Key Terms Flashcards
First-Past-The-Post
A voting system whereby the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins a seat in Parliament
Great Depression
- Started in the US with the Wall Street Crash when the value of shares on the stock exchange collapsed
- Economic activity was reduced across the whole world which led to mass unemployment in the 1930s
- In Britain, unemployment affected 25% of the workforce
One-Nation Conservative
Believes that all classes in society have obligations to one another and that there is a particular responsibility for those who are better off to ensure the well-being of those who are worse off
Chancellor of the Exchequer
- The government minister responsible for economic and financial policy
- Often the most powerful person in the government after the prime minister
Appeasement
- A policy of making concessions in order to avoid conflict
- In the 1930s, the British government had aimed to prevent a war with Nazi Germany by following this policy, but failed
Unilateral Nuclear Disarmament
The policy of renouncing the use and possession of nuclear weapons without waiting for any international consultation or agreement
Nationalisation
- State ownership of key industries
- The demand for the state to control ‘the commanding heights of the economy’ had been a central principle of the Labour Party from its beginning
Productivity
- Efficiency: getting more produced per worker, per shift, per hourly wage etc
- Costs are reduced, profits are increased and workers are freed up for other uses
‘Stop-Go’ Economics
- The economics of ‘stop-go’ derived its name from the tensions between an expanding economy, with:
• low interest rates and rising consumer spending [go]
• the results of the economy overheating, with wages and imports exceeding productivity and exports [stop], necessitating a deliberate slowing down or deflating of the economy through higher interest rates and spending cuts
Balance of Trade
- The difference between the goods that a country imports and what it exports
- If a country imports more than it exports it is said to have a trade deficit, whereas if it exports more than it imports it has a trade surplus
Balance of Payment
- This includes invisible imports and exports: for example services such as shipping, banking, and insurance
- The balance of trade is part of the balance of payments
Run on the Pound
A rapid fall in the value of the pound in international currency markets, especially in relation to the US dollar
Sterling
A term used by economists for the British currency
Festival of Britain
Held a century after the Great Exhibition of 1851: this was intended to mark Britain’s recovery from the war and to look forward to the future celebrating new design, culture, and industry
Baby Boom
- In the years after the end of WWII, there was a rise in the number of babies born
- Those born between 1946 and 1964 are usually seen as the ‘baby boomers’
Infrastructure
The physical environment of a modern developed society including the network of communications, such as: • roads • railways • airports • telecommunications • the industrial base • public buildings • schools • the housing stock
Council House
- A house built by local authorities to house the working classes, often to replace slums
- Rents tended to be lower than in privately rented accommodation
Hire Purchase
- A system whereby a buyer pays a deposit on an expensive item and then pays monthly instalments (including interest) to hire the item over the length of a contract
- At the end of the contract, the buyer can pay the remaining balance or return the item
Butlins
- A chain of holiday camps founded by Billy Butlin in 1936
- Camps were built at popular seaside resorts like Skegness, Clacton, and Blackpool
- Guests stayed in chalets, entertainment and activities were provided
Family Allowance
- A weekly benefit paid for each child in a family
- Renamed child benefit in 1977
New Commonwealth
- The countries which had recently gained independence: India, Pakistan, the West Indies etc, as compared to the ‘Old Commonwealth’ countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa
- The term became a useful, indirect way of differentiating between non-white and white populations
Repatriation
Returning someone to their place of origin
National Service
- Compulsory military service for young men lasting for two years
- Introduced in 1947 and lasted until 1960
Atlantic Alliance
- A term used to refer to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
- Formed in 1949 to defend the Western Alliance in the Cold War
- Made up of 12 countries including Britain
- Created a collective defence policy: if any one of its members was attacked it would be defended by all of them
Superpower
An extremely powerful nation with influence on other countries
EEC (European Economic Community)
- An economic union, often known as the Common Market, first established by the Treaty of Rome in 1957
- It’s six founding members were:
• france
• germany
• italy
• the ‘benelux’ countries (belgium, the netherlands, and luxembourg) - The EEC became the European Union in 1992
Cold War
- The tension between the West (the US, Western Europe including Britain and Canada) and the Communist states (the USSR and its allies) after WWII
- Lasted from 1945 until the collapse of communism in 1989 to 1990 and had a great impact of Britain’s foreign policy throughout this period
‘Special Relationship’
- The close relationship between the UK and the US based on historical, diplomatic, cultural, economic, and military ties between the two countries
- Strengthened by being key allies during the Cold War and sharing the common objective of resisting the power of the USSR
EFTA (European Free Trade Association)
- Created in 1960 by Britain along with Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland as an alternative to the EEC
- These countries were sometimes referred to as the ‘outer seven’ as opposed the ‘inner six’ of the EEC
- Created a free trade area: although each EFTA member could negotiate separately with non-EFTA members
GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
A term used by economists for the for the total value of a nation’s economy
Devaluation
Lowers the value of a currency in comparison to others in a fixed exchange system
Prices and Incomes Policy
Government intervention to set limits on price rises and to call for wage restraint in negotiations between unions and employers
‘Wildcat’ Strikes
Sudden, unofficial local disputes begun without reference to the national leadership
White Paper
A document written by the government that sets out a possible policy direction but makes no commitments
Unionist
Supporter of the union of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to form the United Kingdom
Nationalist
Someone who supports independence for Scotland or Wales or is in favour of a united Ireland separate from the UK
Irish Republican Army (IRA)
- Organisation that fought for independence in the Irish War of Independence
- Did not accept the partition of Ireland
Paramilitary
A non-State military force
Apprentice Boys
A loyalist (unionist) organisation that marches annually to commemorate the closing of the gates to the city of Derry to Catholic forces in 1688 by 13 apprentice boys
Free Vote
Individual MPs can vote according to their own conscience rather than following an official party line
Unanimity
- This meant that all 12 jurors had to agree on the verdict
- Majority verdicts meant that a decision could be reached if at least 10 jurors agreed
Decriminalisation
Removing an action or behaviour from the scope of the law so that it can no longer be subjected to prosecution or be liable to fines or imprisonment
Comprehensive School
- One which provides secondary education for all the children in a given area
- Not selective in terms of its pupils
Direct Grant Schools
- Mostly old, endowed grammar schools which admitted a substantial proportion of pupils on scholarships from the LEAs
- Phased out from 1976
Lord Chamberlain’s Office
- A department of the queen’s household
- Since the eighteenth century, it had the power to prevent plays being performed or order changes to be made to them (censorship)
Censorship
The attempt to limit what people can read, see, hear, and do through state controls and regulation
Europhiles
People who were enthusiastic about Britain’s membership of the EEC/EU
Eurosceptics
People who were opposed to the increasing influence and power of the EEC/EU
‘Lame Duck’ Industry
One that is unable to compete and survive without support from the state
Decimalisation
- This had been agreed in 1965 but came into force in 1971
- This new British currency would have 100 new pence, rather than 144 old pennies in the pound, bringing it more in line with the currencies of other European countries
Stagflation
A term used by economists to describe the usual combination of inflation and stagnant economic growth (which often produces unemployment) occurring at the same time
U-Turn
- A reversal of a previous policy
- Edward Heath’s U-turn in 1971 to 1972 was his retreat from the free-enterprise economic principles his government had tried to follow from 1970
OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
- Led by Saudi Arabia, this organisation aimed to protect the interests of its members
- OPEC agreed to fix levels of production to prevent prices from falling too low
Hung Parliament
A situation where no political party has an overall majority in the House of Commons
Minority Government
A government that doesn’t have an overall majority in Parliament
Sectarian
Relating to divisions in society which, in Northern Ireland, were based on religion
Internment
Locking up suspects without trial
Direct Rule
Northern Ireland would be ruled from Westminster rather than having its own separate Parliament. Introduced in 1972 with the suspension of the Stormont parliament.
Proportional Representation
A system of voting whereby those elected are in proportion to the number of votes received
Social Contract
This would involve voluntary pay restraint by the Trade Unions and, in return, the government would repeal Heath’s industrial act and pay board
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Formed at the end of WWII, it was designed to promote economic stability and growth across the world
Vote of No Confidence
- A vote on whether the government is considered able to continue governing
- If it is lost then the government must call a general election
Devolution
The transfer of powers to a lower level of government (central to local or regional)
Referendum
A public vote held on a particular issue
Patriarchy
A social structure that privileges men
Reproductive Rights
- The rights to have information about, and the ability to make decisions regarding having children
- Included both contraception and abortion
National Front
Political party founded in 1967 by John Tyndall to oppose non-white immigration
Reggae and Ska
Styles of popular music originating in Jamaica and characterised by a strong offbeat
Multiculturalism
Policies that support ongoing cultural diversity
Abstaining
Voting neither for nor against a motion in the House of Commons
European Commissioner
The equivalent of a minister at a European level, each appointed by national governments
30-Year Rule
Government documents (where there are no security restrictions) are automatically released to the public after 30 years
Détente
An easing of hostility between nations
Conviction Politician
Someone who follows policies based on their own beliefs rather than because they are popular or to follow what had gone before (Thatcher was an example)
Think Tank
- An organisation that researches potential social, political and economic policies
- Can be attached to a particular ideology or be neutral
Wet
- A derisive nickname given to a member of the Conservative Party by Thatcher and her supporters for being soft and squeamish about the social consequences of monetarist economic policies
- Could also be seen as one-nation Conservatives
Dry
A nickname given to Conservatives who were firm and uncompromising in their support for monetarism
Monetarism
- An economic theory promoted by Milton Friedman and the ‘Chicago School’ of economists
- Argued that the best way for governments to control inflation was by restraint of government spending and borrowing and, above all, by strict curbs on the money supply (the amount of currency in circulation)
Rates
- Local taxation charged by local councils on all privately owned businesses and houses
- The controversial Community Charge was introduced to replace domestic rates in 1990
Denationalisation
The selling off of publicly owned industries to the private sector (could also be called privatisation)
Financial Deregulation
- The loosening of controls on banks and financial markets, which led to a massive boom in investment banking and financial speculation
- The issue of deregulation became very controversial in the Great Crash of 2008
The City of the Square Mile
- Shorthand for the financial district of London in which the London Stock Exchange and the Bank of England are based, as well as the headquarters of many multinational corporations
- The City is governed by the City of London Corporation which is headed by the Lord Mayor and it has its own police force separate to the Met Police
Yuppie
- Short for young urban professional
- In the 1980s the term was used to describe people working in cities with large amounts of disposable income which was spent on consumer goods such as cars and the very first mobile phones
Service Industry
- An industry that offers a service rather than a physical product
- These services can be in a wide variety of areas including travel, finance, media, and retail
North-South Divide
A term frequently used to express the difference between the prosperous South of Britain and the less prosperous North
Secondary Picketing
Picketing a location not directly involved in the dispute (for example, it might supply or sell the products involved)
Junta
A military group that rules a country after taking power by force
‘Handbag Diplomacy’
Thatcher’s more abrasive style of negotiation in comparison to the more measured and patient negotiations that was more usual for Foreign Office diplomats
European Monetary Union
- A shared currency across the EU
- The Maastricht Treaty set out the conditions for this
- Came to being in 1999
Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM)
- Set up in 1979
- Aimed to stabilise the exchange rates between different currencies in the EEC by limiting how much their value could change
Benighted
- Overcome by darkness
- Gyles Brandreth, a Conservative MP in 1992, used this adjective to compare Major’s situation with Sir David Frost (the presenter of That Was The Week That Was), who had been given a knighthood in 1993 (the two had recently appeared on tv together)
Taoiseach
A term for the prime minister of Ireland
Clause IV
- One of the iconic socialist principles that had been enshrined in Labour’s constitution: the commitment to state ownership of key industries
- The rewriting of Clause IV at the 1955 Labour Party conference meant that Labour was no longer committed to nationalisation: they had effectively excepted the privatisations of Thatcher and Major
New Labour
A term used by Labour modernisers after 1994 to demonstrate to the electorate that the party was different to the ‘Labour Party of the past’ which had failed to attract sufficient voter support to win an election between 1979 and 1992
Spin Doctor
A spokesperson employed to give a favourable interpretation of events to the media, especially on behalf of a political party
Closed Shop
Workers all have to be members of a particular union in order to work in a certain job
One Member, One Vote (OMOV)
- Individual members of the Labour Party would vote on the selection of parliamentary candidates
- Lessened the influence of the trade unions
Civil List
The members of the royal family who are supported by public funds (money that comes from the government, often through taxes)
MI5
The British agency responsible for national security
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
- The state organisation which presents to the court the arguments needed to prosecute someone for criminal activity
- Independent of the police who investigate crime
- Independent of anyone who is a victim of crime
Institutional Racism
- The failure of an organisation to deal with people appropriately because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin
- Could lead to discrimination through thoughtless prejudice and racist stereotyping
Federalism
- A political system in which power is distributed between a central government and the smaller parts of the nation state
- The USA has a federal system in which power is divided between central government and the individual states
Social Chapter
- Part of the Maastricht Treaty which aimed to regulate working conditions such as maximum hours for the working week and employment rights for part-time workers
- The Conservatives opposed it because they favoured deregulation
The Third Way
- A middle way between the socialism of ‘Old’ Labour which championed the role of the state and the Thatcherite policies of the Tory Party after 1979 which favoured the market
- The theory was developed by Anthony Giddens at the London School of Economics and was influential on both Blair’s ‘New’ Labour in Britain and Bill Clinton’s Democrats in the US
Decommissioning
- Weapons would be put ‘beyond use’ (out of use)
- Overseen by independent trusted witnesses
Mods
- The modernisers
- Broadly Eurosceptic but tended to be more pragmatic
- Economic Thatcherites but were influenced by ‘compassionate conservatism’
- Socially liberal and wanted the Conservative Party to appear more inclusive
Rockers
- Seen as resistant to change
- Tended to have more uncompromising views on Euroscepticism and Thatcherism, although some were also influenced by ‘compassionate conservatism’ as the Mods were
- Biggest divide with the Mods was on social and moral issues where the Rockers were socially conservative
Globalisation
- The process by which the world is increasingly economically and culturally inter-connected
- Accelerated from the 1990s by the development of the Internet and better transportation
FTSE 100
A list of the top 100 companies on the London Stock Exchange
Social Exclusion
- Problems such as: • unemployment • poor skills • low incomes • poor housing • high crime environments • bad health • family breakdown - Could refer to individuals or local areas
NEETs
16-24 year olds who were (n)ot in (e)ducation, (e)mployment or (t)raining
Euro
- A common European Currency set up by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992
- Britain had negotiated an opt-out and chose not to join when it launched in 1999
Liberal Interventionism
A belief that a country should intervene in another country for ‘liberal’ aims: for example to support human rights
Taliban
- A fundamentalist (the belief in strict interpretation of scripture in a religion) Islamic movement
- Took over Afghanistan in the aftermath of the civil war which followed the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
- Nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons
- Saddam Hussein was known to have used chemical weapons previously but had expelled UN weapons inspection teams in 1997
Isolationism
A foreign policy strategy whereby a country does not get involved in the affairs of other countries
Blair Doctrine
Tony Blair’s belief that force could l legitimately be used to prevent injustice, persecution or aggression within states such as Iraq
British Leyland
The final large-scale British car manufacturer, increasingly owned by the state in the 1970s
Butskellism
Term used to describe the similarities in Conservative and Labour economic policies (political consensus)
‘Clean-up’ campaigner
Someone who tried to improve moral behaviour and attitudes, in particular by attacking the media which was perceived to be immoral
Closed campaigner
Where employers in a certain trade or employed by a particular firm had to be members of a specific trade union
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
EEC agricultural policy designed to subsidise farmers who couldn’t sell their produce by buying it at favourable prices. Britain argued this was wasteful and favoured inefficient farmers.
Cool Britannia
An attempt in the later 1990s to make Britain seem fashionable and chic through promotion of its popular culture
Cooling-off period
A period between the calling of a strike and it actually taking place when efforts would be made to negotiate a settlement to prevent it
Daesh
IS or Islamic State, who seek to restore the medieval of the Caliphate in the Middle East with a fundamentalist Islamic government
Falklands factor
Term used to express the enduring popularity of the Thatcher government as a result of success in the Falklands War of 1982
Flat rate tax
Tax where everyone pays the same amount
Flying pickets
Groups of strikers who would arrive at centres of industrial disputes to prevent people going to work or movement of goods in or out
