Britain 1974-79 (KO)

Question 1

When does Wilson become prime minster?

Answer 1

1974

Question 2

When was the Referendum on EEC membership?

Answer 2

1975

Question 3

When did Callaghan succeed Wilson as prime minister?

Answer 3

1976

Question 4

When was the IMF crisis?

Answer 4

1976

Question 5

When was the Lib-Lab pact?

Answer 5

1977

Question 6

When was the ‘winter of discontent’?

Answer 6

1978-79

Question 7

When was Labour’s election defeat?

Answer 7

1979

Question 8

What was the Lib-Lab pact? When did it lapse?

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

What was the Social contract?

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

Where did the term ‘Winter of discontent’ come from?

Answer 10

• Shakespeare’s Richard III

Question 11

What is devolution?

Answer 11

Granting to Wales and Scotland more control over their own affairs by creating a separate parliament or National Assembly.

Question 12

What is internement?

Answer 12

The arresting of suspected troublemakers and holding them without trial

Question 13

What were the three main restrictions on the Labour governments of 1974-9?

Answer 13

• 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.

Question 14

What was the issue with the narrowness of Labour’s overall majority in the commons?

Answer 14

• 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.

Question 15

What were the impacts of the oil price rise of 1973?

Answer 15

• Declining value of money and trade deficit threatened to make Britain bankrupt.
• 1976, the pounds value dropped below $2.

Question 16

What was the IMF loan?

Answer 16

• 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.

Question 17

What was the struggle with the trade unions in this period?

Answer 17

• 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.

Question 18

Why was a referendum called on Europe in 1975? Why was it so interesting?

Answer 18

• 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.

Question 19

What was the national turnout for the 1975 referendum?

Answer 19

64.5%

Question 20

What was the yes/no vote percentage for the 1975 referendum?

Answer 20

• Yes: 64.5%
• No: 35.5%

Question 21

What does the term ‘the troubles’ describe?

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

What was the basis of ‘the troubles’ in Ireland?

Answer 22

• 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.

Question 23

Who were the main Nationalist/Republic groups?

Answer 23

• SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party)
• IRA (Irish Republic Army)
• INLA (Irish National Liberation Army)
• Sinn Fein

Question 24

Who were the main Unionist/Loyalist groups?

Answer 24

• DUP - democratic Unionist party
• UVF - Ulster volunteer force

Question 25

What were the key events (in order) of the Northern Irish struggle in this period?

Answer 25

British troops sent in -> Internment introduced -> Bloody Sunday -> Birmingham pub bombings -> Prevention of terrorism Act

Question 26

When were British troops sent to Northern Ireland?

Answer 26

1969

Question 27

When was Internment introduced?

Answer 27

1971

Question 28

When was Bloody Sunday?

Answer 28

January 1972

Question 29

When were the Birmingham pub bombings and Trevention of Terrorism Act?

Answer 29

November 1974

Question 30

What happened with Britain’s relations with the USSR in this period?

Answer 30

Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan meant greater suspicion, especially with the activities of the KGB. British authorities believed that dissenters were being hunted down in Britain.

Question 31

What was happening in China in this period?

Answer 31

The cultural revolution in the PRC - a violent movement led by Mao Zedong.

Question 32

(British relations with China) what were the attacks on the British embassy in 1967? Why did they occur?

Answer 32

• Staff members shouting Mao’s name came out of the Chinese embassy armed with machetes and threatened the police.
• This was part of the PRC challenging British authority in Hong Kong.

Question 33

What did Callaghan announce in December 1977 which angered unions? How did they respond?

Answer 33

• A compulsory 5% ceiling on wage rises.
• Unions became more sweeping in their demands and aggressive in their methods.

Question 34

How many working days had been lost to strikes by 1979?

Answer 34

29,474,000

Question 35

What was the big day of strike action? What caused this?

Answer 35

• When an alliance of public service unions such as NUPE and COHSE called for a day of action, resulting in about 1.5 million workers on strike.
• Caused by the fact public sector workers felt impact by government spending cuts, and had seen the success of haulage drivers.

Question 36

What areas were disrupted in the winter of discontent?

Answer 36

School meals services, refuse collection, grave-digging services.

Question 37

What line was printed next to a photo of Callaghan getting off a plane to suggest he was responding poorly to the crisis?

Answer 37

‘Crisis, what crisis?’