Major 1990-97

Question 1

What was Major’s policy on the Poll Tax?

Answer 1

Reformed to council tax but did this slowly to avoid splitting party, achieved in November 1991

Question 2

What were the main reasons for the Conservatives’ 1992 election victory?

Answer 2

Major personal popularity and lingering distrust in Labour

Question 3

What happened on ‘Black Wednesday’?

Answer 3

Britain was forced to withdraw from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM)

Question 4

Why was Black Wednesday such a political failure for Major?

Answer 4

He was Chancellor when Britain entered the ERM and he personally advocated for it before the 1992 election

Question 5

What were Black Wednesday’s long-term economic effects?

Answer 5

Actually beneficial - meant Britain could reduce interest rates. Unemployment slowed down and housing market picked up

Question 6

How was the economy by 1997?

Answer 6

In a good state - unemployment down, productivity up, consumer spending up

Question 7

Why was Major’s government given little credit for the economic recovery of 1992-97?

Answer 7

Feel good factor was missing, sleaze and scandals (cash for questions) led to distrust in govt

Question 8

What was the ‘Cones Hotline’?

Answer 8

A hotline that someone could call to report on roads closed unnecessarily

Question 9

Why was the Cones Hotline ridiculed?

Answer 9

Seen as a waste of government resources

Question 10

Which aspects of Thatcherism did Major continue with?

Answer 10

Pit closures, privatisation

Question 11

What role did Major play in the Northern Irish peace process?

Answer 11

Major had a good relationship with NI leader Albert Reynolds - managed to achieve a ceasefire

Question 12

Why did Major call a Conservative Leadership election in 1995?

Answer 12

Significant criticism in party - felt critics should ‘put up or shut up’

Question 13

What were the results of the 1995 Conservative Leadership Election?

Answer 13

Major won fairly convincingly, with 218 votes to John Redwood’s 89 (70%)

Question 14

What were Neil Kinnock’s reforms to the Labour Party?

Answer 14

Ended closed shop agreements (hiring only union members), appointed Peter Mandelson director of communications

Question 15

What was John Smith’s main reform?

Answer 15

Removal of trade union block voting in favour of ‘One Member, One Vote’ (OMOV)

Question 16

What was the Blair-Brown pact? (Granita agreement)

Answer 16

They agreed that Brown would allow Blair to stand as leader whilst Brown would have greater control over policy

Question 17

What was Labour’s Clause IV and why did Blair remove it?

Answer 17

Clause IV committed a Labour govt to nationalising - Blair removed this to bring the Labour party closer to the centre

Question 18

What was Brown’s economic pledge in the run up to 1997?

Answer 18

To follow the Conservatives spending plans

Question 19

What was the press’s influence on the 1997 election?

Answer 19

Many traditionally pro-Tory papers switched support to Labour

Question 20

What was Britain’s influence in the unrest in Eastern Europe during the 1990s?

Answer 20

In August 1992, Major hosted a summit in London to set up a peacekeeping force to help with troubles in Yugoslavia

Question 21

How effective was the UN/EU peacekeeping force in Serbia?

Answer 21

Ineffective - Srebrenica massacre where over 8000 were killed

Question 22

What was the Maastricht Treaty?

Answer 22

The foundation treaty for the eventual EU - signed by Major in 1992

Question 23

What gay rights reform was there in the 1990s?

Answer 23

Age of consent for gay men reduced from 21 to 18 in 1994 - still unequal as heterosexual age of consent was 16

Question 24

How did numbers born outside of wedlock change in the 1990s?

Answer 24

30% of those born in the early 90s were out of wedlock compared to only 12% in the early 1980s

Question 25

What was the Child Support Agency and when was it formed?

Answer 25

Formed in 1993, the Child Support Agency was set up to ensure absent parents paid maintenance for their children

Question 26

What was the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act?

Answer 26

Gave the police more powers to break up free parties (raves)

Question 27

What was third-wave feminism?

Answer 27

A step further than 1960s second-wave feminism - breaking down stereotypes about women. Linked to ‘girl power’, e.g. spice girls

Question 28

What law was passed to further equality within sexual relationships?

Answer 28

Rape within marriage became a crime in 1994

Question 29

What % of women of working age were employed in 1993?

Answer 29

68%

Question 30

What % of employees were women by 1996?

Answer 30

50%

Question 31

How were women impacted financially by the changes in the 1990s?

Answer 31

Women’s pay improved relatively but was still only at 80% of men’s, were able to be taxed separately from husbands for the first time

Question 32

Who was Stephen Lawrence?

Answer 32

Stephen Lawrence was a black student who was murdered by a gang of white youths at a bus stop. The identity of the youths was believed to be known but the CPS decided there wasn’t enough evidence to convict them

Question 33

Did race relations improve during the 1990s?

Answer 33

It could be argued yes as there were no major outbreaks of disorder with a racial component. This was major progress from previous decades

Question 34

How did Major ensure the Maastricht treaty was passed in July 1993?

Answer 34

He threatened a vote of no confidence - this worked as the Tories were behind in the polls by July 1993