About Thatcher Flashcards
What is Thatcherism?
The type of politics that Thatcher supported
What politics did Thatcher reject?
Consensus politics
What politics did Thatcher believe in?
Conviction politics
What is conviction politics?
Politics should be shaped by the beliefs of leadership
What were Thatcher’s views on the economy?
Her views on the economy were very controversial and revolved around the individual
What did Thatcher not like people doing?
Being dependent on the government for help and believed that individuals needed to accept the need to work hard
What did Thatcher think of trade unions?
She hated them - she spent a large part of her time in the government taking on the TUs
How did Thatcher want to boost individual creativity?
By scaling back the States economic role
Why did Thatcher want the individual to flourish?
hatcher thought that if the individual was allowed to flourish, then there would be more of an entrepreneurial spirit in Britain
What sort of traditional economic attitude could it be argued that Thatcher had?
She was a classical Liberal
What was a classical Liberal’s view on the economy like?
- A minimal state
- The power of the individual
Thatcher believed in these ideas
What were Thatcher’s view on the law?
She was a passionate believer in the rule of law - had very traditional views on values
Believed that through the obedience of law, rights would be protected
Why did Thatcher dislike strike action from large groups?
It was lead by groups such as TUs, feminists and other rights groups, it was therefore not about the individual, and rather their collective rights
Why did Thatcher overall dislike strike action?
She saw that direct action as subversive
She believed in reform through the ballot box
What % of civil servants were sacked by 1988?
22.5% – This saved £1 billion
How many council houses were sold between 1982-1983?
200,000
How much did NHS spending increase by in the years 1980 and 1987
60%
How many NHS trusts were in debt by 1996?
34
Thatcher didn’t trust European countries, what was the name used to refer to people like this?
Euro-sceptics
What did the 1988 education act do?
Introduced a new curriculum
What negative affects did the higher school standards have?
They drove up house prices in the catchment areas - poorer families could not send their children to good schools
What values did Thatcher believe in?
The values of Britishness
That everyone in Britain should celebrate the civilised values of hard work, individual rights and democracy
Why did Thatcher have little time for women’s rights groups and race protest groups?
She thought that British law guaranteed freedom and justice for all
How did Thatcher’s nationalism affect international relations?
Meant that she placed British interests first and rejected international interference in Britain’s interests
When did the Falklands war start?
1982
Thatcher didn’t trust European countries, what was the name used to refer to people like this?
Euro-sceptics
How did the quality of care decline after Thatcher was replaced?
2% of beds were lost between 1990-1994
How much did tax increase by?
It rose from 31% to 37% of a person’s income
What did Thatcher advise local councils to do?
‘Contract out’ work - this promoted greater efficiency and slimmed down local councils
How much did staff numbers fall by in Wandsworth?
A third
What did Thatcher think was the main reason for Britain’s economic decline?
She felt that state intervention was the root cause of the economic decline
How did the numbers of pensioners living below the poverty line change?
Rose from 13% to 43%
How did the income of the richest change, 1979-1992?
Rose by 61%
How did the income of the poor change, 1979 to 1992?
Fell by 18%
How much of the Welsh workforce was lost by 1990?
90%
How many people mined coal in Wales in 1990?
3,000
How did the amount of Welsh students seeking higher education change?
20% to 47%
How did the Welsh GDP per Capita change?
Rose from £7,000 to £20,300
What things did Thatcher try to do to decrease the North-South divide?
She created ‘enterprise zones’ , lead to some notable developments
How many of the middle class voted Conservative in 1987?
55% - A record low since 1918
