Conservative 1979-1990 Flashcards

1
Q

What was the percentage decrease and seat increase for the Conservative’s in the 1983 election

A

-1.5%
+58 seats

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2
Q

Who were Thatcher’s Chancellors

A

Howe 79-83
Lawson 83-89
Major 89-90

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3
Q

What role did Geoffrey Howe hold in 1990

A

Deputy PM (leader of HoC)

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4
Q

Which five people made the SDP-Liberal Alliance

A

Bill Rogers
Shirley Williams
Roy Jenkins
David Owen

Daivd Steel

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5
Q

When was the Brighton Bombing

A

12th October 1984

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6
Q

What was the headline of the Sun Newspaper after the sinking of the Belgrano

A

Gotcha

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7
Q

In December 1989 Thatcher survived a leadership contest from who and what was the result

A

Anthony Meyer (314-33)

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8
Q

Who were the leaders of the Labour party in the 1980s

A

Callaghan
Foot
Kinnock

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9
Q

When was the Reykjavik summit

A

October 1986

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10
Q

When did Argentina occupy the Falklands

A

2nd April 1982

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11
Q

How many died in the Belgrano sinking

A

323

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12
Q

When did Argentina surrender

A

14th June 1982

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13
Q

How many British died in the Falklands conflict

A

255

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14
Q

Who was the leader of Argentina during the Falklands war

A

Leopoldo Galtieri

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15
Q

What is the controversy over the Belgrano sinking

A

It wasn’t in the 200 mile exclusion zone and was leaving the area, Diana Gould debate

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16
Q

What was the joint declaration of 1984

A

Agreement between UK and China that Hong Kong would be handed over in 1997

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17
Q

When did the Liberal Democrats form

A

1988

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18
Q

How many seats did the Conservatives lose in 1987

A

21

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19
Q

What were Gorbachev’s policies

A

Perestroika (reconstruction/modernisation) and Glasnost (openness)

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20
Q

When was the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) negotiated

A

December 1987

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21
Q

Who criticised Thatcher for US subservience

A

Geoffrey Howe
Lord Carrington
Michael Foot

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22
Q

When did the US invade Grenada

A

1983

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23
Q

Who was the main Polish opponent to the USSR

A

Lech Wałęsa
(Pope John Paul II)

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24
Q

Who were Thatcher’s biggest One-Nation opponents (1990)

A

Ted Heath
Michael Heseltine

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25
Q

When was the Trafalgar Square anti-Poll Tax riot

A

March 1990

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26
Q

What did Thatcher agree to enter in October 1990

A

Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM)

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27
Q

Why did Lawson resign as chancellor in 1989

A

Thatcher was become close to Alan Walters an economic adviser and he was publicly criticising Lawson

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28
Q

Why did Michael Heseltine resign as defence minister in January 1986

A

Westland (helicopters) affair

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29
Q

What did Howe compare Thatcher too in his resignation

A

A cricket captain who broke her team’s bats and still expected them to play

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30
Q

When did the Poll Tax begin

A

1989 (Scotland), 1990 (England + Wales)

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31
Q

What was inflation in 1990

A

10.9%

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32
Q

What was the Faith in the City (1985) report

A

A list of 38 recommendations, written by the church, that the government could do better to improve urban areas

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33
Q

Which university declined Thatcher an honorary degree

A

Oxford (Due to her cuts to education)

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34
Q

Who were Thatcher’s opposition in the arts

A

Music - Billy Bragg, Red Wedge
TV - Happiness Patrol, Young Ones
Theatre - Top Girls, A Small Family Business

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35
Q

Which charities opposed Thatcher

A

Shelter, Age Concern

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36
Q

What percentage of the vote did the Greens get in the 1989 European parliament elections

A

15%

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37
Q

What year is Chernobyl

A

1986

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38
Q

Which embassy was attacked in the Poll Tax Riots

A

South Africa

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39
Q

How many were injured in the Trafalgar riot

A

5000

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40
Q

What was the impact of the Poll Tax

A

Government and Conservatives alienated from voters, organised opposition, sentiment that Thatcher should be replaced, fuelled Scottish nationalism

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41
Q

What were ‘Other Industrial Disputes’

A

1984 - Cambell Laird Shipyard
1986 - Wapping dispute (6000 printers on strike)
1988 - Postal workers

42
Q

Who did Thatcher compare the miners to when she said “Enemies of democracy”

A

IRA
Argentina

43
Q

What was the decline in the number of miners during Thatcher’s term

A

200K down to 60K

44
Q

How much membership did the Unions lose during the Miners Strike

A

1/3

45
Q

What impact did the Miners Strike have on Labour

A

Seen as untrustworthy (due to union connection), urbanised support after distancing from unions, Third Way

46
Q

What nickname was given to the Conservatives after the miners strike

A

The Nasty Party

47
Q

What impact did the Miners Strike have on the nature of politics

A

Decline in protest and transition from political to cultural issues

48
Q

Who was most impacted by the miners strikes

A

Women had an increase roll in society and skilled (older) workers couldn’t get jobs

49
Q

What did the BBC do the footage of the miners strikes

A

Reversed it so the miners looked like the aggressors and not the police

50
Q

What was the Battle of the Beanfield

A

Police attack on New Age Travelers at Stonehenge in 1985

51
Q

What was controversial about the miners strike being called

A

It was done without a ballot (illegally)

52
Q

What were the Conservatives polling at before and after the Falklands war

A

April 82 - 33%
June 82 - 51%

53
Q

How had the top tax band changed by 1988

A

83% - 40%

54
Q

What increase in VAT did Thatcher make in 1979

A

8% - 15%

55
Q

What centralising policy did Thatcher implement and where was worst effected

A

Rate Capping
Sheffield and Liverpool threatened with no funding if they didn’t comply

56
Q

Why did Thatcher fail to cut public spending

A

Unemployment meant social security increases

57
Q

When did Lawson abandon spending targets

A

1986

58
Q

What was the increase in the number of people owning stocks

A

3 million (79) - 9 million (90)

59
Q

What were some of the biggest criticisms of privatisation

A

Sold off cheaply, loss of jobs, loss of pensions

60
Q

How many major privatisations occurred

A

15

61
Q

When was British Gas privatised

A

December 1986

62
Q

When was British Telecommunications privatised

A

December 1984

63
Q

What does Yuppie mean

A

Young Urban Professional

64
Q

When was the Big Bang (deregualtion of the stock exchange)

A

27th October 1986

65
Q

Average GDP growth

A

2.2%

66
Q

What was Japan’s average GDP growth

A

4.1%

67
Q

How did the UK place in the G7’s GDP growth

A

5th, above France and Germany

68
Q

What was inflation in 1979

A

16.5%

69
Q

What was the drop in manufacturing employment

A

2.1 million jobs lost

70
Q

What was peak unemployment

A

1984 - 11.9% - 3,265,000

71
Q

What was the Sus Law

A

Stop and search

72
Q

When were the Brixton riots

A

1981 and 1985

73
Q

Between 1979-1986 what was the only area of the UK to have job gains

A

East Anglia (+23,000)

74
Q

What percentage of Northern Ireland was unemployed in May 1986

A

21.7%

75
Q

When was the Right to Buy act passed

A

August 1980

76
Q

What type of houses sold best under R2B

A

Semi detached houses

77
Q

How many council houses were sold in England in 1980

A

55

78
Q

How many council houses were sold in England in 1982

A

175,000

79
Q

When was the Death on the rock

A

1988

80
Q

What happened at Enniskillen (1987)

A

Remembrance day bombing, 11 killed

81
Q

Which government minister was killed in the Brighton Bombing

A

Deputy Cheif Whip

82
Q

Which two people did the IRA kill in 1979

A

Earl Mountbatten
Airey Neave

83
Q

How many killed in the Harrods bombing at Christmas 1986

A

6

84
Q

Which two parks where targeted by the IRA in 1982 and how many were killed

A

Hyde Park (4), Regent Park (7)

85
Q

When was the Anglo Irish Agreement

A

1985

86
Q

What were the key parts of the AIA

A

Cross boarder police cooperation and extradition of terrorists

87
Q

What unpopular policies were in the 1983 Labour manifesto

A

Unilateral disarmament, Withdrawal from the EEC, abolition of Fox hunting and HoL

88
Q

What was the reason for the Miner’s strike

A

Pit closures & Unemployment

89
Q

Who was David Wilkie

A

Welsh taxi driver killed when strkers dropped a concrete block off a footbridge onto his car

90
Q

What were the two main Trade Union Acts

A

Ban on secondary picketing
Secret Ballots

91
Q

Who was the foreign secretary that resigned due to failing to see the incoming Argentinian invasion

A

Lord Peter Carrington

92
Q

Which Think Tank helped with the poll tax

A

Adam Smith institute

93
Q

What were the key policies of the 1979/1981 budget

A

Income Tax decrease (mainly on the rich)
Increasing VAT
Decreasing spending (local govts)

Direct taxes down and indirect taxes up

94
Q

When were the money supply targets scrapped

A

1984/85

95
Q

What controversial thing does Lawson do in the 1988 budget

A

Big tax cuts despite high money supply causing inflation

96
Q

When was section 28 passed

A

1988

97
Q

When was Video Recordings Act passed

A

1984

98
Q

How much of a discount was given council tenants when buying their home

A

33-50%

99
Q

What was operation swamp

A

1000 arrests in the 6 days leading up to Brixton riots

100
Q

Why did Howe resign

A

Hard ECU