Thatcher's Economic Policy: Stage 2 Flashcards
What did the government deem to be the most important economic factor to get control over?
Inflation
What was interest raised to in order to combat inflation?
17%
What was the downside of increasing interest rates?
It cost more for businesses to borrow money
I) What, other than raising interest, did the government do to combat inflation in 1979?
II) What was the disadvantage of this?
I) Increased the value of the pound
II) It made exporting more expensive, and thus more difficult
What was the overall effect of increased inflation in early 80s?
A decline in output and demand
I) What did inflation rise to by May 1980?
II) Why?
I) 22%
II) a recession led to huge unemployment
What did inflation fall to by 1986?
2.5%
What led to the UK joining the ERM by the late 1980s?
Further recessions
What does ERM stand for?
European Exchange Rate Mechanism
Why was unemployment dealt with less in in Thatcher’s stage 2 economic policy?
Inflation was seen as more important to deal with than unemployment
What was a key criticism of the privatisation of British businesses, and what was the theory behind this?
That the stocks were sold off at a cheaper cost than they should have been to make sure all of them were sold
Was the economic state in the years 1990-1992 positive or negative overall?
Negative
Was the economic state in the years 1992-1997 positive or negative overall?
Positive
Give 3 indicators the economy was in a bad place by the end of 1990?
- Decline in manufacturing output
- High interests
- Rise in unemployment
What was the main effect on homeowners in 1991-early 1992?
They entered negative equity. This was especially a problem for conservative voters
What was a poor economic indicator in early 1992?
Government fell into high public spending and borrowing
Where was particularly in need of public spending in 1992?
The NHS
I) When was black Wednesday?
II) What happened on that day?
I) 16th September 1992
II) Britain left the ERM due to the collapsing value of the pound
What was the major benefit to leaving the ERM?
Britain no longer ha to keep high interest rates
Give 3 positive economic indicators between 1992-1997
- Unemployment slowed
- housing picked up
- Benefits caused by flexible working practices (Thanks to deregulation) were felt
Why did world trade increase between 1992-1997?
America was also coming out of a recession