1979 election

Question 1

the economic failures of labour

Answer 1

• high inflation, unemployment, and industrial unrest.
• Callaghan struggled to address these issues effectively, leading to widespread dissatisfaction among voters.
• Thatcher’s Conservative Party capitalized on this discontent, presenting itself as offering a solution to Britain’s economic woes through free-market policies and deregulation.

Question 2

How the liberals helped thatcher

Answer 2

• the liberals vote dropped by 1 million as some of their voters blamed them for keeping Callaghan’s government in power
• the Liberals collapsed in the Midlands and the South giving the conservatives more constituencies

Question 3

Conservative strengths

Answer 3

• reducing the role of the state in the economy
• privatizing nationalized industries
• controlling inflation
• promoting entrepreneurship and free enterprise

Question 4

Thatcher’s leadership and image

Answer 4

• projected an image of strength, decisiveness, and competence
• contrasting with the perceived weakness and indecisiveness of the Labour leadership.

Question 5

What were the divisions within the labour party

Answer 5

• between its moderate and left-wing factions.
• Internal disputes over issues such as economic policy, trade union reform, and nuclear disarmament
• showed labour was weak and could not have a united front
  conservatives capitalised on this by showing themselves as stable

Question 6

The winter of discontent

Answer 6

• winter of 1978-1979
• strikes and industrial unrest across various sectors, including transportation, healthcare, and public services.
• These strikes led to significant disruptions, including shortages of essential goods such as fuel and food, which severely affected the daily lives of ordinary citizens. - - - The public’s frustration and anger at the chaos and inconvenience caused by the strikes were directed towards the Labour government.
• Labour were seen as incompetent and eroded public confidence

Question 7

statistics

Answer 7

• 40 seats in London, in the south of England and the Midlands, changed hands from Labour to the Conservatives
• Labour succeeded in retaining its traditional support in the industrial areas of the north