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British History > Topic 5: FP (1987-97) > Flashcards

Topic 5: FP (1987-97) Flashcards

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1
Q

6

Give an overview of Foreign Policy 1987-97 (including Europe)

A
  • Britain’s place in EU increasingly questioned
  • Eastern expansion reduced British influence
  • Poor Clinton-Major relations, though special relationship remained strong
  • Dominance of US unchallenged e.g. Balkans
  • End of Cold War meant Britain and NATO had to find new role
  • But Britain expected to play role in new world order
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2
Q

1

Describe Thatcher’s hardening euroscepticism by 1987

A
  • Especially opposed to ‘ever closer union’ of federalist and French socialist Delors (1985-95)
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3
Q

2

Describe Thatcher’s changed attitude on the SEA 1986

A
  • Later claimed that she had misunderstood implications of political unity
  • Concerned many Con MPs over her judgement
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4
Q

4

Describe the Bruges Speech 1988

A
  • Sept 1988
  • Thatcher set out vision of Europe against greater involvement in social policy
  • Coupled national sovereignty with free market economics
  • Claimed Britain had not ‘rolled back the frontiers of the state’ to see the reimposed by ‘a European super-state’
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5
Q

3

Describe the reaction to the Bruges speech 1988

A
  • Hositle European reactions
  • Single market vision and absence of central European institutions an effective impossibility
  • Enthused eurosceptic MPs to create Bruges Group to focus oppositon on increasing integration
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6
Q

3

Describe Thatcher’s support of European expansion

A
  • Encouraged expansion to former communist satellite states
  • Would ensure free-trade dominance
  • Hoped it would create shallower union to limit centralisation and weaken EU Commission power
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7
Q

3

Describe the 3 stage route to a Economic and Monetary Union recommended by the Delors Report 1989

A
  1. membership of ERM
  2. currency alignment
  3. establishment of single currency and central bank
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8
Q

2

Describe the significance to the Delors Report 1989

A
  • Currency union could lead to common budgetary policy to stabilise currency
  • Would lead to huge impact on national fiscal policy
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9
Q

3

Describe the reaction to the Delors Report 1989 in Britain

A
  • Threat to sterling fuelled Thatcher oppositon to EMU
  • Lawson proposed alternative scheme involving competing currencies
  • Discredited from trying to steal initiative from Delors
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10
Q

3

Describe the social charter

A

Laid down minimal conditions…

  • education
  • employment
  • social security
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11
Q

3

Describe the reaction to the social charter in Britain

A
  • Would threaten British competitiveness and further weaken sovereignty
  • Thatcher vehemently opposed
  • Delors recieved standing ovation at TUC Conference 1988
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12
Q

3

Describe Thatcher’s concessions on Europe

A
  • Under pressure, increased Britain’s contribution to EEC social fund
  • Agreed to stage 1 of Delors Report (European Monetary System)
  • Thus able to delay timetable for Stages 2 and 3 and refuse to accept social charter
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13
Q

4

Describe continuing division over the ERM under Thatcher

A
  • Joined in 1990
  • French and Germans pushed ahead and set Sept 1994 as date for Stage 2 implementation
  • Thatcher undermined her own CX Lawson
  • Led French/Germans to believe she was determined to wreck EMU
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14
Q

4

Describe Thatcher’s positive relations with Europe

A
  • Initial enthusiasm for Single Market
  • Pointed Europe towards greater competition
  • Supportive of some European ventures e.g. Channel Tunnel joint project with France started construction in 1988
  • Patriotic rhetoric arguably masked acceptance of ceding of British sovereignty
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15
Q

How much of British trade was with the EEC by 1990?

A

over 1/2

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16
Q

3

Describe Thatcher’s views on Europe post-premiership

A
  • Much of euroscepticism developed after she left office
  • Fuelled eurosceptic cabinet ministers (Portillo, Redwood) + backbenchers (IDS, Bill Cash)
  • Called for referendum on Maastricht a la Denmark, etc
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17
Q

3

Outline the changing climate of Europe during Major’s premiership

A
  • German reunification
  • Incorporation of Eastern European states
  • Stronger emphasis on common defence policy and strategy
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18
Q

3

Describe division over a common European security policy

A
  • Europe-wide security policy needed after Yugoslav wars began in 1991
  • Britain preferred policies be left with UN and NATO
  • France and Germany wanted EU security policy independent of USA
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19
Q

5

Describe the terms of the Maastricht Treaty 1992

A
  • Became EU
  • Revamped political and economic structure to deal with expansion
  • Created EU citizenship
  • Common foreign and security, interior, justice policy
  • Single euro currency would be introduced in 1999
20
Q

2

Describe British ‘opt outs’ in the Maastricht Treaty

A
  • Had opted out of Social Chapter (based on Social Charter)
  • Britain and Denmark retained opt out of single currency
21
Q

2

Describe limits to British ‘opt outs’

A
  • Labour supported both measures
  • Most businesses supported single currency to eliminate fluctuations with other European currencies
22
Q

6

Describe the problems with the Maasricht Treaty

A
  • Internal Conservative opposition
  • Supranational powers of European Parliament extended to edu, health, culture
  • Increased spending on pan-European infrastructure projects - against Tory cost-cutting
  • Eastern states would recieve greater structural funds
  • CAP cost increased
  • Social Chapter opt out could be circumvented
23
Q

2

Describe how the social chapter opt out could be circumvented

A
  • EU insisted on equal treatment of men and women on retirement age
  • ECJ rulings made on health and safety measures e.g. 48hr week
24
Q

3

Describe the internal conservative opposition to Maastricht

A
  • Perceived as huge leap towards federalism by Thatcherites
  • Huge Tory rebellions and slim majority delayed HoC passage by a year
  • Major called eurosceptic cabinet members (Howard, Portillo, Peter Lilley) ‘bastards’
25
Q

3

Describe opposition to the EMU

A
  • Monetarists claimed fixed exchange rates pushed up unemployment by keeping interest rates too high
  • All other EU members accepted EMU by 1994
  • Britain not seen as fully committed to European project
26
Q

3

Describe Conservative divisions post-Maastricht

A
  • Both wings could command up to 100 MPs
  • EU Ban on British beef exports (1996-2006) due to BSE prompted some to suggest EU exit
  • Single currency division

BSE - mad cow disease

27
Q

2

Describe Conservative views on the single currency

A
  • Some Con MPs campaigned with Lab MPs on euro
  • Major promised party the oppurtinity to vote on issue in next parliament
28
Q

2

Describe Labour views on single currency

A
  • Blair personally supportive. though had committed to potential referendum if entry considered
  • Residual agreements within Labour well-hidden during 1997 campaign
29
Q

2

Describe the rise of new eurosceptic parties

A
  • Alan Sked founded UKIP in 1993 after Maastricht
  • Single-issue Referendum Party set up in 1994
30
Q

3

Describe the special relationship by 1989

A
  • Reagan retirement in 1989 set back relationship
  • George Bush held more indirect relationship
  • Britain’s natural ally seemed to be Germany (e.g. ERM) rather than USA
31
Q

3

Describe the weakening of the cold war until 1990

A
  • ‘perestroika’ - restructuring of Russian economy incorporating market reforms
  • democratisation through Eastern Europe
  • move towards international disarmament
32
Q

Describe the end of the Cold War

A
  • ‘Year of miracles’ in 1989 - communism collapsed across Eastern Europe
  • 1990, Germany reunfiied
  • 1991, Soviet Union dissolved
33
Q

2

Describe the invasion of Kuwait

A
  • Aug 1990, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invaded Kuwait
  • Kuwait held 13% world oil supplies
34
Q

3

Describe the end of the Gulf War

A
  • UN economic sanctions with withdrawal timeline set
  • Massive aerial bombardment of Iraq by Coalition forces quickly demoralised Iraqi forces
  • Hussein agrreed to UN demands and withdrew in Feb 1991

Kuwait had been British territory until 1961

35
Q

2

Describe Britain’s role in the Gulf War

A
  • 45k personnel in Gulf, only 2nd to USA
  • Most resolute partner in Amercan-led coalition of France, Italy and several Arab states
36
Q

3

Describe limits to Britain’s role in the Gulf War

A
  • Personal visit to Hussein by Ted Heath MP in Baghdad
  • To secure release of hostages on British Airways Flight 149
  • Came to no avail
37
Q

3

Describe the impact of the Gulf War on Britain

A
  • Major popularity spiked to 61% in May 1991
  • Previous support for Iraq in Iran-Iraq War (1980-88) raised questions of British FP morality
  • ‘Arms to Iraq’
38
Q

5

Describe the Background to conflict in the Balkans

A
  • Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic become hardened Serbian nationalist from 1989
  • Violent ethnic clashes between Serbs and Croatians
  • 1991, prosperous northern republic of Slovenia declared indepdence
  • Began break up of Yugoslavia
  • April 1992, Milosevic-backed Bosnian-Serb paramilitaries began to violently ethnically cleanse muslim population of eastern Bosnia
39
Q

4

Describe the British role in the Yugoslav wars

A
  • August 1992, Major hosted UN-EU conference in London
  • UN peacekeeping force put in place
  • Vance-Owen plan
  • Major praised for response, but no coordinated European action
40
Q

3

Describe the context of the Vance-Owen plan

A
  • Proposed October 1992
  • Owen - FS under Callaghan
  • Vance - Sec of State under Carter
41
Q

4

Describe the terms of the Vance-Owen plan

A
  • Ceasefire
  • Demilitarisation of parts of Croatia
  • Return of refugees
  • Set out framework for lasting peace settlement
42
Q

4

Describe the failure of European diplomacy in the Balkan wars

A
  • Douglas Hurd (FS) had been optimistic Britain could make major contribution to international mediation
  • EU and UN diplomacy both failed
  • Divisions over whether to maintain multi-ethnic Yugoslavia or control its breakup
  • Massacre in Srebrenica
43
Q

2

Describe the Srebrenica Massacre 1995

A
  • 8k Bosnian muslim boys and men massacred by Serbian paramilitary group
  • Dutch UN peacemakers had chosen not to intervene
44
Q

3

Describe initial US action during the Balkans War

A
  • US remained reluctant to intervene amid growing Serb aggression and despite British pressure
  • Bosnian War lasted 3 years
  • Sarajevo under constant siege and prolonged blockade
45
Q

3

Describe the end of the Balkan Wars

A
  • US intervened in late 1995 after Sbrenica Massacre
  • Central NATO command essential to forcing Balkan leaders to negotiate
  • American air strike on Serb forces led to peace conference in Dec 1995 which guaranteed Bosnian independence protected by UN force
46
Q

4

Describe the Hong Kong handover

A
  • Takeover by communist China increasingly unwelcome
  • Debate over potential open immigration of HK British passport holders
  • British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997 - entitled to acquire full British citizenship by making application after handover - dual nationality
  • 99yr lease ended in 1997 under Blair

British History (36 decks)

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