Case Studies: Flashcards
Who ran and won in the 1983 General Election?
Margaret Thatcher was the leader of the Conservatives and it was her 2nd Election victory. Michael Foot had become the new leader of Labour in 1980 and represented a swing to the left. Thatcher’s majority rose by 144 while it was Labour’s worst election loss since 1918.
Why did the Conservatives win the 1983 election?
They had just won the Falklands War which boosted patriotism and support for their party. Their manifesto was built around ‘Defence, employment and economic prosperity,’ which was popular and appealing. The Labour vote was split by a Liberal/SDP alliance, benefitting the Conservatives.
Why did Labour lose the 1983 election?
The Labour manifesto was dubbed ‘the longest suicide note in history’ and had plans to abolish the HOL, withdraw from the common market, have unilateral nuclear disarmament and stop the sales of council houses. This pledges were deeply unpopular.
Who ran and won in the 1997 General Election?
Tony Blair was the Labour leader and had enormous charisma. John Majors was the Conservative leader and greatly lacked charisma. Labour won a landslide victory with 43.2% of the vote.
Why did Labour win the 1997 election?
Blair had rebranded the party as ‘New Labour’, abolishing Clause 4 and adopting a centrist programme to attract voters from the middle class. They gained support from many media outlets like the Sun. Blair promised devolution for Scotland and Wales and to use all-women shortlists for elections.
Why did the Conservatives lose the 1997 election?
They had been in power for 18 years, making ‘time for change’ a popular slogan. The party was seen as disunited throughout the 90s due to divisions over the UK’s membership of the EU.
Who ran and won the 2019 General Election?
Boris Johnson was the Conservative leader and was seen as humorous, witty and entertaining while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was far-left, controversial and labelled as a ‘terrorist sympathiser’ by critics. The Conservatives won 365 seats while Labour won 202.
Why did the Conservatives win the 2019 election?
Their manifesto included the aim to leave the EU in January which appealed to those who voted to leave and those who just wanted Brexit to be done and dusted.
Why did Labour lose the 2019 election?
They had a muddled manifesto which wanted to hold another Brexit referendum when the public simply wanted Brexit done. The Brexit Party (now Reform UK) only stood in Labour constituencies to hurt Labour.
Who ran and won the 2024 General Election?
Kerr Starmer lead the Labour Party while Rishi Sunak lead the Conservatives. Sunak had angered the youth with his National Service pitch. Labour won a landslide victory and secured 412 seats yet they had the lowest share of votes to ever win an election.
Why did the Labour Party win the 2024 election?
Labour was thought to be better for education and the struggling NHS. There was extreme tactical voting in order to keep the Conservatives out (people didn’t only vote for Labour to stop the Tories winning, they also voted for Reform, Lib Dems, Greens)
Why did the Conservatives lose the 2024 election?
After 14 years of a Conservative government, people needed change and were sick of Tory sleaze e.g Partygate.
