Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

2S: THE MAKING OF MODERN BRITAIN > MAJOR 1990-7 CHAPTER 20 > Flashcards

MAJOR 1990-7 CHAPTER 20 Flashcards

foreign affairs

1
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

  • 1986  Thatcher signs the single European act which appeared to be pro-European.

but then she

A
  • Became negative about Europe  wanted a single market (reflected her economic policy) but claimed she didn’t fully understand how the SEA would be used to change Britain’s relationship with Europe.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

  • It soon became clear that the SEA limited the influence of individual nations  worried Thatcher and conservatives.

what did thatcher do?

A
  • Made a speech in Bruges to set out her vision for the EEC  wanted to emphasise that the EEC was a trade association between sovereign states.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

  • She was resolutely opposed to federalism and the idea of a closer political union, but that was exactly wat the president of the European Commission, Delors, wanted.

what is federalism

A

a political system where power is distributed between a central government and the smaller parts of the nation state

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

  • Thatcher’s more negative line on Europe caused tension within her government:

what did europhiles and eurospceptics believe?

A
  • Howe and Major thought that she was backtracking from positions she had already agreed to since 1985.
  • On the other hand, Eurosceptics, such as the Bruges Group, argued that it was the federalists in Brussels who were changing the EEC into something different from the Common Market that Britain had joined in 1973.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

Her Bruges speech was meant to be positive, but it infuriated other European leaders and raised doubts about Britain’s commitment to European integration.
Meanwhile, in Britain,

A

the Bruges speech enthused the Eurosceptics MPs so much that the Bruges Group was formed to focus opposition to any European federal state.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

  • After the collapse of communism, Thatcher was enthusiastically in favour of expanding the EEC to include the new states in Eastern Europe 

why? give 2 reasons

A
  • to extend free trade and to ensure that communism was truly defeated.
  • partly to weaken the power of the European Commission in Brussels; she favoured a wider and shallower union instead of a deeper union.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

  • John Major inherited a Conservative government that was starting to be openly divided by the issue of Europe.

who were encouraged by thatcher’s interventions?

A
  • There were still many supporters of Britain’s involvement in Europe, however, the Eurosceptics were becoming increasingly important and vocal; these included cabinet ministers like Portillo and Redwood - They were encouraged by Thatcher’s increasingly anti-European interventions.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

  • The Maastricht Treaty of 1992 gave the eurosceptics the opportunity to voice their concerns about the direction of the European Union.

what was the maastritcht treaty?

A
  • The Maastricht Treaty was designed to set up new structures to deal with the expansion of the EEC - under the terms of the treaty, the EEC became the European Union, and the conditions were set up for a single currency to come into being in 1999.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

  • Major’s style had enabled him to establish good personal links with other heads of government, particularly with the
A

German chancellor, Kohl, and his diplomatic skills enabled him to secure opt-outs for Britain from the plans for a single currency and from the Social Chapter (aimed to regulate working conditions).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

July 1993  rebel MPs blocked Major’s attempt to get Parliament to ratify the Maastricht Treaty.

what did this lead to?

A

Major won the vote by threatening a vote of no confidence which, if he had lost, would have led to the dissolution of Parliament and a general election.
The Conservatives were far behind in the polls, so this threat made sure he got sufficient support. But it damaged Major’s authority and made him appear weak.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

The Maastricht Treaty was eventually ratified by Parliament after 18 months.
However, this did not bring an end to the divisions over Europe:

2 points (eurosceptics vs majpr)

A
  • Conservative Eurosceptics continued to oppose Major on European issues. Losing the party whip or being threatened with deselection did not stop the rebels.
  • Even Major’s back me or sack me resignation did not really strengthen his position.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

EUROPE - THE IMPACT OF SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

  • In addition, the debate mobilised anti-Europeans outside Parliament.

what 2 new parties were set up?

A
  • The Anti-Federalist League, the forerunner to the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), was set up in 1993, and
  • in 1994 the wealthy financier Sir Goldsmith set up the Referendum Party to fight the 1997 election on the single issue of demanding a referendum of Britain’s relationship with Europe.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

CONTRIBUTION AND ATTITUDE TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR

  • When Poland announced that it was going to hold free elections, Gorbachev made it clear that
A

the Soviet Union would not intervene, even when an anti-communist trade unionist won the presidency.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

CONTRIBUTION AND ATTITUDE TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR

  • Realising the Soviet Union would not intervene led to a domino effect across Eastern Europe.

* 1989 became known as

A

the ‘year of miracles’ as communism collapsed across Europe.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

CONTRIBUTION AND ATTITUDE TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR

  • It was Reagan’s and Thatcher’s insistence on taking a strong line with the USSR which forced Gorbachev to realise that
A

the USSR was no longer strong enough to compete; at the same time Reagan’s and Thatcher’s willingness to negotiate with Gorbachev meant that the Cold War came to a peaceful end.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

CONTRIBUTION AND ATTITUDE TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR

  • However, in bringing about the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s, all the key players failed to see it through to the end -
A

Reagan’s second presidential term finished in 1988 so it was his successor, Bush Sr, who oversaw the end of the Cold War.

14
Q

CONTRIBUTION AND ATTITUDE TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR

Gorbachev was overtaken by events as the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991; he effectively lost power in a coup in August and

A

resigned at the end of the year.
Thatcher fell from power in November 1990.

15
Q

CONTRIBUTION AND ATTITUDE TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR

  • Thatcher had feared a German superstate dominating Europe but was unable to stop it 
A

Kohl became a hero at the head of the unified Germany.

15
Q

CONTRIBUTION AND ATTITUDE TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR

  • Because of her strained relationship with Germany and her opposition to its reunification, Thatcher was not invited to
A

the tenth anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall, unlike Bush and Gorbachev in 1999.

15
Q

CONTRIBUTION AND ATTITUDE TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR

  • The Cold War had dominated international relations since the Second World War 

howver…

A

as it was ending, war broke out in the Middle East.

16
Q

CONTRIBUTION AND ATTITUDE TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR

  • Saddam Hussein, the President of Iraq, sent forces to conquer the oil-rich state of Kuwait in the Arabian Gulf in August 1990.

how was this countered?

A
  • 1991  an American-led coalition, including Britain, which was backed by a United Nations resolution, expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait in a short military campaign.
17
Q

INTERVENTIONS IN THE BALKANS

  • Some feared that the end of the Cold War would lead to new arenas of conflict / others were
A

optimistic that the expanding European Union would now play a bigger part in world affairs, setting up new arrangements for collective security and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

18
Q

INTERVENTIONS IN THE BALKANS

  • This optimism was shattered by the problems of the Balkans as Yugoslavia disintegrated.

why?

A
  • The crisis in Yugoslavia stemmed from the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.
19
Q

INTERVENTIONS IN THE BALKANS

  • 1989  the Yugoslav president, Milosevic, was transforming from Communist Party leader to
A

an extreme Serbian nationalist and threatening violent action against the Albanian population in the province of Kosovo.

20
Q

INTERVENTIONS IN THE BALKANS

  • 1991, the prosperous northern republic of Slovenia declared independence and the Yugoslav state began to break up.

and there were clashes between

A
  • There were violent clashes between the two largest republics, Serbia, and Croatia, between people of different ethnicities and religions.
21
Q

INTERVENTIONS IN THE BALKANS

  • The British Foreign Secretary, Hurd, was optimistic that international mediation would be effective, and that Britain could make a major contribution.
  • However, the efforts of European diplomats failed

why?

A

it was not clear whether the aim was maintaining a multi-ethnic Yugoslavia or allowing it to break up altogether.

22
Q

INTERVENTIONS IN THE BALKANS

  • War began in Bosnia in April 1992 - the Muslim population of eastern Bosnia was
A

driven out by violent ‘ethnic cleansing’, carried out by Bosnian-Serb paramilitaries backed by Milosevic’s government.

23
Q

INTERVENTIONS IN THE BALKANS

  • August 1992  Major hosted a joint EU and UN conference in London and a UN peacekeeping force was put in place.

what happened in october?

A
  • October 1992, the Vance-Owen plan, Vance, a UN representative, and the former British Foreign Secretary, Owen, set out a framework for a lasting settlement.
24
Q

INTERVENTIONS IN THE BALKANS

  • At the time, Major was widely praised for his actions but there was no concerted European pressure.

us and serbia?

A
  • The United States remained reluctant to intervene in Europe.
  • Serb aggression continued.
25
Q

INTERVENTIONS IN THE BALKANS

  • The war in Bosnia carried on for three more years, with Sarajevo under constant siege.
  • British and European mediation was seen as ineffectual - why?
A

, especially after the massacre of Srebrenica in July 1995.

26
Q

INTERVENTIONS IN THE BALKANS

what was the massacre of Srebrenica?

A
  • In 1995, Bosnian Serb forces entered Srebrenica.
  • There was a small force of Dutch UN peacekeepers stationed at Srebrenica, but they had orders not to intervene.
  • More than 7000 Bosnian men and boys were massacred in one of the worst atrocities to occur in Europe since the end of WW2.
27
Q

INTERVENTIONS IN THE BALKANS

why was srebrenica important?

A
  • Srebrenica was not important just because it was an atrocity; there were many atrocities in the Balkan wars, committed by all sides - its importance lay in the recriminations that followed about the failure of UN peacekeeping missions.
  • It showed the limits of EU diplomacy and UN peacekeeping.
28
Q

EVENTS IN THE BALKANS, 1995-97

  • After the horrors of the siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre, Britain turned to the United States and NATO.

President Clinton was

A
  • persuaded to intervene; the central command and the military power of NATO were seen as essential to force the warring Balkan political leaders to negotiate.
29
Q

EVENTS IN THE BALKANS, 1995-97

  • American air strikes on Serb forces led to a peace conference at Dayton, Ohio. A peace treaty was signed in Paris in December 1995 

what did it mean?

A

guaranteed Bosnian independence, protected by a UN force and with substantial economic support from the international community.

30
Q

Britain’s place in the world post 1997

Britain’s place in the world was changing after 1997.

Europe’s centre of gravity was shifting eastwards

A
  • as states in Eastern Europe broke free from Soviet domination and moved towards the EU.
31
Q

Britain’s place in the world post 1997

Britain’s place in the EU was increasingly being questioned

why?

A
  •  end of the Cold War meant that NATO had to find a new role.
32
Q

Britain’s place in the world post 1997

  • The dominance of the US seemed to be unchallenged and Britain,
A

with its special relationship with the US still strong, expected to play a role in the new world order.

2S: THE MAKING OF MODERN BRITAIN (24 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions