The impact of Thatcherism 1979-1987: Society

Question 1

What did the Housing Act do and when was it passed?

Answer 1

• 1980
• Gave council tenants the right to buy their rented council house
• Gave a discount of 33-50% off the market price, allowing 2 million new homeowners to take advantage of the scheme by 1990

Question 2

How much did home ownership increase by from 1980 to 1987 and why?

Answer 2

1980- 55%
1987- 65%
- Because Thatcher wanted to create a property owning democracy
- Became a symbol of success of Thatcherism and led to Labour dropping its initial objections due to the policies popularity

Question 3

What was the negative side to Thatcher’s housing policy?

Answer 3

• Councils were ordered to use the revenue to reduce debts rather than investing in new social housing
• Led to a depletion of housing supply for future generations
• Led to increases in house waiting lists and the use of temporary accommodation, such as B&B’s to house families

Question 4

Who did Thatcher’s economic reforms create conflict with?

Answer 4

Trade unions

Question 5

What did a law in 1980 and 1984 state and how did it create conflict with trade unions?

Answer 5

1980 law- outlawed pickets
1984 law- required unions to hold ballots before a strike could be called
- Some employers used this to try remove union representation from workplace (e.g. Rupert Murdoch taking on print unions in 1986 and miners strike in 1984-85)

Question 6

What did the National Coal Board do in 1981 and what did this lead to?

Answer 6

• Warned of the need to close 23 pits
• Government didn’t want 1973/74 situation repeat so compromised by reducing local coal imports and maintaining the subsidy
• By 1984 the situation changed, as the government had built up its coal stocks and, with the North Sea oil, made an energy crisis less likely

Question 7

What did the NCB announce in 1984?

Answer 7

The closure of 20 pits

Question 8

Who was the president of the NUM?

Answer 8

Arthur Scargill

Question 9

What did Arthur Scargill claim in response to the NCB’s plan to close 20 pits?

Answer 9

Claimed he had seen a secret plan to actually close 70 pits instead of 20, but the government denied this

Question 10

What reduced Scargill’s credibility as a leader?

Answer 10

His refusal to hold a strike ballot

Question 11

What was Scargill accused of?

Answer 11

Pursuing his left wing political agenda rather than representing the interests of the miners

Question 12

What was the poll tax an attempt to do?

Answer 12

Make local councils more accountable to the electorate by ensuring that everyone contributed

Question 13

What was Thatcher accused of doing to the police and which event may this be demonstrated it?

Answer 13

• Politicalising them
• 1984 Battle of Orgreave: mass picket of coke plant by 5000 miners who were faced by up to 5000 police officers (more than 50 picketers and 70 police officers were injured)

Question 14

What was a key factor in the defeat of the NUM?

Answer 14

Scargill- he alienated, moderates and never got the support of the Labour Party

Question 15

How many employees did the coal industry have in 1979 in comparison to 1990?

Answer 15

1979- 200,000
1990- 60,000

Question 16

What were the results of the miners strike for the unions?

Answer 16

• Their power had dramatically reduced
• By 1990, total union membership was only 2/3 of what it was in 1979
• State industries such as British steel had massive job losses
• Unions ability to intimidate governments was gone for good

Question 17

What was the reaction to the poll tax?

Answer 17

• Anti poll tax unions were set up across the country which urged people not to pay
• In some areas up to 30% of people were non payers
• Thatcher’s own ministers couldn’t even justify why a poor pensioner would pay the same as a millionaire
• There were anti poll demonstrations which were attended by more than 200,000 people (5000 were injured and over 300 arrests were made)

Question 18

What did Oxford University vote against?

Answer 18

Giving Thatcher an honorary degree, something it had given every other Oxford educated prime minister (due to public spending cuts to higher education)

Question 19

What was the artistic establishment typically?

Answer 19

Anti Thatcher due to cuts in public spending to the arts

Question 20

What decision was made in 1979 and what did this lead to?

Answer 20

1. 1979- decision to station cruise missiles at bases in Britain
2. In response, CND organised mass protests
3. 1981- group of women protestors set up a camp outside where the missiles were to be held, gradually being joined by more women
4. 1983- when the missiles were due to arrive, 70,000 protestors formed a 15 mile human chain of protest
5. Local council evicted the women and destroyed the camp, but they returned after dark to rebuild it (remained a powerful symbol during the 1980’s)

Question 21

Why did an awareness of environmental concerns grow?

Answer 21

• Industrial accidents such the 1984 gas leak in India and Chernobyl in 1986
• The 1985 discovery of the ozone hole