Political History 1979-2024 Flashcards

1
Q

What happened in Britain 1978-79?

A

Winter of Discontent under Labour Government
- Britain hit with worst industrial unrest since 1926 strike (so lots of strikes)
- Ie Liverpool, grave diggers on strike, dead remained unburied

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2
Q

How long did John Major last as PM?

A

1990-1997 (7 years)

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3
Q

Who were the main political parties in 1979?

A

3 political parties: Conservative, Labour, Liberal

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4
Q

What land was classed as the UK in 1979?

A

England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland

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5
Q

Who was the Government in power in 1979?

A

Government in Power: Beginning= Labour, Jim Callaghan PM
End= Conservative, Margret Thatcher PM

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6
Q

Why was Thatcher elected in May 1979?

A
  • Callaghan delayed an election - Thatcher was driven by Victorian values
  • British people wanted change
  • She was an ‘Iron Lady’, determined
  • She was a woman-> dedicated, hard working
  • She would bring Radical change-> awarded lots of pay rises
  • Winter of Discontent
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7
Q

What did Thatcher aim to achieve as PM?

A
  • Lower taxes
  • Pro ‘Free markets’
  • She wanted to unleash big business
  • Restore Britain’s global position
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8
Q

Inflation and Thatcher:

A
  • She thought defeating inflation was the key (high inflation when she took office)
  • Her main aim was to reduce inflation
  • She inherited some domestic inflation pressures-> trade unions kept getting wage increases, encouraging shop keepers to put their prices up
  • Hit pensioners (a group of pro Thatcher people)
  • Adopted Monetarism: put interest rates up, Climbed to 23%
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9
Q

How was unemployment affected under Thatcher?

A
  • Climbed to 3 million
  • Hit the North harder-> closure of factories + effect on Industrial Britain
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10
Q

Riots and Thatcher:

A
  • Anger from unemployment-> effects on the poor, tax cuts + benefits for the rich
  • Liverpool, 1981
  • Unemployed people (particularly in the North), Police racism,
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11
Q

Privatisation and Thatcher:

A
  • Thatcher sold off previously nationalised industries
  • Council houses
  • Water industries, Telephones, gas, electricity, railway= government owned
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12
Q

Thatcher and the IRA (Irish Republican Army)

A
  • The IRA wanted Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic of Ireland
  • IRA succeeded in planting a bomb in the hotel Thatcher was staying in, caused deaths
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13
Q

What happened in 1982 between Britain and Argentina?

A

The Falklands War
- Between Argentina and Britain for colonised islands next to Argentina
- Britain Won in 3 weeks
- Thatcher maintains British standard on a global stage
- Went from most unpopular to one of the most popular

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14
Q

What did Thatcher do in 1983?

A

Thatcher holds an election
- Conservatives are in favour
- Thatcher won a landslide-> increased number of Tory MP’s
- Most of her cabinet were men

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15
Q

What happened between the Miners and Thatcher between 1984-1985?

A

Miners strike
- Thatcher tried to close some coal mines down-> some were beginning to be inefficient
- Miners union went on strike to protect jobs
- Rivalries between counties, police and miners
- Thatcher called the miners union “the enemy within” (Not representing the people)
- Thatcher won, the miners just went back to work without success
- Then nearly all the pits were closed, she shut down the mining industry
- Wanted to crush the mining union- encourages natural gas, north sea oil, nuclear power, abroad coal

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16
Q

What happened in 1987?

A

Election (a year early)
- Thatcher won as the economy was improving

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17
Q

What is Poll tax?

A

Local tax, where every adult paid the same
- Benefitted privileged people

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18
Q

Why and How did Thatcher Fall in 1990?

A
  • She wanted to implement the poll tax (unpopular)
  • Caused more riots
  • She was becoming very Eurosceptic
  • Conservatives turned against her due to these 2 things
  • Thatcher polled worse than the Conservative party, becoming a liability to her party-> MP’s wanted her out
  • She was in power too long
  • Conservative MP’s held a vote of No Confidence in her, which triggered a leadership contest. Her Cabinet colleagues turned against her and persuaded her that although she won the first round, she wouldn’t win the second.
  • Thatcher resigned-> she felt betrayed
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19
Q

What happened in the 1990 votes of confidence for Thatcher?

A

MP’s can call for a vote of confidence in the leader
- Thatcher won the vote, but not by much (against Michael Heseltine)
- She wanted to carry on, but the other MP’s (ie cabinet ministers) disagreed, wanted her to stand down

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20
Q

What happened in November 1990?

A

John Major became Prime Minister

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21
Q

Who is John Major?

A

Regular person background, ie unemployment, son of a music hall artiste and garden ornament manufacturer

ie Election broadcast from Brixton (his home), representative of the working class people

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22
Q

What Boosted Major’s popularity?

A

He led Britain to victory in the first Gulf War against Iraqi invader of Kuwait Saddam Hussein as a Junior partner or the US and other western countries

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23
Q

What happened in the winter of 1991 with the Maastricht Treaty?

A

The British people + conservatives were against a single European currency, unlike all other European leaders-> John Major eventually signed the treaty, opting out from the single currency and taking the Social chapter + the worker’s rights out of the treaty all together
- Commended by Parliament + the British people

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24
Q

What happened in 1992?

A

1992 election: Major vs Neil Kinnock
- (last election= 1987)- waited the full 5 years
- Major victory
- Partly to weak labour campaign under Kinnock

Post Thatcher-> economy had fallen

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25
Q

What happened on Black Wednesday (1992 September) ?

A

Pound was too high (black Wednesday)
Major agreed to increase interest rates to 12%
Bank of England lost £2 billion an hour

Then increased interest rate to 15%-> disaster for home and business owners
John Major decided to leave the ERM (exchange rate mechanism)
Reflected badly on Major

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26
Q

How did Black Wednesday affect Major and the Conservatives?

A

(just after the election)
- Ruined Conservative economic reputation
- Major had less authority-> more crime, poverty and violence

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27
Q

What happened in February 1993 as a result of Major’s lack of authority and increase in crime across the UK?

A

A 2 year old (James Bulger) was kidnapped by two 10 year olds, who tortured and murdered him

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28
Q

What did Major begin to assert after the kidnapping and murder of James Bulger in 1993?

A

John Major asserted traditional, core values (Cosy, nostalgic Britain)

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29
Q

What scandal increased the negative outlook on the Conservative party and Major in 1993?

A

Sex scandals in the Conservative party, taking cash for questions

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30
Q

What happened in 1994?

A

Labour leader John Smith died
- Tony Blair and Gordon Brown
- Blair would take power, Brown would get role of Treasury

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31
Q

What happened in 1997?

A

Major held election in 1997- conservatives massively lost

32
Q

Why did Major lose the 1997 election?

A
  • People were sick of the Conservatives after 18 years
  • Eurosceptics couldn’t forgive him after signing the 1991 Maastricht Treaty
33
Q

How long did Blair last in power?

A

10 years- 1997 to 2007

34
Q

Who was the foundation for the creation and beginning of New Labour?

A

Blair and Brown joined forces with men like Alastair Campbell and Peter Mandelson-> New Labour
- Very media obsessed
- Labour won by a landslide

35
Q

What happened in 1997 that increased Blair’s popularity with the public?

A

Princess Diana’s death: ‘The people’s princess’
- He was ‘The people’s prime minister’
- Increased his popularity after his eulogy at her funeral

36
Q

What happened in 2008 between Ecclestone and Blair?

A

Ecclestone (famous F1 driver) gave Blair a £1 million donation just before the election
- New Labour were going to ban tobacco advertising from all major sporting events
- Ecclestone wanted F1 exempted

37
Q

What did the Ecclestone 2008 scandal do to the impression New Labour gave to the public?

A

Left impression from press questioning that New Labour wasn’t as representative of the people + more like the slack of the previous Tories than it seemed

38
Q

What effect did Tony Blair have in terms of Devolution between 1997-1998?

A

Northern Ireland-> Tony Blair involved in the peace process
Scotland-> allowed the installation of Scottish Parliament
The Bank of England was given independence over monetary policy
1998 Good Friday Agreement- effort to end troubles in Northern Ireland-> Northern Ireland Assembly established

39
Q

What happened in 2001?

A

Blair won the 2001 summer election

40
Q

What happened in 2001 September in the USA?

A

9/11, led by Osama Bin Laden (leader of Al Qaeda)
- Lack of immediate speech from Prime Minister (Did give speech later)
- British solidarity with America of the people
- New intensity of relationship between Bush and Blair

41
Q

How did Blair respond to 9/11?

A

Led Britain in to Afghanistan (2001) and into the Iraq wars (2003-2011)

42
Q

How did Bush want Britain to help post 9/11?

A

Bush wanted Britain to help America fight and invade Iraq
- Lack of plan after invasion
- MI6 information to give Britain motive for attack

43
Q

What happened in 2003 February in retaliation of Britain’s plan to go to war on Iraq?

A

750,000 people joined in an Anti War protest
April 9: Fall of Saddam Hussain
- Victory for Tony Blair

44
Q

What happened post Victory in Iraq in 2003 that reflected poorly on Tony Blair?

A

BBC + Government feud on spin of intelligence information on Iraq
- David Kelly was questioned in a media frenzy, led him to kill himself
- Reflected badly on Blair (blood on his hands)

45
Q

What happened in 2005?

A

Although he was unpopular due to the wars, Blair won the 2005 election
- economy was going well
- Conservatives were weak

46
Q

Why did Blair step down in 2007?

A

Gordon Brown wanted to be PM, so forced Blair to retire

47
Q

How long was Gordon Brown PM for?

A

2007-2010 (3 years)

48
Q

What happened in 2008?

A

2008 financial crisis caused by collapsing USA banks
- dominated Brown’s term

49
Q

What happened globally between 2008-2010 that led Brown’s downfall?

A

2008-2010 global recession led to Labour’s defeat in the 2010 election

50
Q

How long did David Cameron last as PM?

A

2010-2016 (6 years)

51
Q

What happened in the 2010 election?

A

Conservatives formed a coalition government with Liberal Democrats

52
Q

What did the Coalition government pursue post recession?

A

Austerity
- a series of public spending cuts to reduce the budget deficit

53
Q

Who won the 2015 election?

A

Conservatives (David Cameron)

54
Q

What happened in 2016?

A

Brexit
- The UK voted in a referendum to leave the EU
Cameron had promised this in 2013 as many conservatives had become Eurosceptic
Cameron campaigned to stay, but many Conservatives like Boris Johnson campaigned to Leave

55
Q

What happened after the referendum?

A

Cameron chose to resign after the country voted leave

56
Q

How long was Theresa May PM?

A

2016-2019 (3 years)

57
Q

What was Theresa May’s job before PM?

A

She was Cameron’s Home Secretary

58
Q

What did May try to achieve as PM?

A

She engaged in a policy to take Britain out of the EU, known as the Brexit withdrawal agreement

59
Q

Why did May call a general election in 2017?

A

The polls suggested Conservatives were ahead Labour (led by Jeremy Corbyn), and since she had a small majority, she decided to call a ‘snap’ general election

60
Q

What was the result of the 2017 general election?

A

The Conservatives lost their overall majority and had to rely on a small number of Northern Ireland Unionist MPs

61
Q

What was the issue with May and her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement in 2019?

A

Her deal failed to pass through the House of Commons 3 times

62
Q

Why did Theresa May resign?

A

Her deal failed to pass through the House of Commons 3 times

63
Q

Who won the Conservative leadership election in 2019?

A

Boris Johnson
(former Mayor of London and foreign secretary)

64
Q

How long was Boris Johnson PM for?

A

2019-2022 (3 years)

65
Q

What did Boris Johnson try to do as PM?

A

He tried to pass a Brexit Withdrawal Agreement similar to May’s

66
Q

What was the problem with Johnson’s Brexit Withdrawal Agreement?

A

He had similar problems to May due to their being a minority government

67
Q

Why did Boris Johnson call a general election in 2019?

A

To get an increased Conservative majority in parliament

68
Q

Who won the 2019 election?

A

Conservatives (Boris Johnson) with a larger Majority

69
Q

What did the Conservative victory in 2019 allow to be passed through the House of Commons?

A

The Brexit Withdrawal Agreement in January 2020

70
Q

What happened between February 2020-2022?

A

The global COVID pandemic

71
Q

What caused Johnson to resign in 2022?

A

Numerous Partygate scandals

72
Q

Who was elected in the first Conservative leadership election of 2022?

A

Liz Truss (foreign secretary)

73
Q

How long was Liz Truss PM for?

A

2022 (49 days)

74
Q

Why did Liz Truss resign?

A

Due to another global crisis caused by the Budget of her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng

75
Q

Who won the 2nd 2022 Conservative Leadership Election?

A

Rishi Sunak

76
Q

How long was Rishi Sunak PM for?

A

2022-2024 (2 years)

77
Q

Who won the election in 2024 called by Rishi Sunak earlier than he needed to?

A

A landslide victory to Labour by Kier Starmer