Foreign Policy

Question 1

Single European Act

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Handbag Politics

Answer 2

Referred to Thatcher’s persistent style of negotiating and debating

Question 3

How much was EEC membership costing Britain? Why were they not receiving proportionate gains?

Answer 3

£1bn however the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) meant they weren’t receiving proportionate gains as this benefited those who had greater agricultural output

Question 4

What rebate did Thatcher receive and when? What did she want?

Answer 4

£700m (66%) in 1984, although she had set out for £1bn and only backed down because her ministers advised against carrying on

Question 5

Outline the ERM fiasco.

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

Outline the resignations that resulted from the ERM fiasco.

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Bruges Speech

Answer 7

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.’

Question 8

The First Gulf War

Answer 8

2nd August 1990 - Iraq invaded Kuwait. Thatcher advocated for intervention.

Question 9

When did Argentinian forces land on the Falklands?

Answer 9

2nd April 1982

Question 10

When was the HMS Belgrano sunk?

Answer 10

2nd May 1982

Question 11

When was the Falklands ceasefire?

Answer 11

14th June 1982

Question 12

What percentage of people in the Falklands wished to remain under British rule?

Answer 12

98%

Question 13

What did Thatcher do after her Falklands victory?

Answer 13

Hold a khaki election in 1983

Question 14

When did Gorbachev come to power and what did Thatcher say about him?

Answer 14

1985 - ‘I like Mr Gorbachev, we can do business together.’

Question 15

Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What were the names of the two policies Gorbachev wanted to follow/

Answer 16

Perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness)

Question 17

Thatcher’s relationship with president Reagan?

Answer 17

Both were from a wartime generation and this gave them a strong bond. The president commended her dealings with the Falklands

Question 18

What did Thatcher allow the USA to do in 1986?

Answer 18

Use British ai buses to bomb Libya

Question 19

How many citizens of Hong Kong wished to remain under British rule?

Answer 19

95%

Question 20

When did PRC-UK talks begin?

Answer 20

1979

Question 21

Joint Declaration

Answer 21

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

Question 22

When was Hong Kong meant to return to the PRC?

Answer 22

1997