Britain 1974-79 (KO) Flashcards
When does Wilson become prime minster?
1974
When was the Referendum on EEC membership?
1975
When did Callaghan succeed Wilson as prime minister?
1976
When was the IMF crisis?
1976
When was the Lib-Lab pact?
1977
When was the ‘winter of discontent’?
1978-79
When was Labour’s election defeat?
1979
What was the Lib-Lab pact? When did it lapse?
- A deal between Callaghan and David Steel in 1977, committing the Liberals to vote with the government in return to discussing key issues.
- Autumn of 1978
What was the Social contract?
- An informal 1972 agreement between Wilson and Vic Feather, the TUC general secretary
- Agreed that upon a Labour return to power the unions would follow a wage-restraint policy in return for the adoption of pro-worker industrial policies by the government
Where did the term ‘Winter of discontent’ come from?
- Shakespeare’s Richard III
What is devolution?
Granting to Wales and Scotland more control over their own affairs by creating a separate parliament or National Assembly.
What is internement?
The arresting of suspected troublemakers and holding them without trial
What were the three main restrictions on the Labour governments of 1974-9?
- The narrowness of Labour’s overall majority in the Commons.
- The effects of the rapid inflation following the oil price rise of 1973.
- The struggle with trade unions.
What was the issue with the narrowness of Labour’s overall majority in the commons?
- October 1974 Labour gets an overall majority of only 3.
- This tight margin made them heavily dependent on the Liberal MPs, leading to the Lib-Lab pact.
What were the impacts of the oil price rise of 1973?
- Declining value of money and trade deficit threatened to make Britain bankrupt.
- 1976, the pounds value dropped below $2.
What was the IMF loan?
- Caused by impacts of Oil Crisis.
- Dennis Healey had to negotiate a £3 billion loan from IMF which threatened to split the Labour Party over the spending cuts required.
What was the struggle with the trade unions in this period?
- Government spending cuts and high unemployment due to IMF embittered the unions, weakening their loyalty.
- Gained some credit for repealing the Industrial Relations Act in 1974.
- Could not persuade works to cooperate with it despite the supposed social contrat.
Why was a referendum called on Europe in 1975? Why was it so interesting?
- split opinion.
- the first consultation of its kind.
- MPs were under no instruction as to which side to take, so there were many cross-party divides.
What was the national turnout for the 1975 referendum?
64.5%
What was the yes/no vote percentage for the 1975 referendum?
- Yes: 64.5%
- No: 35.5%
What does the term ‘the troubles’ describe?
The cycle of violence dating from the 1960s to 1990s involving terrorist conflict between nationalists and unionists in Ireland, with British troops caught in the middle trying to the preserve the peace.
What was the basis of ‘the troubles’ in Ireland?
- The 1921 Treaty had left Northern Ireland with a predominantly protestant population (1 million protestants to half a million Catholics).
- Protestants dominated parliament, securing rights denied to the Catholic minority.
- The Catholic nationalists wanted to gain equal rights.
Who were the main Nationalist/Republic groups?
- SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party)
- IRA (Irish Republic Army)
- INLA (Irish National Liberation Army)
- Sinn Fein
Who were the main Unionist/Loyalist groups?
- DUP - democratic Unionist party
- UVF - Ulster volunteer force
