Foreign Policy Flashcards
Single European Act
Feb 1986 - revision of 1957 Treaty of Rome. Removed remaining barriers and set out timetable for creation of a single market and laid down framework for a common defence policy
Handbag Politics
Referred to Thatcher’s persistent style of negotiating and debating
How much was EEC membership costing Britain? Why were they not receiving proportionate gains?
£1bn however the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) meant they weren’t receiving proportionate gains as this benefited those who had greater agricultural output
What rebate did Thatcher receive and when? What did she want?
£700m (66%) in 1984, although she had set out for £1bn and only backed down because her ministers advised against carrying on
Outline the ERM fiasco.
- Lawson and Howe began secretly tracking the deutschmark behind Thatcher’s back
- together they put increasing pressure on Thatcher to join the ERM
- Threatened to resign in the June 1989 summit in Madrid but still she refused
- Joined in 1990 after she was encouraged by her new Chancellor Major
Outline the resignations that resulted from the ERM fiasco.
July 1989 - Howe was demoted to deputy PM and foreign sec post given to Major. He then resigned in Nov 1990 and gave a devastating speech in Commons
Oct 1989 - Lawson resigned and Major became CofE
Bruges Speech
20th Sept 1988 - made her scepticism with regards to a federal Europe apparent, likening it to the ‘Soviet Union.’
‘frontiers…reimposed at a European level with a European super-state exercising a new dominance from Brussels.’
The First Gulf War
2nd August 1990 - Iraq invaded Kuwait. Thatcher advocated for intervention.
When did Argentinian forces land on the Falklands?
2nd April 1982
When was the HMS Belgrano sunk?
2nd May 1982
When was the Falklands ceasefire?
14th June 1982
What percentage of people in the Falklands wished to remain under British rule?
98%
What did Thatcher do after her Falklands victory?
Hold a khaki election in 1983
When did Gorbachev come to power and what did Thatcher say about him?
1985 - ‘I like Mr Gorbachev, we can do business together.’
Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
1987 - banned all of the Soviets’ and the USA’s land-based ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and missile launchers with ranges of 500–1,000km
What were the names of the two policies Gorbachev wanted to follow/
Perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness)
Thatcher’s relationship with president Reagan?
Both were from a wartime generation and this gave them a strong bond. The president commended her dealings with the Falklands
What did Thatcher allow the USA to do in 1986?
Use British ai buses to bomb Libya
How many citizens of Hong Kong wished to remain under British rule?
95%
When did PRC-UK talks begin?
1979
Joint Declaration
Dec 1984 - agreed Hong Kong would be returned to the PRC but would be treated as a SAR until 2047 so its capitalist structure would remain unaltered
When was Hong Kong meant to return to the PRC?
1997
