The impact of Thatcherism 1979-87

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When was Thatcher elected as PM?
May 1979.
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What was interesting about the PWC by the time Thatcher came to power?
It had already been undermined.
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What was Britain known as in relation to Europe?
''The sick man of Europe''
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What did Thatcher continue in her earlier years?
She continued the policies of her predecessors e.g gave British Leyland subsidies.
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What were Thatcher's parliamentary supporters known as?
''Dries''.
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What were Thatcher's parliamentary opponents known as?
''Wets''.
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What was Thatcher's first economic policy known as?
Monetarism
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What was monetarism associated with?
The Chicago School.
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What did Thatcher seek to do through monetarism?
Reduce inflation.
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What was the level of inflation in 1979?
19%
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What was the level of inflation in 1983?
5%
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What did monetarism show a shift in?
Focus switched from direct taxation to indirect taxation. Thatcher reduced income tax for both the rich and the poor.
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What did these policies lead to?
A deep fall in output
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What did the 1981 budget entail?
The budget cut government expenditure, increased taxes and took £4billion out of the economy.
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What was Thatcher's other economic policy?
Supply-side economics.
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What was a large part of supply-side economics?
Privatisation
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What was privatisation?
Selling off of publicly owned industries to the private sector.
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When was the sale of BT?
1984
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When was the sale of British Gas?
1986 - biggest share offer in history.
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What was deregulation?
The loosening of controls of banks and financial markets.
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What did the Loan Guarantee Scheme do?
Aided more than 19,000 businesses from 1981-1987 providing £635 million in loans.
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When was the London Stock Exchange deregulated?
1986.
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How much did the London Stock Exchange generate?
£110bn
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What percentage of revenue did North Sea Oil generate?
15%
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By what majority did the Conservatives win by in 1983?
144 seat majority
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How many votes did Labour lose in the 1983 election?
3 million
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What percentage of the vote did Labour's share fall by?
10%
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Who was leader of the Labour party in 1983?
Michael Foot
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What was wrong with the Labour party in the 1980's?
No one longer supported the party after the Winter of Discontent. There was a lack of faith in leader Michael Foot. Introduction of the left-wing group Militant Tendency. The party split (SDP)
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What did the Tory party refer to the Labour Manifesto as?
''The longest suicide note in history" (also compared it to the Communist Manifesto)
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Who were the ''Gang of Four''?
Shirley Williams, David Owen, Roy Jenkins and Bill Rodgers.
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When did the SDP and the Liberals unite as one party?
1990 - creation of the liberal democrats.
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When did the Miners' Strike take place?
1984-85.
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What example of continuity was reflected by Thatcher (industrial relations)?
The closure of pits - pits had been closing for over 20 years prior to Thatcher's premiership.
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Who was elected as leader of the NUM?
Arthur Scargill.
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Who did Thatcher appoint as Chairman of the NCB?
Ian McGregor
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Note some key points about the Miner's Strike:
1982 Employment Act reduced union power, banned flying pickets and closed shop. The government had been stockpiling coal in anticipation. Scargill decided to strike in Spring when demand for coal was low. Some areas did not strike e.g Nottingham.
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What was the issue regarding coal in the UK?
Only 1/5 of Britain's energy needs came from coal/
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What did the police force do at the Battle of Orgreave?
Manipulated statements and video footage to make the miners' seem violent and aggressive.
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How much did the police later pay the miners in compensation?
£425,000
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How many were NUM members by 1989?
Just 60,000
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When did the print workers strike?
1986.
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When was the Housing Act passed?
1980
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What did the Right-to-Buy scheme entail?
Tenants could purchase their own council houses.
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How much did the sale of council houses generate?
£18 billion
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How many homes were sold?
1.24 million
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How much did house prices rise by the end of the 1980s?
14.6%
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When was Section 28 of the Local Government Act passed?
1988
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What did Sect. 28 of the Local Gvt. Act say?
It prevented the promotion of homosexuality in schools.
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How much did the cost of basic drugs rise by?
They rose at 5x normal inflation.
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How much did NHS spending increase by during Thatcher's time in office?
£8bn-£21bn
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When did Bobby Sands starve himself to death?
1981
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When did the IRA attempt to assassinate Thatcher?
1984 - the bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton.
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When was the Anglo-Irish Agreement signed?
1985
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What did the Anglo-Irish Agreement entail?
The Irish Republic recognised that Northern Ireland was part of the UK. The British government recognised civil rights for all citizens of Northern Ireland, whatever their denomination.
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When was ''Friends of the Earth'' established?
1969
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When was Greenpeace established?
1971
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What were the majority of environmental campaigns about?
The abolishment of nuclear weaponry.
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When did the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament begin?
c.1957
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When were US Cruise Pershing II missiles deployed on UK soil?
1970s
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When did the Greenham Common protests begin?
Aug 1981
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What was the Greenham Common protest?
People opposing nuclear weapons set up camps in Berkshire where the missiles were located in solidarity and in protest.
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What was decided in Feb 1982 regarding Greenham Common?
It would become an all female camp.
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When was the poll tax introduced in Scotland?
April 1989
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When was the poll tax introduced into England and Wales?
1990
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What was the poll tax?
A flat rate tax, no longer based on household income/the value of a property but a tax that would be the same for everyone regardless of what they earned.
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Who bore the brunt of this new policy?
The poorest in society.
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What was the main issue with the poll tax?
It cost two and a half as much to collect - it cost more than it raised.
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What was another name for the poll tax?
The Community Charge
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When was the protest against the poll tax held at Trafalgar Square?
31st March 1990.
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When was the poll tax abandoned?
1991 (under John Major and Michael Hestletine)
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What marked the beginning of the Falklands War?
2nd April 1982 - invasion of the Falklands by Argentine military dictator General Galtieri.
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When did the British send in a task force?
8th April 1982
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When did the British sink the ''General Belgrano"?
2nd May 1982
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When did the war end?
14th June 1982
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How long did the war last?
Just 74 days.
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How many Britons died in the conflict?
255
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What was Thatcher's popularity rating before the war?
24%
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What was Thatcher's popularity rating after the war?
59%
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By what percentage of the vote did Thatcher by in 1983?
42.4%
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What was her majority increased to?
144
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When did Thatcher give permission for the US to use British air bases in order to bomb Libya?
1986
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What was Thatcher's stance on Europe?
She wasn't keen on European integration but accepted it nonetheless.
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When did Thatcher achieve a rebate for Britain's EU contributions?
1979 - Dublin.
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When was the Single European Act accepted?
1986
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Name two of Thatcher's most anti-EU speeches:
Bruges speech 1988, ''No, no, no'' speech 1990.
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When did Thatcher join the ERM?
Oct 1990.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What was interesting about the PWC by the time Thatcher came to power?

Back

It had already been undermined.

Card 3

Front

What was Britain known as in relation to Europe?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What did Thatcher continue in her earlier years?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What were Thatcher's parliamentary supporters known as?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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