Thatcher Revolution 1979-90: 3 Miner's strike 1984-5

Question 1

what was the crisis in the coal industry?

Answer 1

coal was becoming increasingly costly and difficult to mine.
nationalisation in 1946 had not altered this.
lack of gov investment may have worsened the situation
by 1970s British mines were running at a loss

Question 2

what was Thatcher’s case for closing the mines?

Answer 2

her argument was not taking hard measures when necessary simply delayed the inevitable; it was better to face the situation now and lessen the consequence of closure by large redundancy settlements than pretend things could get better

Question 3

what was the miners’ case against closure?

Answer 3

with proper investment and a genuine gov commitment to coal as a long-term power source, the coal industry had a profitable future.
social consequences would also be catastrophic - in certain areas coal was a way of life such as south Wales and Durham - whole communities were dependent on it

Question 4

what was the NCB and NUM and who were their leaders?

Answer 4

NCB - National Coal Board
Ian McGregor
wanted to cut out the non-profitable parts of the coal industry
NUM - National Union of Mineworkers
Arthur Scargill
wanted to keep mines open

Question 5

who was Norman Tebbit?

Answer 5

Employment Minister

Question 6

what did the Employment Acts of 1980 and 1982 state?

Answer 6

• forbade mass picketing
• outlawed the ‘closed shop’, requirement that all workers in a particular plant or factory had to be union workers
• declared industrial action illegal unless the workers had voted for a strike in a formal ballot

Question 7

how did the government ‘fight’ against the miners?

Answer 7

in prep for a long strike they…
- had already began stockpiling coal and coke at the fuel stations
- draft emergency plans for importing further stocks should the need arise

Question 8

when was the strike?

Answer 8

began in 1984 and lasted a year

Question 9

what was the strike like?

Answer 9

violent clashes between striking miners and the police - the worst occurring in June at ‘the Battle of Orgreave’ in South Yorkshire
93 arrests, 51 strikers and 72 policemen injured
Scargill gave speeches hoping to inspire miners to continue striking

Question 10

why did the strike fail?

Answer 10

• Scargill’s abrasive manner alienated other unions within the industry
• Scargill’s refusal to hold a ballot
• few trade unions were willing to support the strike
• government backed the NCB and prepared themselves
• Labour, under Kinnock, tried to take a middle path - did not convince voters that Labour had a consistent attitude to the strike
• Tebbit’s employment acts
• police were successful in enabling strike-breakers to get into work and delivery lorries to pass through
• coal no longer a vital source of fuel
• sense that the strike was a parting gesture

marked a major success for the govs anti-union campaign

Question 11

in 1986, which other industry striked?

Answer 11

printworkers led by Rupert Murdoch
tried to avoid new technology and modified working practices
it failed

Question 12

what was the impact of the miners’ strike?

Answer 12

• disturbing scenes of violence between strikers and police, which were regularly seen on tv, divided public opinion
  polls suggested 65% supported gov and police
  commentators suggested the divide was actually between the north and south
• violent clashes frequently accompanied the strike stimulated a general lawlessness in Britain
• failure of strike allowed closure to go ahead at greater speed
• similar strike action no longer appropriate in modern Britain
• defeat of the miners gave heart to employers who wanted to convert their workers into accepting modern ways and new techniques
• the NCB’s victory was really the gov’s victory - Thatcher believed if the gov kept its sense of purpose other opponents could be defeated