The end of post war consensus 1970-1979: Political + Economic Flashcards
Who was the Conservative prime minister and what were the dates of his rule?
Heath (1970-1974)
Who were the Labour prime ministers and what were the dates of their reign?
Harold Wilson (1974-1976)
Callaghan (1976-1979)
What were Heath’s strengths as prime minister?
- Had experience (leader of Conservative party since 1965)
- Won 1970 election around clear policies of reform (industrial and economic modernisation)
- He was a europhile
What were Heath’s weaknesses as prime minister?
- Not popular with party and public
- Lost 1966 and 1974 election
- Struggled with industrial conflict and economic problems
- Defeated by Thatcher in 1975
When did Britain enter the EEC and who was it under?
- 1973
- Heath
Who replaced Heath as leader of the Conservative party and when was it?
- Thatcher
- 1965
What did Heath believe in?
- One nation toryism
- Post war consensus
What were some of the reforms under Heath?
- School leaving age raised to 16
- Local government was reorganised
- British currency went decimal
What did Heath’s chancellor, Barber, do?
- Introduced cuts in public spending
- Introduced tax cuts to encourage investment
- Rapid rise in inflation
- Named the barber boom
What is stagflation?
The unusual combination of inflation and economic growth
What was the Conservative parties U-turn?
- Unemployment began to edge towards 1 million, government had to take action despite wanting to reduce state intervention in industry
- Engineering firm Rolls Royce was nationalised in 1971
- Government money was used to prevent upper clyde shipbuilders going bankrupt
By 1973 what had unemployment fallen to?
500,000
What was the oil crisis and when was it?
- 1973
- Triggered by Yom Kippur war
- War prompted OPEC to declare an oil embargo
- Exports stopped, oil prices quadrupled, long queues formed outside petrol stations
- Led to the NUM demanding a huge pay rise
What were some of the industrial disputes that Heath had to deal with?
- Docker’s strike
- Large pay settlement for dustmen
- Postal workers strike
- ‘Go slow’ by power workers which led to power cuts
How did the government respond to industrial disputes?
Brought in the Industrial Relations Act- set up an Industrial Relations court and provided for strike ballots and a ‘cooling off’ period before official strikes could begin (TUC and CBI opposed it)
What were the major strikes in 1972?
- Miners
- Ambulance drivers
- Firefighters
- Civil servants
- Power workers
- Hospital staff
- Engine drivers
How many days were lost due to strikes in 1972?
23,909,000 (highest since General Strike of 1926)
When was the Industry Act passed and what did it aim to do?
- 1972
- Aimed to involve the government, TUC and CBI in agreeing wage prices, investment and benefits
- Heavily criticised by the right wing of the Conservative party
When did the NUM call a national strike?
1974
What was the 3 day week?
- Imposed in 1974 to conserve electricity in response to a wave of industrial action by engineers, dockers, firefighters
- Fuel was rationed
- Cuts made to lighting and heating
- TV turned off at 10:30pm
- Many industries were forced to lay off workers
What was Bloody Sunday and when was it?
- 1972
- Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association organised a march to protest against internment
- Attempts to control the march resulted in British soldiers firing live ammunition
- 26 unarmed civilians were shot and 13 were killed
What was burnt down in Dublin following Bloody Sunday?
The British embassy
What were all of the Irish troubles in 1972?
- 1382 explosions
- 10,628 shooting incidents
- 480 people killed
When was the Sunningdale agreement negotiated and what was it?
- 1973
Proposed:
1. A power sharing executive of nationalists and unionists
2. New Northern Ireland assembly elected under a system of proportional representation
3. Council of Ireland that would have some input from the Republic of Ireland