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The Making of Modern Britain > Key Terms > Flashcards

Key Terms Flashcards

1
Q

First-Past-The-Post

A

A voting system whereby the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins a seat in Parliament

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2
Q

Great Depression

A
  • 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
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3
Q

One-Nation Conservative

A

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

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4
Q

Chancellor of the Exchequer

A
  • The government minister responsible for economic and financial policy
  • Often the most powerful person in the government after the prime minister
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5
Q

Appeasement

A
  • 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

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6
Q

Unilateral Nuclear Disarmament

A

The policy of renouncing the use and possession of nuclear weapons without waiting for any international consultation or agreement

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7
Q

Nationalisation

A
  • 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
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8
Q

Productivity

A
  • 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
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9
Q

‘Stop-Go’ Economics

A
  • 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
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10
Q

Balance of Trade

A
  • 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
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11
Q

Balance of Payment

A
  • 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
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12
Q

Run on the Pound

A

A rapid fall in the value of the pound in international currency markets, especially in relation to the US dollar

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13
Q

Sterling

A

A term used by economists for the British currency

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14
Q

Festival of Britain

A

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

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15
Q

Baby Boom

A
  • 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’
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16
Q

Infrastructure

A 
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
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17
Q

Council House

A
  • 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
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18
Q

Hire Purchase

A
  • 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
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19
Q

Butlins

A
  • 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
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20
Q

Family Allowance

A
  • A weekly benefit paid for each child in a family

- Renamed child benefit in 1977

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21
Q

New Commonwealth

A
  • 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
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22
Q

Repatriation

A

Returning someone to their place of origin

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23
Q

National Service

A
  • Compulsory military service for young men lasting for two years
  • Introduced in 1947 and lasted until 1960
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24
Q

Atlantic Alliance

A
  • 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
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25
Q

Superpower

A

An extremely powerful nation with influence on other countries

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26
Q

EEC (European Economic Community)

A
  • 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
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27
Q

Cold War

A
  • 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
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28
Q

‘Special Relationship’

A
  • 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
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29
Q

EFTA (European Free Trade Association)

A
  • 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
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30
Q

GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

A

A term used by economists for the for the total value of a nation’s economy

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31
Q

Devaluation

A

Lowers the value of a currency in comparison to others in a fixed exchange system

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32
Q

Prices and Incomes Policy

A

Government intervention to set limits on price rises and to call for wage restraint in negotiations between unions and employers

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33
Q

‘Wildcat’ Strikes

A

Sudden, unofficial local disputes begun without reference to the national leadership

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34
Q

White Paper

A

A document written by the government that sets out a possible policy direction but makes no commitments

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35
Q

Unionist

A

Supporter of the union of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to form the United Kingdom

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36
Q

Nationalist

A

Someone who supports independence for Scotland or Wales or is in favour of a united Ireland separate from the UK

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37
Q

Irish Republican Army (IRA)

A
  • Organisation that fought for independence in the Irish War of Independence
  • Did not accept the partition of Ireland
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38
Q

Paramilitary

A

A non-State military force

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39
Q

Apprentice Boys

A

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

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40
Q

Free Vote

A

Individual MPs can vote according to their own conscience rather than following an official party line

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41
Q

Unanimity

A
  • 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

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42
Q

Decriminalisation

A

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

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43
Q

Comprehensive School

A
  • One which provides secondary education for all the children in a given area
  • Not selective in terms of its pupils
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44
Q

Direct Grant Schools

A
  • Mostly old, endowed grammar schools which admitted a substantial proportion of pupils on scholarships from the LEAs
  • Phased out from 1976
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45
Q

Lord Chamberlain’s Office

A
  • 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)
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46
Q

Censorship

A

The attempt to limit what people can read, see, hear, and do through state controls and regulation

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47
Q

Europhiles

A

People who were enthusiastic about Britain’s membership of the EEC/EU

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48
Q

Eurosceptics

A

People who were opposed to the increasing influence and power of the EEC/EU

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49
Q

‘Lame Duck’ Industry

A

One that is unable to compete and survive without support from the state

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50
Q

Decimalisation

A
  • 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
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51
Q

Stagflation

A

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

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52
Q

U-Turn

A
  • 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
53
Q

OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries)

A
  • 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
54
Q

Hung Parliament

A

A situation where no political party has an overall majority in the House of Commons

55
Q

Minority Government

A

A government that doesn’t have an overall majority in Parliament

56
Q

Sectarian

A

Relating to divisions in society which, in Northern Ireland, were based on religion

57
Q

Internment

A

Locking up suspects without trial

58
Q

Direct Rule

A

Northern Ireland would be ruled from Westminster rather than having its own separate Parliament. Introduced in 1972 with the suspension of the Stormont parliament.

59
Q

Proportional Representation

A

A system of voting whereby those elected are in proportion to the number of votes received

60
Q

Social Contract

A

This would involve voluntary pay restraint by the Trade Unions and, in return, the government would repeal Heath’s industrial act and pay board

61
Q

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

A

Formed at the end of WWII, it was designed to promote economic stability and growth across the world

62
Q

Vote of No Confidence

A
  • A vote on whether the government is considered able to continue governing
  • If it is lost then the government must call a general election
63
Q

Devolution

A

The transfer of powers to a lower level of government (central to local or regional)

64
Q

Referendum

A

A public vote held on a particular issue

65
Q

Patriarchy

A

A social structure that privileges men

66
Q

Reproductive Rights

A
  • The rights to have information about, and the ability to make decisions regarding having children
  • Included both contraception and abortion
67
Q

National Front

A

Political party founded in 1967 by John Tyndall to oppose non-white immigration

68
Q

Reggae and Ska

A

Styles of popular music originating in Jamaica and characterised by a strong offbeat

69
Q

Multiculturalism

A

Policies that support ongoing cultural diversity

70
Q

Abstaining

A

Voting neither for nor against a motion in the House of Commons

71
Q

European Commissioner

A

The equivalent of a minister at a European level, each appointed by national governments

72
Q

30-Year Rule

A

Government documents (where there are no security restrictions) are automatically released to the public after 30 years

73
Q

Détente

A

An easing of hostility between nations

74
Q

Conviction Politician

A

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)

75
Q

Think Tank

A
  • An organisation that researches potential social, political and economic policies
  • Can be attached to a particular ideology or be neutral
76
Q

Wet

A
  • 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
77
Q

Dry

A

A nickname given to Conservatives who were firm and uncompromising in their support for monetarism

78
Q

Monetarism

A
  • 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)
79
Q

Rates

A
  • 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
80
Q

Denationalisation

A

The selling off of publicly owned industries to the private sector (could also be called privatisation)

81
Q

Financial Deregulation

A
  • 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
82
Q

The City of the Square Mile

A
  • 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
83
Q

Yuppie

A
  • 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
84
Q

Service Industry

A
  • 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
85
Q

North-South Divide

A

A term frequently used to express the difference between the prosperous South of Britain and the less prosperous North

86
Q

Secondary Picketing

A

Picketing a location not directly involved in the dispute (for example, it might supply or sell the products involved)

87
Q

Junta

A

A military group that rules a country after taking power by force

88
Q

‘Handbag Diplomacy’

A

Thatcher’s more abrasive style of negotiation in comparison to the more measured and patient negotiations that was more usual for Foreign Office diplomats

89
Q

European Monetary Union

A
  • A shared currency across the EU
  • The Maastricht Treaty set out the conditions for this
  • Came to being in 1999
90
Q

Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM)

A
  • Set up in 1979
  • Aimed to stabilise the exchange rates between different currencies in the EEC by limiting how much their value could change
91
Q

Benighted

A
  • 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)
92
Q

Taoiseach

A

A term for the prime minister of Ireland

93
Q

Clause IV

A
  • 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
94
Q

New Labour

A

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

95
Q

Spin Doctor

A

A spokesperson employed to give a favourable interpretation of events to the media, especially on behalf of a political party

96
Q

Closed Shop

A

Workers all have to be members of a particular union in order to work in a certain job

97
Q

One Member, One Vote (OMOV)

A
  • Individual members of the Labour Party would vote on the selection of parliamentary candidates
  • Lessened the influence of the trade unions
98
Q

Civil List

A

The members of the royal family who are supported by public funds (money that comes from the government, often through taxes)

99
Q

MI5

A

The British agency responsible for national security

100
Q

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)

A
  • 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
101
Q

Institutional Racism

A
  • 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
102
Q

Federalism

A
  • 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
103
Q

Social Chapter

A
  • 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
104
Q

The Third Way

A
  • 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
105
Q

Decommissioning

A
  • Weapons would be put ‘beyond use’ (out of use)

- Overseen by independent trusted witnesses

106
Q

Mods

A
  • 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
107
Q

Rockers

A
  • 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
108
Q

Globalisation

A
  • 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
109
Q

FTSE 100

A

A list of the top 100 companies on the London Stock Exchange

110
Q

Social Exclusion

A 
- Problems such as:
• unemployment
• poor skills
• low incomes
• poor housing
• high crime environments
• bad health
• family breakdown
- Could refer to individuals or local areas
111
Q

NEETs

A

16-24 year olds who were (n)ot in (e)ducation, (e)mployment or (t)raining

112
Q

Euro

A
  • 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
113
Q

Liberal Interventionism

A

A belief that a country should intervene in another country for ‘liberal’ aims: for example to support human rights

114
Q

Taliban

A
  • 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
115
Q

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

A
  • Nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons

- Saddam Hussein was known to have used chemical weapons previously but had expelled UN weapons inspection teams in 1997

116
Q

Isolationism

A

A foreign policy strategy whereby a country does not get involved in the affairs of other countries

117
Q

Blair Doctrine

A

Tony Blair’s belief that force could l legitimately be used to prevent injustice, persecution or aggression within states such as Iraq

118
Q

British Leyland

A

The final large-scale British car manufacturer, increasingly owned by the state in the 1970s

119
Q

Butskellism

A

Term used to describe the similarities in Conservative and Labour economic policies (political consensus)

120
Q

‘Clean-up’ campaigner

A

Someone who tried to improve moral behaviour and attitudes, in particular by attacking the media which was perceived to be immoral

121
Q

Closed campaigner

A

Where employers in a certain trade or employed by a particular firm had to be members of a specific trade union

122
Q

Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

A

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.

123
Q

Cool Britannia

A

An attempt in the later 1990s to make Britain seem fashionable and chic through promotion of its popular culture

124
Q

Cooling-off period

A

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

125
Q

Daesh

A

IS or Islamic State, who seek to restore the medieval of the Caliphate in the Middle East with a fundamentalist Islamic government

126
Q

Falklands factor

A

Term used to express the enduring popularity of the Thatcher government as a result of success in the Falklands War of 1982

127
Q

Flat rate tax

A

Tax where everyone pays the same amount

128
Q

Flying pickets

A

Groups of strikers who would arrive at centres of industrial disputes to prevent people going to work or movement of goods in or out

The Making of Modern Britain (4 decks)

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