thatcher 1979-90 Flashcards
What was Thatcher’s famous quote regarding u-turns?
“You turn if you want to - the lady’s not for turning”
What was Thatcher’s economic policy?
Rejection of Keynesianism/consensus, instead advocated monetarism/free-market economics
Why did Thatcher believe in free market policies?
Believed free market was moral - individuals should take responsibility for themselves
What were ‘dries’ and ‘wets’?
Dries were Conservative members who believed in Thatcherism - Wets were one-nation Conservatives who believed in consensus policies
Why were Labour so divided between 1979-83?
Far-left Foot elected leader - alienated moderates
What was the SDP?
Breakaway party led by Roy Jenkins - were momentarily the largest party however mainly split the left vote in 1983 and 1987
What was Labour’s 1983 manifesto described as?
“The longest suicide note in history”
Who was Bobby Sands?
Northern Irish hunger striker - died in 1981 and became martyr for movement
What was Gerry Adams’s policy when he became leader of Sinn Fein?
Twin track - ballot box and gun
What was the significance of Brighton bombing in 1984?
IRA Assassination attempt on Thatcher - killed 5 but Thatcher was unhurt
What was the 1985 Hillsborough Agreement?
Set up permanent intergovernmental co-operation between the UK and Republic of Ireland
Why was the Hillsborough Agreement unpopular on both sides?
Unionists wanted no Republic influence - Nationalists didn’t like the conformation NI was part of UK
How was the economy in 1980?
Recession - inflation above 15% and unemployment above 2 million
What taxation reforms were implemented by Thatcher?
Reduction of direct tax and increase in indirect tax - e.g. VAT
Why was this Thatcher’s reform from direct to indirect taxation unfair?
Increased burden on poorer people as they will have to spend a higher proportion of their money on essentials
What was the ‘loony left’
Right wing press demonised councils promoting politically correct policies as the loony left
What was supply side economics?
Govt prioritising business rather than customers
What was Britain’s average growth rate in the mid-1980s?
4% - higher than any other Western power
Name some examples of Thatcher privatisation
BP, BT, Jaguar, British Gas, British Airways, Rolls Royce, Steel, Water, Electricity
What did financial deregulation consist of?
Making it easier for businesses to trade/encouraging entrepreneurship
What did deregulation lead to?
London became financial hub - yuppie boom
How did inflation change during the 1980s?
Peaked as 22% in May 1980 - below 5% by 1983 + hit a low of 2.5% in May 1986
How did unemployment change (%) during the 1980s?
5% in 1979 - peaked at 12% or 3.3 million in 1984 and was above 10% from 82-87
What did Thatcher’s policies do to the north?
Thatcher’s policy greatly favoured southern areas - avg weekly income in 1985 was £170 in northeast compared to £248 in southeast
What was right to buy? (1980 Housing Act)
Tenants received between 33% and 50% discount on purchasing their council houses depending on how long they lived in them
How many new homeowners were there through right to buy?
2 million by 1988
What were the downsides of right to buy?
Increased homelessness due to less council housing, mainly benefited better off areas
Why did the 1984-85 Miners Strike fail?
Thatcher built up coal reserves, Scargill didn’t take fully democratic ballot + was demonised in the press
What effects did the strike’s failure have on numbers employed in the coal industry?
Coal industry employed fell from 200,000 to 60,000
What was the Poll Tax?
Thatcher’s reform of local taxation - meant taxes would go up for everyone and everyone had to pay the same amount
What impact did the Poll Tax have on Thatcher?
Its failure made her seem out of touch - Labour went ahead in the polls
How did the Falklands War impact Thatcher?
Made her previously unpopular government soar in the polls - renewed patriotism
How did the Cold War develop in the 1980s?
Thatcher and Reagan were able to negotiate with Gorbachev which led to the fall of the iron curtain
What were Conservative attitudes to Europe during the 1980s?
The party was beginning to split over Europe, however the Single European Act was passed with little discord
Was Thatcher considered a feminist?
Not particularly - Thatcher had only one female cabinet minister and said in a 1982 interview that she ‘owed nothing to women’s lib’
What was the impact of the AIDS outbreak?
Stirred up negative attitudes and stigmatised gay people
What was Thatcher’s attitude to homosexuality?
She passed section 28 - a series of laws prohibiting “the promotion of homosexuality”
