economy

Question 10

How was Thatcher’s reputation as the iron lady created?

Answer 10

Because of her swift military response to Argentinian invasion of the Falklands

Question 11

What two events allowed Thatcher to transform the party in her image?

Answer 11

• Success in the Falklands
• The UK economy began to improve

Question 12

How did the end of the Cold War help her?

Answer 12

She and Reagan were congratulated for ‘defeating communism’

Question 13

What did Thatcher strongly oppose on the foreign policy stage?

Answer 13

Greater integration with Europe

Question 14

What miscalculated policy did Thatcher introduce in 1988?

Answer 14

The poll tax was created to replace local property tax

Question 15

Why was the poll tax so controversial?

Answer 15

Because it did not take into account people’s incomes and so violated the principle that taxation should be based on ability to pay

Question 16

Why did conservative MPs resent the poll tax?

Answer 16

They thought it would lose them their seat at the next GE

Question 17

What was the public response to the poll tax?

Answer 17

Riots, protests and an outpouring of public hostility

Question 18

What led to Thatcher’s resignation?

Answer 18

Michael Heseltine challenged her leadership and several of her allies resigned

Question 19

Give some examples of Thatcher being in control

Answer 19

• Removed and marginalised the wets in her cabinet from 1983
• Took decisively military action against Argentina
• Showed that it was her, rather than the TUs, that were in charge of economic policy
• Able to privatise key industries
• The poll tax showed her ability to impose her own personal will

Question 20

Give some examples of Thatcher lacking control

Answer 20

• Had to have wets in her cabinet until 1983 in order to maintain party balance
• Wanted to follow the US in boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics but public opinion would not let them do this
• Boom and bust cycles meant that she had to increase taxes against her will
• Unable to privatise areas like the post office and railways, due to public and party opposition
• Riots and media backlash following the poll tax forced her to U-turn and eventually resign

Question 21

How did Thatcher weaken the TUs in practise

Answer 21

Through five major pieces of legislation

Question 22

How did Thatcher increase the pace of change in terms of curbing TU power?

Answer 22

Replaced James Prior, who had made the case for gradual reform, with Norman Tebbit, her close personal ally, as employment secretary

Question 23

What was Thatcher’s most significant industrial victory?

Answer 23

Against the miners in 1984-85

Question 24

What did Thatcher manage to privatise?

Answer 24

British Gas, BT, British Airways, water companies and electricity companies

Question 25

What was Thatcher’s relationship with the cabinet like compared to her predecessors?

Answer 25

She used them much less

Question 26

What did senior ministers accuse Thatcher of doing?

Answer 26

Paying greater attention to her advisers than she did to them

Question 27

What did Thatcher carefully manage the cabinet to do?

Answer 27

Assert her authority when ministers doubted her policy ideas

Question 28

What divided the cabinet in 1981?

Answer 28

The wets were unwilling to buy into Thatcher’s monetarist policy as a means of managing the recession

Question 29

What did Major manipulate Thatcher into doing when her position was weak in 1990?

Answer 29

Allowing Britain to join the ERM, even though this was something she had long opposed

Question 30

What were the four main factors that contributed to Thatcher’s downfall?

Answer 30

• Economic problems
• Unpopular policies
• Negative ratings in the polls
• Cabinet divisions

Question 31

Why do many see Thatcher as having brought about her own downfall?

Answer 31

By ignoring ministers and bypassing the cabinet, she failed to recognise her dependence on the cabinet and alienated colleagues whose support she needed

Question 32

What was the poll tax officially known as?

Answer 32

The community charge

Question 33

What was the rationale behind the poll tax?

Answer 33

If everyone had to contribute to local services through a flat rate tax, local authorities would be under pressure to provide these services efficiently

Question 34

Why was the poll tax unpopular in practise?

Answer 34

Millions of voters who had never had to pay local taxes before now had large bills

Question 35

Why was the poll tax seen as unfair?

Answer 35

It was regressive; taking more money from the poor than the rich

Question 36

What preceded the introduction of the poll tax?

Answer 36

Riots in London

Question 37

Why did councils find the poll tax difficult to administer and collect?

Answer 37

Because many refused to pay it

Question 38

Why is the poll tax disaster attributed to the government?

Answer 38

Checks and balances within the cabinet failed; warnings from the chancellor and treasury were not given due consideration and the local authorities were not consulted fully

Question 39

What did Major replace the poll tax with?

Answer 39

Council tax