1970-1979 Flashcards
How was Heath described when dealing with people?
Stiff and prickly.
True or false - Heath was the first state school educated PM?
True. He was the end of the Edwardian look.
How long was Heath the leader of the conservatives as an opposition party allowing him to come to office with a clear and detailed list of policies?
5 years.
Heath was good at policies but less good at what?
Politics.
Heath was too ______ for his own good.
Honest.
What led to Heath’s defeat in the 1974 election?
Economic and industrial issues.
Why did he know the issues of the EEC inside out?
He was chief negotiator from 1961-1963.
In what year did backbencher MPs call for a leadership challenge where Thatcher emerged.
1975.
What was one of the main reasons many supported Thatcher?
There was no one else.
What economic policies was Thatcher sympathetic of put forward by Enoch Powel and Keith Joseph?
Monetarist and free market.
What did the conservatives discuss before the 1970 election at Selsdon park?
The manifesto including tax reform, law and order, reform to trade unions, immigration controls, cut to public spending and end public subsidies for lone duck industries.
True or false - Heath was a believer in the post war consensus and ‘one nation Toryism’.
True.
When was the ‘Barber boom’?
1972.
What did the ‘Barber boom’ lead to?
Inflation, no economic growth, unemployment went up which was unusual during inflation.
What is the name for Increased unemployment and inflation at the same time?
Stagflation.
What age was school leaving age raised to?
16.
True or false - Local governments were not reorganised.
False. They were.
When was Decimalisation?
1971.
What was Decimalisation?
Meant that 100p equated to £1 rather than old system which was 144p equating to £1.
The government wanted to reduce state intervention. Why did they feel compelled to do intervene?
Unemployment neared 1 million.
What was the U-turn?
Heath went back on his promise not to save failing businesses.
What were examples of the U-turn?
1971 nationalisation of Rols Royce
Money poured into the upper Clyde ship builders.
By 1973 government investment into modernising industry seemed to be working. What had unemployment fallen back to?
500,000.
What crisis changed the success of the government investment into modernising industry?
Yom Kipper war in the middle east which prompted OPEC to declare an oil embargo.
Due to the OPEC oil embargo how much more did oil cost?
Oil price went up 4 times usual rates. Led to long ques outside petrol stations.
How was the Yom Kippur war used by the NUM?
The NUM used the Yom Kippur war as a tool to demand for a huge pay rise in November 1973 as Britain became more dependant of coal while oil was in short supply. Set the stage for struggle between the government and NUM (National union of miners).
What was Heath’s response to the large amount of strikes from Doctors, Dustmen, postal workers and power workers (leading to power cuts) at the start of his premiership?
‘In place of strife’.
What board did Heath drop in response to the strikes?
Board for Prices and Incomes.
What did ‘In place of strife’ propose?
Industrial relations court to deal with strike ballots and 28 day cooling off period.
Who opposed ‘In place of strife’.
TUC and CBI.
When was there Major strikes of Miners, firefighters, civil servants, power workers, hospital staff and engine drivers?
1972.
In the 1972 strikes there was the highest number of days lost to strikes since 1926. How many working days were lost?
23,909,000.
On the 9th of Jan what sopped the movement of coal around the country?
Arthur Scargill’s flying pickets.
When do the government declare a state of emergency?
9th February 1972.
By the 9th of February 1972 how many workers had been laid off?
1.2 million and schools were closing.
What committee was to examine the miners demands?
Wilberforce committee.
What did the Wilberforce committee announce to save electricity?
A 3 day week.
What decision did the Wilberforce committee make about the miners demands?
Came down on the side of the miners. NUM leader Joe Gormley able to negotiate a generous wage settlement.
What was the industry act 1972?
Allowed the government to provide financial assistance to industries to reduce unemployment and encourage economic growth. It marked a shift towards greater state intervention in the economy. This was agreed with the TUC and CBI.
Who criticised the industry act?
The right of the conservative party such as Enoch Powell.
What were the 3 big factors contributing towards the 3 day week being announced at the beginning of 1974?
OPEC oil crisis, increase wage demands from miners and 1972 major strikes.
Why did Heath announce the 3 day week?
Conserve electricity with the looming threats of national strikes.
Who did Heath move from Northern Ireland to minister of employment as they were a skilled negotiator in June 1973?
Willie Whitelaw. It didn’t work.
When did the NUM call national strikes?
January 1974.
Why did the NUM call national strikes?
The miners refused the pay offer and the government refused to treat the miners as a special case.
What was the conservative slogan for the 1974 election?
‘Who governs Britain?’
Who did the opinion polls favour in the 1974 election?
Conservatives.
How many seats did Labour win by?
Won by 5 seats. The miners indirectly brought down the government.
What was the result of the election?
Hung parliament meaning no party had the overall majority.
What were the names of the different paramilitaries in Northern Ireland?
UVF - Ulster Volunteer Force - Loyalist
UDA - Ulster Defence Association -Loyalist
INLA - Irish National Liberation Army -
Republican
IRA - Irish Republican Army
Republican
Initially who did Heath back up in Northern Ireland?
Brian Faulkner the UUP leader who led the Belfast government.
What policies did Brian Faulkner have?
Night time curfew and Internment (imprisonment without trial).
What percent of those interned from 1971-1975 were catholic?
95%.
What did Jim McVeigh the IRA commander say about internment?
‘Among the best recruiting tools the IRA ever had’.
What were the main political parties in Northern Ireland?
UUP
DUP
SDLP - Civil rights for Catholics without violence
Sinn Fein - Republican - Excluded from negotiations
When was Bloody Sunday?
30th Jan 1972.
What happened on Bloody Sunday?
British army were regarded as the enemy by the Nationalists and Catholics.
There were organised marches to protest against internment.
Resulted in British soldiers firing live ammunition. 26 unarmed civilians were shot and 13 were killed on the day.
Deaths were later found unjustified.
What were the results of Bloody Sunday?
There was increased support for the IRA with funding from the USA
Heath suspended the Stormont parliament and introduced direct rule from Westminster. Introduced Willie Whitelaw as secretory of state.
1972 was the bloodiest year. What was the result?
1,382 explosions.
10,628 shooting incidents.
480 killed.
When was the Sunningdale agreement?
1973.
What was the Sunningdale agreement?
The Sunningdale Agreement, signed in 1973, was a power-sharing deal aimed at establishing a devolved government in Northern Ireland. Had support of the SDLP, the Alliance and the UUP.
Who supported the Sunningdale agreement?
Had support of the SDLP, the Alliance and the UUP initially under Faulkner.
Who opposed the Sunningdale agreement?
Extremist Republicans and Loyalists such as UVF and UDA.
Also leader of UUP Faulkner replaced by Harry West who opposed the agreement.
When did the UUP vote to pull out of the agreement?
January 1974.
How many constituencies opposed the agreement in Northern Ireland?
11 of the 12.
When was the Sunningdale agreement officially scrapped?
May 1974.
Why was the Sunningdale agreement scrapped?
Ulster workers council set up by Harry Murray, determined to bring down the executive declared a strike on the 15th of May 1974.
This limited telecommunications and power leading to the government declaring a state of emergency.
Within a fortnight Faulkner resigned as the power sharing executive and Wilson was forced to impose direct rule leading to Sunningdale falling apart.
What was Harold Wilson’s first major problem?
Inflation due to large wage increases. He made a speech in Leads warning people of Inflation and to decrease public spending.
What was the National Enterprise Board (NEB) set up in 1974?
Set up by Tony Benn.
Government took a share hold in private companies and could give financial aid.
Why was the National Enterprise Board (NEB) questioned?
Due to nationalisation of Lame duck industries such as British Leyland.
When was a more formal pay restrain introduced?
1975.
What did the more formal pay restraint do to the party?
Intensified divisions as Tony Benn and Michael foot believed in less union pressure and more state intervention rather than less.
What was the goal of Healey’s 1975 Budget?
Steep rises in taxation and public spending cuts.
When did Wilson suddenly resign?
March 1976.
What was Callaghan seen as when he became leader?
‘A safe pair of hands’ and the ideal leader.
Why was it seen as a hard task for Callaghan taking over?
Britain had bad balance of payments through 1976.
Concerns that Britain didn’t have enough reserves of currency to support itself.
What did Callaghan warn the party about in a speech in September 1976?
The ‘cosy world’ of full employment had gone.
Also that productivity must improve the ‘twin evils’ of unemployment and inflation.
Why did Callaghan make the speech in September 1976?
To prepare the party for the government to apply for an emergency IMF loan of 3 billion in 1976.
Why did the government apply for an emergency IMF loan?
Fears of a run on the pound.
What did the government have to do in return for the loan?
Make big spending cuts.
What image did the IMF loan reinforce for Britain?
Being in economic decline.
However did show Callaghan was willing to act on behalf of the country.
What was the result of the IMF crisis?
Crisis turned out not to be as dire as feared and Callaghan handled the crisis well.
Conservatives denounced it as national humiliation.
The left of Labour saw it as a betrayal.
What improved the economic situation as it came into stream in 1978?
North Sea oil.
What was the result of North sea oil coming into stream?
Inflation fell to 10%
Unemployment at 1.6 million. Still high but falling.
Number of days lost to trade disputes had fallen to a 10 year low.
In October 1974 Wilson called another election. What was the rewsult?
Wilson won his majority just. Labour had 42 more seats than the conservative party but only had an overall majority of 3.
Labour gained 18 seats where as conservatives lost 21.
Voters still associated Heath with the 3 day week and conflict with the miners.
What was the state of government when Wilson comes back March 1974?
Inflation at 15% and balance of payments deficit of 3 billion.
Trade unions needed to be dealt with.
Northern Ireland situation was unstable.
Labour was less united than ever and Wilson was older and less energetic.
who did Wilson assign to be in charge of the department of industry and employment?
Two left wingers Tony Benn and Michael Foot.
What did Wilson negotiate with TUC in 1973 when he was still opposition?
The social contract.
What was the social contract?
Voluntary pay restraint by trade unions and in return the government would repeal Heath’s industrial act and pay board.
What was the result of the Social contract?
Agreement was quickly reached with NUM allowing Wilson to end the state of emergency and the three day week.
What did James Callaghan do about his lost majority in 1977?
Formed the Lib-Lab pact.
What was the terms for the Lib-Lab pact 1977?
12 Liberal MPs agreed to vote with the government in parliament and in return Callaghan promised to move ahead with devolution for Scotland and Whales.
After lengthy debates in parliament when were the devolution acts for Scotland and Whales passed opening the way for devolution?
1978.
Labour MP (who was also against devolution) inserted a clause that what percent of electorate was to approve devolution for it to pass?
40%.
The referendum for devolution was held on the 4th of March 1979 and was defeated overall. What percentage voted yes in Scotland and in Whales?
51.6% voted yes in Whales.
20.3% voted yes in Scotland.
What was the overall result of the Lib-Lab pact and devolution?
Due to it not going through the disappointed Scottish nationalist MPs withdrew their support from Labour. This was decisive in the aftermath of the events of the winter of discontent.
What sparked the winter of discontent?
Autumn 1978 TUC reject Labour’s 5% wage limit.
What did the TUC rejecting Labours 5% wage limit encourage?
Encouraged trade unions to put in higher demands.
Ford lorry drivers achieved a 15% wage increase in December after a 9 week strike.
Others followed such as the lorry and train union ‘ASLEF’, hospital porters, electrical staff, local councils, dustmen and grave diggers.
When were the disputed of the winter of discontent brought to and end?
March 1979.
What was the average wage increase after the disputes had finished?
10%.
True or false - the phycological effects of the winter of discontent had a minimal impact on the public mood.
false - the phycological effects had a devastating impact on the public mood. However not as massive scale as the 1974 miners strikes.
After continued troubles in Northern Ireland Wilson announced the establishment of what?
The Northern Ireland Constitution convention established 1975.
What was the Northern Ireland Constitution convention?
An elected body to determine the future government for Northern Ireland.
An agreement with the nationalists was not possible leading to what for the Northern Ireland Constitution convention?
It was dissolved 1976.
When was special status removed from the terrorist prisoners in Northern Ireland?
1976.
What did the removal of the political prisoner status lead to for the terrorist prisoners in Northern Ireland?
It was disliked by the paramilitaries (IRA and INLA) leading to the ‘blanket protest’ where the prisoners didn’t wear clothes.
This developed into a ‘dirty protest’ in 1978. By 1979 250 prisoners were taking part to regain political status.
What was the result of the 1979 general election?
Result was not a landslide but was a comfortable Majority of 43 for the conservatives.
In 1978 Callaghan decided to hold the election. Why was this a mistake?
The winter of discontent followed and the economic situation detreated.
What papers supported the Conservatives in the1979 election?
The Times, The Sun and the Express.
When did the government lose a vote of no confidence for the first time since 1924?
1978.
What issues did the conservatives hammer away at in the1979 election?
Issues over Law and order and power of unions.
Many of the 1979 strikes showed weakness of old union leadership and an inability to control new militancy.
In what way did the Labour vote do well considering the problems in the 1979 election?
Vote share only dipped 3%.
The conservatives benefitted from the drop in support from Liberals and Scottish national party for Labour.
What did the 1971 immigration act do?
Restricted those without a British passport and at least one grandparent living in the UK to come in.
Where was there a continued steady flow of immigrants from?
Indian sub continent.
What were the two exceptions to the immigration act 1971?
Ugandan Asians with the resettlement board. 28,000 arrived in Britain.
Sudden rush of Bangladesh after break away from Pakistan.
By 1974 how many commonwealth immigrants were there in Britain?
1 million.
The commonwealth immigrants tended to settle in the same areas and their representation was limited. How many non-white candidates were there in 1974 and then 1978 in the London Borough.
10 in 1974.
35 in 1978, still didn’t represent population.
When was the second race relations act introduced?
- Introduced as race relations was still an issue.
The National front became very attractive in what parts of London?
Bricklane and Southall.
How many candidates did the National front have in 1974?
90.
How many members did the National front have in 1976.
20,000.
When were the National front described as the fourth largest party in Britain?
1977.
Some complained Thatcher’s words were designed to appeal to racists. What did she gain from this?
She stated afterwards that she received hundreds of letters of support.
Conservative party gained an 11 point lead in the opinion polls.
Where were the national front particularly successful?
Areas of high immigrant living.
The Trades Council of East London gave details of over 100 incidents. Give 2 examples.
2 murders from 1976-1978
Assault and robberies on Asians and Afro-Caribbeans increased by 1/3.
What was formed in 1977 to combat the increasing racism?
The Anti-Nazi League.
True or false - there was discrimination towards women in trade unions.
True.
When did the TUC publish the charter equality for women within trade unions?
1979.
When was the equal pay act made and when did it come into action?
Was made in 1970.
Came into action 1975.
The average women’s wage went up from __% of the men’s wage in 1970 to __% of the men’s wage in 1977?
The average women’s wage went from 59% of the average men’s wage in 1970 to 70% of the average men’s wage in 1977.
How could employers work around the equal pay act?
Name tasks slightly differently in order to pay different wages.
When was the sex discrimination act?
1975.
What was the sex discrimination act for?
To end discrimination under the grounds of gender or marital status.
Equality in education and employment.
When could women take out a mortgage without male guarantor?
1971.
What commission oversaw the sex discrimination act and the equal pay act?
The Equal opportunity commission.
Was the equal opportunity commission successful?
No. Only launched 9 investigations from 1976 to 1983.
When was the employee protection act and what did it do?
Introduced paid maternity leave and outlawed dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy.
When did the second wave feminism begin?
1970s.
When was the introduction of international women’s day?
1977.
There was a rise in women’s liberation organisations. When was there a demonstrations march?
1971 demanding equal pay and free 24hour nurseries.
When was the Miss World contest disripted?
November 1970.
What happened at the Miss World contest?
The women’s liberation organisations felt it objectified women.
Bob hope the host of the event was heckled.
Protestors threw stink and smoke bombs onto the stage.
What were the two ideologies of feminism?
Radical - believed women were oppressed by patriarchal society and campaigned for reproductive rights.
Liberal - Wanted financial independence and equality through legal reform and policy change.
What was the ‘reclaim the night’ campaign?
Marches across Britain over the murders by the Yorkshire Ripper. Mostly women victims.
What year was the Domestic violence act allowing court order and the first rape crisis centre opened in London?
1976.
In relation to race there was suspicious police attitudes what event highlighted this?
The death of Blair Peach in 1979 who was killed in an Anti-Nazi demonstration. The met police admitted responsibility for the death in 2010.
Tensions were high at the Notting hill riots. In 1976 how many were injured in riots?
- There were calls for the event to be cancelled.
How many police officers were from an ethnic minority?
70 out of 23,000.
What racist activity did skin heads get up to?
Paki Bashing.
When was Rock against racism?
1976.
Why did Rock against racism happen?
Reaction to Eric Clapton (a rock guitarist) making racist comments in support of Enoch Powell.
Where and when was the demonstration concert?
Trafalgar square.
1978.
100,000 people attracted.
Headlined by the clash who drew on Reggae and Ska.
There was an increase in black footballers. Who was an example of this?
John Barnes.
True or false - Local authorities began to follow multiculturalism policies.
True.
What were examples of racism within football?
Monkey noises made by fans to players and banana peels thrown.
In 1980 what did the commission of racial equality say?
‘Racial prejudice is still rife’. ‘The government response has been inadequate’.
What show showed racist jokes continued?
The black and white minstrel show. Continued until 1978.
What were the two main youth cultures that emerged in the period?
Punks and Skinheads.
What bands were examples of punk?
The sex pistols and the clash.
What sort of attitude did punks have?
Nihilistic, opposite to hippies.
What events showed the Sex pistols to be particularly controversial?
They swore on live TV. Newspaper headline was ‘The filth and the fury’.
Controversial single ‘God save the queen’ on her silver jubilee year 1977 reached 2nd on the charts. BBC refused to air it.
What were skin heads becoming increasingly linked to?
The national front and hooliganism in football.
Football hooliganism increased during the period. What club was specifically linked to this?
Chelsea. Called the Chelsea head-hunters.
What did the increasing violence in football become known as?
‘The English disease’.
What year was the year of European conservationism?
1970.
When did the pressure group Friends of the Earth emerge in Britain?
1969 in USA.
1971 Britain.
What new word was made to describe the health of the Earth?
Ecology.
Showed downside of what had been considered scientific progress.
There was increased protests against nuclear waste. What was an example of these incidents?
Nuclear meltdown on Long island New York 1979.
There was a new interest for environmentalism on TV what was an example of this?
David Attenborough’s ‘Life on Earth’ series.
When was Greenpeace formed in the UK?
1977.
When was the Animal Liberation front formed and what was an example of how it protested?
Formed 1976.
Sent a letter bomb to Thatcher in 1984.
When did animal rights activists do violent attacks on pharmaceutical laboritories?
1973.
What discovery caused outrage in 1975 to do with animal rights?
Beagles being forced to smoke 30 cigarettes a day to see effects.
Who created a platform for the people’s party in 1973 with their book ‘A blueprint for survival’ in 1972?
Teddy Boldsmith.
In February 1974 The people’s party had 5 candidates including Boldsmith. How many did they have by the 1979 election?
53.
In what year did the People’s party change its name to the ecology party?
1975.
What did the emergence of the ecology party show?
By the late 1970s environmentalism had a permanent place on the political scene.
When did Britain gain entry into the EEC?
January 1973.
When Britain joined the EEC The ‘six’ became the ‘____’?
‘nine’
True or false - Both Labour and conservatives were split on the issue of join the EEC.
True.
What was Heath’s stance on Europe?
Pro European.
His first ever speech in parliament was about the Schuman plan.
Saw Europe as the key to preventing Nazi repetition.
When did Britain send application for the EEC?
1971.
How was France’s leadership detrimental in Britain’s application being accepted?
France was now led by Georges Pompidou who was convinced that the EEC needed Britain as much as Britain needed the EEC.
This was unlike the prior leader De-Gualle who was suspicious of British American connections.
How long did the formal process of Britain joining the EEC take and who joined with Britain?
Took 2 years.
Ireland and Denmark joined with Britain.
What was one of the conservative parties main reasonings to oppose EEC membership?
Those who believed Britain would be surrendering her sovereignty and believed more strongly in the commonwealth.
Who was a massive critic to EEC membership?
Enoch Powell who already had bad relations with Heath after his rivers of blood speech.
He voted against every passage of the bill passing at every stage. He believed Heath betrayed parliament by signing the treaty before it could be debated in parliament.
When was the European referendum?
1975.
What were Wilson and Callaghan’s view on EEC membership?
Argued they were neutrals.
True or false - Wilson allowed his party to campaign according to their own political views rather than holding a party line to help prevent division.
True.
Why did the ‘yes’ campaign win?
Had bigger impression on the public as was supported by Roy Jenkins, senior conservatives and Jeremy Thorpe the Liberal leader.
Most of the press were strongly in favour.
Was well financed by business. Survey in 1975: Of 419 company chairman only 4 voted ‘No’.
The ‘No’ campaign was split into two categories. What were they?
Those who argued Britain would lose her independence including Enoch Powell (now UUP MP), Tony Benn and Ian Paisley (of the DUP party).
And those who argued it would be bad for British workers such as Barbera Castle and Michael foot (they were both on the left of Labour).
How was Labour highly divided over the issue of EEC membership.
Those who were Pro-European such as Roy Jenkins.
And those who were Anti-Europe on the left.
The Labour parties official position was opposed to Heath’s Europe plans but couldn’t argue against joining Europe as there were too many Pro-Europeans in the party. What did Wilson do instead?
Argued that the terms were not good enough. This did not satisfy everyone in the party and only secured party unity by promising re-negotiations and a national referendum an idea of Tony Benn. Led to referendum of the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ votes 1975.]
This meant uncertainty for EEC membership.
69 Labour MPs helped conservative win decisive vote with 20 abstaining (not for against).
What was the result of the 1975 referendum?
17 million (68.3%) voted ‘Yes’
8 million (32.5%) voted ‘No’.
The referendum was a convincing 2:1 decision however was a worrying sign of Britain’s lack of commitment to Europe. Wilson saw the referendum as a triumph.
What position did Roy Jenkins take over after the vote?
He left parliament and became the European commissioner.
Fears of the USSR rose after the Georgi Markov affair. What was this?
Markov was a Bulgarian who defected to the west in 1969.
He criticised the Bulgarian communist regime and was assassinated in London in 1978.
The Russian secret service KGB suspected to be behind it but was never proven.
What crisis demonstrated the 1970s to be a period of détente?
The Cuban Missile Crisis.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was terrifying because it brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, with the United States and the Soviet Union facing off over the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.
In 1971 Nixon announced the thawing of relationships between China and the US. So in February 1972 he had meeting with the Chinese leader Mao Zedong. In March Britain followed suit and Heath made many visits to China from 1974 onwards. What award from China did he end up receiving?
The ‘peoples friendship envoy’.
The highest honour given from the Chinese government to a foreigner.
What was proof that by the late 1970s relations between Britain and China had improved?
Chinese Premier Hun Guofeng visited Britain as a part of his European tour in 1979. This was the first visit to Britain by a Chinese leader since the communist revolution.
What was proof that Wilson and Callaghan were still keen on strong relations with the US?
Callaghan negotiated the replacement of Polaris nuclear missiles with Trident in 1979 with president Jimmy Carter.
He also build strong relations with Kissinger.
How did the Yom Kippur war of 1973 put the special relationship under strain?
US wanted to use NATO bases in Europe to airlift supplies to Israel. Most European states including Britain refused on the basis of it risking supplies of oil from the Middle East.
How did Heath weaken relations with the USA?
Focused on relations with Europe.
Heath rejected attempts by Kissinger (US secretary of state) to use Britain as a link to Europe and insisted US should negotiate with European community as a whole.
Kissinger commented saying Heath dealt with the USA unsentimentally totally at variance of the ‘special relationship’.
Who did Heath get on with in the USA?
President Nixon and was more forthright in his support to the Vietnam war than Wilson had been.
