Heath's Government 1970-1974 Flashcards
In which ways were Heath and Wilson similar?
- Both attended grammar schools
- Both won scholarships to Oxford
What role did Enoch Powell play in the 1970 election?
Gained support from white working class in areas of high immigration.
What news shocked Labour 3 days before the election?
BOP Deficit of £31 million
Why was there low turnout for Labour in the 1970 election?
Left wing supporters had argued Wilson was too right wing: Vietnam + ‘In Place of Strife’
Party Membership dropped by 150,000 in 6 years.
Which year did Britain join the EEC?
1973
What was the response to Heath’s 1971 budget?
- Popular: tax cuts to stimulate the economy
- Unpopular: End of free school milk (“Thatcher - Milk Snatcher”)
What did the Industrial Relations Act 1971 outline?
- Workers had legal right to join (or not join) a union
- An Industrial Relations Court was established.
- Government could order a pre-strike ballot and impose a cooling-off period
Escalating inflation led to strikes by which union in 1972?
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)
What was the outcome of the 1972 Miners’ strike?
- A pay settlement more than twice the rate of inflation
- Other workers pressed for larger wage increases which led to more inflation
In October 1973, the Arab-Israeli war broke out. How did this affect the British economy?
- the price of oil increased by a factor of five
- Coal became more important > NUM called another strike
- Three-day week called to deal with energy problems
What did Heath announce alongside a three-day week in December 1973?
- State of emergency
- 50mph speed limit on all roads
- Television curfew for 10:30pm each evening
Heath called an election for February 1974 to put a stop to the chaos. What question did he pose to the public?
“Who governs Britain?”
