1970s Britain Flashcards
What was Wilson’s view going into the election?
Had been PM since ‘64 and thought support remained solid and that they would win the election
What did Heath do to Wilson to drag him down?
He brought up the devaluation, deflation and the economy which many people couldn’t look past, contributing to their loss
Heath also was seen as a modern Tory
What factors contributed to Wilson’s defeat?
Election in summer - bad timing
Poor Labour turnout
High unemployment figures released on polling day
Liberal party becoming increasingly popular removing labour support
How did Labour perform in the by-elections?
Poorly, lost 16 seats between 1966 and 1970 and were complacent in their campaign
Significance of Enoch Powell
Claimed he gained Tories 2.5 million votes
75% of public were sympathetic to his views
His criticisms of Race Relations Act potentially turned ppl away from Labour
Outcome of 1970 general election
18th June
Conservatives won 330 seats
Labour won 287 seats
Swing of 4.7% from Labour to Tories
Selsdon Park agreement
Jan ‘70 Tory conference to produce foundations of manifesto
Inc. tax and trade union control, immigration control and law + order
Wilson saw the policies as uncaring
Ted Heath and his policies
Was a one nation Tory
Manifesto inc. low level of public expenditure + opposition to nationalisation
Saw need for welfare state
What happened with the Barber Boom
By ‘72 unemployment reached half a mil, double what it was in ‘70
Chancellor of ex Barber
What was the Barber Boom?
‘72, unemployment double that of ‘70 (1 mil) so chance of exch. Barber introduced ‘dash for growth which ^ pensions + benefits and decreased tax
Claimed it would add 10% to UK’s growth in 2 years
What was the result of the Barber Boom?
Massive ^ in wage inflation and unemployment resulting in stagflation
Within 15 months Barber had to adopt wage freezes (stop-go economics)
What was Heath’s U-Turn?
Heath nationalised Rolls Royce as it was facing bankrupcy and would’ve led to greater unemployment
Also nationalised the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders
Why was it called a U-Turn?
Because it went against what he stated in his manifesto
Who introduced the Industrial Relations Act, when and why?
Employment secretary Robert Carr in 1971 to specify what Trade Unions could and couldn’t do
What did the Industrial Relations Act include?
Inc. a IR court which could impose cooling off periods + demand votes for if strikes should go ahead
A distinction was made between official strikes and wildcat strikes
What was the Trade Union’s reaction to the Industrial Relations Act?
Opposed the whole project with strikes + demonstrations
Had support of Labour Party even though they had similar ‘In place of strife’
IR court was ineffective + unemployment rose above 1 mil
What caused the 1972 Miners strike?
Miners were demanding wage ^ as inflation and wage freezes were parallel to this
Had previously got 14% wage ^ when inflation was at 8%
Began on 9th Jan
What else contributed to the inflation?
the depreciation of the US dollar as a result of the Vietnam War also contributed to inflation
What happened in the ‘72 Miner’s strike?
Flying Pickets meant less movement of coal around the country
State of emergency declared and after 7 weeks the strikers accepted an improved offer from NCB
What caused the OPEC oil crisis?
Yom Kippur War broke out between Israel and Middle Eastern Arab countries so in response OPEC imposed an oil embargo
What did the oil embargo mean for Britain?
Meant the price of oil was 5x more expensive in Jan ‘74 than Jan ‘72
Had negative impact on the economy
What does OPEC stand for?
Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
What caused the 1974 Miner’s strike?
Miner’s were on a wage freeze during OPEC crisis so saw it as an opportunity to set an overtime ban, adding pressure to economy
What was Heath’s response to the 1974 Miner’s strike?
Had to introduce three-day week to save power as not enough coal or oil
50mph limit put on roads and TV off by 10.30pm
Why did Heath call a general election in 1974?
He was trying to strengthen his hand after criticisms about the success of the 3 day week so wanted a greater majority.
Resulted in a hung parliament, the worse result
Why did Heath not get the outcome he wanted in the February 1974 general election?
The Pay Board report said that miners were being payed less than average, undermining NCB and govt.
The party hadn’t stuck to it’s free-market manifesto so why would ppl believe in a new one?
What did Labour do in the 1974 general election?
Made case for ^ central planning inc. creating a National Enterprise Board. Wilson also presented a strong team inc. Callaghan and Healey
Why did the Liberals receive so many votes in the 1974 general election?
Leader Thorpe was very prominent in the campaign, claimed he would ‘Change the face of Britain’
What were the results of the 1974 general election?
Conservatives 38%
Labour 37%
Liberals 2%
Heath tried to make an agreement with the Liberals and Ulster Unionist Party but failed and resigned
What did Wilson do as soon as he became PM in 1974?
He awarded miners a substantial pay rise + abolished 1971 Industrial Relations Act.
When was Bloody Sunday?
30th January 1972
What was the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)?
Only major unionist party in N.Ireland until the Troubles
Ruled N.Ireland between 1921 and 1972
What was the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)?
Formed in ‘71 by Paisley and other unionists. paisley remained leader until 2008
What was the Alliance?
Formed in ‘70 to be a moderate unionist party and wanted support from Catholics and Protestants.
Neutral in view about future of N.Ireland
What was the Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP)?
Formed in ‘70 by nationalists to fight for Catholic civil rights and to unite Ireland but rejected violent methods
What was Sinn Fein?
Republican party from 1905 but split in ‘70. The new Sinn Fein supported the Provisional IRA.
Why did the Catholics/Nationalists need to fight for civil rights?
Unemployment was 2x as high amongst Catholics and there was clear favouritism in allocation of council housing in Derry and Belfast.
FPTP favoured Protestants/Loyalists and Gerrymandering occurred
Many Catholics couldn’t vote as you had to be a ratepayer and many couldn’t afford this
What was Free Derry?
British troops had been sent to Derry as peacekeeping force in ‘69 and were initially welcomed by Catholics as seen as better than what they had c
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Where did the feminist wave come from in the UK?
Came over from US with books such as Millet’s Sexual Politics and Firestone’s Dialect of Sex.
The movement was caught up with the new left and student movement
What was the History Workshop group?
Group of radical historians who pushed Ruskin College for a conference about women’s history which was initially turned down until 600 women with demands showed up
What were the 4 main demands from the women at Ruskin College?
Equal pay, equal education, 24 hour nurseries and free contraception and abortion.
Many more demands were added to the list throughout the 70s
Examples of women’s magazines
Shrew, Women’s report, The Woman’s Newspaper, Spare Rib
What local issues did women campaign for?
Nurseries, healthcare, social security for single mothers,, refuges for battered women.
Feminism and gay rights
Women’s liberation was parallel with Gay Liberation which drew wide lesbian support
National Abortion campaign
Set up in ‘75 to defend ‘67 abortion act
Supported by TUs and MPs and the TUC led a pro-choice march which attracted 100,000 supporters
Women’s Aid
Brought issues of domestic abuse forward which had previously been ignored by police, social workers and lawyers.
Helped set up rape Crisis centres in many UK cities
What were revolutionary feminists?
Saw the need for women to achieve autonomy over their own body.
Were angered by police who told them to stay home at night or risk attack
Launched ‘Reclaim the night’ campaign
Women Against Violence Against Women group formed, active during Yorkshire ‘Ripper’ murders
What were socialist feminists?
Emphasised need for women to be able to achieve financial independence
Women and antinuclear movement
Mass opposition to nuclear weapons being kept at US bases in Britain e.g. Greenham Common. This became and all women camp where they stayed for months trying to blockade the base
When did the pill become available on the NHS
1971
When was the Domestic Violence Act?
1976 and enabled women to take out restraining orders on violent partners
When was the Equal Pay Act?
Hd been passes in 1970 but came into action in 1975
When and what was the Sex Discrimination Act?
1975 and made discrimination in employment and education illegal and set up Equal Opportunities Commission
When and what was the Employment Protection Act?
1975 and introduced 6 weeks paid maternity leave and outlawed dismissal on grounds of pregnancy
When was International Women’s Day established by the United Nations?
1977
Belinda Price
Single mum of 2, wanted to return to Civil Service and although she was qualified, she was above the age of 28 so couldn’t return, managed to increase age to over 45
Women and Trade Unions
Mainly male dominated but some unions like NUPE and AUEW began to hold women only meeting but most still remained hostile to women’s needs
Limitations to women’s progress
only 10% of sex discrimination cases in the workplace were successful as difficult to prove
Employers got around equal pay act by making women’s jobs different to mens
Women and education
Boys were outperforming girls in every aspect of school because they were given far more attention in class and rewarded ad praised more
How many Caribbean and Indian immigrants were there in 1951 and 1971?
1951- 28,000 Caribbean 31,000 Indian
1971- 548,000 Caribbean 375,000 Indian
What was the Immigration Act?
1971, reduced the number or immigrants entering the UK and political leaders remained committed to managing immigration and maintaining social cohesion
What did Idi Amin do?
1972 the Ugandan President demanded that all 50,00 Asians living in Uganda were to leave within 3 months or imprisoned as he said they exploited the economy
What happened as a result of Idi Amin?
Many of the Asians held British passports so 28,000 came to Britain, mainly Leicester and were welcomed. 11 resettlement services were set up
1979 Amin’s govt. overthrown and Asians offered to return to Uganda but most were happy in UK
How was racism present in the UK?
Immigrant communities were under represented in politics
There were many cases of violent attacks on immigrants such as robberies
Black youths felt they were harassed by police, led to riot at Notting Hill carnival in ‘76
Tories gained popularity after Thatcher said she would limit immigration
What was the national front?
Fascist, white supremacy political party and was seen as Britain’s fourth largest political party
Evidence of improving race relations
Race Relations Act 1976
Anti-Nazi league formed in 1977
Rock against racism campaign held marches and concerts to raise awareness
Black ppl became more visible in pop culture i.e famous footballers
Crime in the UK
Increased crime, personal assault reached 89,599 in 1974
1974 Keith Joseph declared British cities unsafe for the first time since 1800s
Lots of fights at football matches
Environmentalism in the UK
Friends of Earth formed in US then moved to UK in ‘71
British ecology party (now Green Party) formed in ‘73
Animal rights activists did violent attacks on pharmaceutical labs from ‘73
Increase in interest for conservation of environment
David Att started Life on Earth in 1979
