thatcher 1979-90

Question 1

What was Thatcher’s famous quote regarding u-turns?

Answer 1

“You turn if you want to - the lady’s not for turning”

Question 2

What was Thatcher’s economic policy?

Answer 2

Rejection of Keynesianism/consensus, instead advocated monetarism/free-market economics

Question 3

Why did Thatcher believe in free market policies?

Answer 3

Believed free market was moral - individuals should take responsibility for themselves

Question 4

What were ‘dries’ and ‘wets’?

Answer 4

Dries were Conservative members who believed in Thatcherism - Wets were one-nation Conservatives who believed in consensus policies

Question 5

Why were Labour so divided between 1979-83?

Answer 5

Far-left Foot elected leader - alienated moderates

Question 6

What was the SDP?

Answer 6

Breakaway party led by Roy Jenkins - were momentarily the largest party however mainly split the left vote in 1983 and 1987

Question 7

What was Labour’s 1983 manifesto described as?

Answer 7

“The longest suicide note in history”

Question 8

Who was Bobby Sands?

Answer 8

Northern Irish hunger striker - died in 1981 and became martyr for movement

Question 9

What was Gerry Adams’s policy when he became leader of Sinn Fein?

Answer 9

Twin track - ballot box and gun

Question 10

What was the significance of Brighton bombing in 1984?

Answer 10

IRA Assassination attempt on Thatcher - killed 5 but Thatcher was unhurt

Question 11

What was the 1985 Hillsborough Agreement?

Answer 11

Set up permanent intergovernmental co-operation between the UK and Republic of Ireland

Question 12

Why was the Hillsborough Agreement unpopular on both sides?

Answer 12

Unionists wanted no Republic influence - Nationalists didn’t like the conformation NI was part of UK

Question 13

How was the economy in 1980?

Answer 13

Recession - inflation above 15% and unemployment above 2 million

Question 14

What taxation reforms were implemented by Thatcher?

Answer 14

Reduction of direct tax and increase in indirect tax - e.g. VAT

Question 15

Why was this Thatcher’s reform from direct to indirect taxation unfair?

Answer 15

Increased burden on poorer people as they will have to spend a higher proportion of their money on essentials

Question 16

What was the ‘loony left’

Answer 16

Right wing press demonised councils promoting politically correct policies as the loony left

Question 17

What was supply side economics?

Answer 17

Govt prioritising business rather than customers

Question 18

What was Britain’s average growth rate in the mid-1980s?

Answer 18

4% - higher than any other Western power

Question 19

Name some examples of Thatcher privatisation

Answer 19

BP, BT, Jaguar, British Gas, British Airways, Rolls Royce, Steel, Water, Electricity

Question 20

What did financial deregulation consist of?

Answer 20

Making it easier for businesses to trade/encouraging entrepreneurship

Question 21

What did deregulation lead to?

Answer 21

London became financial hub - yuppie boom

Question 22

How did inflation change during the 1980s?

Answer 22

Peaked as 22% in May 1980 - below 5% by 1983 + hit a low of 2.5% in May 1986

Question 23

How did unemployment change (%) during the 1980s?

Answer 23

5% in 1979 - peaked at 12% or 3.3 million in 1984 and was above 10% from 82-87

Question 24

What did Thatcher’s policies do to the north?

Answer 24

Thatcher’s policy greatly favoured southern areas - avg weekly income in 1985 was £170 in northeast compared to £248 in southeast

Question 25

What was right to buy? (1980 Housing Act)

Answer 25

Tenants received between 33% and 50% discount on purchasing their council houses depending on how long they lived in them

Question 26

How many new homeowners were there through right to buy?

Answer 26

2 million by 1988

Question 27

What were the downsides of right to buy?

Answer 27

Increased homelessness due to less council housing, mainly benefited better off areas

Question 28

Why did the 1984-85 Miners Strike fail?

Answer 28

Thatcher built up coal reserves, Scargill didn’t take fully democratic ballot + was demonised in the press

Question 29

What effects did the strike’s failure have on numbers employed in the coal industry?

Answer 29

Coal industry employed fell from 200,000 to 60,000

Question 30

What was the Poll Tax?

Answer 30

Thatcher’s reform of local taxation - meant taxes would go up for everyone and everyone had to pay the same amount

Question 31

What impact did the Poll Tax have on Thatcher?

Answer 31

Its failure made her seem out of touch - Labour went ahead in the polls

Question 32

How did the Falklands War impact Thatcher?

Answer 32

Made her previously unpopular government soar in the polls - renewed patriotism

Question 33

How did the Cold War develop in the 1980s?

Answer 33

Thatcher and Reagan were able to negotiate with Gorbachev which led to the fall of the iron curtain

Question 34

What were Conservative attitudes to Europe during the 1980s?

Answer 34

The party was beginning to split over Europe, however the Single European Act was passed with little discord

Question 35

Was Thatcher considered a feminist?

Answer 35

Not particularly - Thatcher had only one female cabinet minister and said in a 1982 interview that she ‘owed nothing to women’s lib’

Question 36

What was the impact of the AIDS outbreak?

Answer 36

Stirred up negative attitudes and stigmatised gay people

Question 37

What was Thatcher’s attitude to homosexuality?

Answer 37

She passed section 28 - a series of laws prohibiting “the promotion of homosexuality”