Towards a new consensus, 1987-97

Question 1

List some economic reasons for Thatcher’s fall

Answer 1

1987 stock market crash after ‘Big Bang’ rescued by Lawson Boom but caused BoP problem and inflation was 10.9% by 1990.

Question 2

List some political reasons for Thatcher’s fall

Answer 2

Many Conservative MPs feared defeat after loss of ultra-safe seat Eastbourne to Liberals in Oct 1990 by-election.
Poll tax, advised to drop it and popularity fell after March 1990 riots.
Divisions in Tory party compared to Kinnock and Smith unity.
Howe’s resignation, Heseltine leadership challenge

Question 3

When was poll tax scrapped?
What had been lost and what had been gained?

Answer 3

November 1991 moved to council tax.
Lost £1.5bn but allowed Major to blame Thatcher for Poll Tax.

Question 4

Why did Major win the 1992 election?

Answer 4

Called at last possible moment. Were down in opinion polls (29% to Labour’s 41%) but Major ran good campaign, ‘soapbox’ eg. Luton. Many did not feel Labour had reformed enough.

Question 5

What economic problems did Major face before the 1992 election?

Answer 5

Unemployment up from 1.6m in 1991 to 2.6m in 1992. Negative equity, many homes repossessed including traditional Tory voters, high public spending before election meant borrowing for transport subsidies and NHS.

Question 6

When did Britain join ERM?
When was Black Wednesday?
How did the Chancellor try and combat it?

Answer 6

Joined in 1990
16th September 1992 was Black Wednesday.
Lamont increased interest rates from 10%, to 12%, to 15% but ended up announcing decision to leave ERM live on TV.

Question 7

What were the effects of Black Wednesday?

Answer 7

Ruined Conservative’s reputation for being good at managing the economy.
Economic benefits though, stopped high interest rates that were protecting sterling, and helped exports as exchange rate went down. Unemployment slowed and the housing market went up.

Question 8

What scandals damaged the reputation of Major’s government?

Answer 8

More than a dozen sex scandals involving MPs having extramarital affairs including two cabinet ministers, David Mellor and Tim Yeo, both forced to resign.

Question 9

What corruption scandals damaged the reputation of Major’s government?

Answer 9

1994 Scott Enquiry investigated illegal arms dealing, government ministers had broken rules and been ‘economical with the truth’ when letting Matrix Churchill supply arms to Iraq. Leading Conservatives, Jeffrey Archer and Jonathan Aitken convicted of perjury. ‘Cash for questions’ kept in news until 1997 election (Neil Hamilton accepted money for lobbying).

Question 10

What satire damaged the reputation of Major’s government?

Answer 10

Satire, Private Eye had the Adrian Mole spoof The Secret Diary of John Major aged 47 and three-quarters. Spitting Image as boring. Image of Major as well meaning but inadequate leader.

Question 11

What evidences the continuation of privatisation?

Answer 11

Coal in 1994, rail in 1996 and attempt to privatise Post Office but stopped due to public concern

Question 12

What was set up to help fund infrastructure improvements?

Answer 12

Private Finance Initiative (PFI) were private-public partnerships meant private companies would fund infrastructure improvements and deliver services that the State would pay over length of contract.

Question 13

What was ridiculed by satire in 1991 but had good intentions?

Answer 13

Citizen’s Charter in 1991 attempted to give public service users more power over quality of services by providing more info on standards to expect. More testing and schools publish results. ‘Cones hotline’- a phone number motorists could call if motorway lanes were closed with no sign of roadworks- became satire target.

Question 14

What was the governments action towards mining?

Answer 14

Pit closures. 1991 Heseltine announced 31 more closures including Nottinghamshire, loyal during 1984 strike. Short term U-turn.

Question 15

What crisis meant that British beef was banned in Europe?

Answer 15

BSE crisis, ‘mad cow disease’. Identified in 1980s, but considered threat to humans in 1996.

Question 16

What policy towards NI was widely criticised?

Answer 16

‘Shoot to kill’ under scrutiny after 3 IRA members killed by SAS in 1988 and high profile miscarriages of justice eg. Birmingham Six and Guildford Four.

Question 17

What political breakthrough was achieved by Major towards Northern Ireland?
What did it lead to and when was this broken?

Answer 17

Downing Street Declaration in 1993 with Taoiseach Reynolds.
IRA ceasefire in 1994 but Canary Wharf and Manchester bombed in 1996

Question 18

Why did Thatcher’s chancellor Lawson resign?

Answer 18

1989 after use of Alan Walters as economic advisor.

Question 19

What did Howe say in his resignation speech?

Answer 19

He said that Thatcher’s undermining of ministers was ‘rather like sending your opening batsmen to the crease, only for them to find, as the first balls are being bowled, that their bats have been broken before the game by the team captain’.

Question 20

How did major respond to press speculation on leadership challenges?

Answer 20

By summer 1995, Major called leadership election, ‘put up or shut up’. He won decisively against Redwood with no need for a second ballot, but 89 MPs had voted against him with a small government majority.

Question 21

How did Thatcher’s influence not help Major?

Answer 21

Encouraged Eurosceptic rebels by demanding European referendum. Memoirs, published just after party conference in 1993 were not enthusiastic about Major and supported Redwood in leadership challenge.

Question 22

What did Major’s social campaign call for and what was it called?

Answer 22

Back to Basics called for a return to self discipline, respect for the law, personal responsibility

Question 23

What evidences the social conservatism of Thatcherism?

Answer 23

Changes in attitudes to homosexuality. Section 28 banned promotion of homosexuality by local authorities in 1988.

Question 24

What evidences negative attitudes towards homosexuality in the 1980s? What helped?

Answer 24

Response to AIDS, referred to as ‘gay plague’ in press. Diana challenged prejudices by shaking hands with AIDS patient, helped destigmatise.

Question 25

Examples of pressure groups
Results of pressure?

Answer 25

Outrage! and Stonewall- backed cases in European Court of Human Rights challenging unequal age of consent and ban on homosexuals in the armed forces.
Reduction in age of consent from 21 to 18 for gay men in 1994

Question 26

Campaigners in the 1990s and results?

Answer 26

Family campaigners as divorces hit record highs. Child Support Agency set up in 1993 to ensure absent parents paid maintenance for their children.

Question 27

Moral panics in 1980s and results?

Answer 27

Mary Whitehouse continued her Clean Up TV campaign. Influenced passing of Video Recording Act in 1994 which ensured all videos had British film classifications.

Question 28

What evidences changing attitudes towards the royal family?

Answer 28

Queen had to pay tax on income after pressure and reduction in civil list.
Revelations about Princess of Wales treatment by royal family, car crash in 1997 (queen accused of not caring whilst the public was in mourning)

Question 29

What young art movement was set up and who was part of it?

Answer 29

The Young British Artists led by Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas and Tracey Emin

Question 30

What did youth culture involve in the 1980s?

Answer 30

‘Acid house’ (psychedelic dance music), 1988-89 ‘Second summer of love’ with raves and free parties, linked to esctasy.

Question 31

Laws in response to raves and parties?

Answer 31

Criminal Justice and Public Order Act in 1994 giving police more powers to break up free parties.

Question 32

What environmental protests involved innovative direct action?

Answer 32

Environmental protests over road developments, eg. Twyford Down M3 in 1992, M11 link road.
Innovative direct action to delay or block road work like climbing and chaining themselves to trees which were due to be uprooted, and building tunnels and living underground.

Question 33

What did ‘third wave feminism’ involve?

Answer 33

Legal and financial equalities, more emphasis on breaking down stereotypes. Riot Grrl movement, ‘girl power’ with the Spice Girls. Ladette culture with Zoe Ball, talking about sex and drinking like men did.
First female speaker in commons, Betty Boorhroyd. First female head of MI5, Stella Rimmington in 1992.
Ordination of priests in 1994. Rape in marriage criminal.

Question 34

What progress had been made?

Answer 34

By 1996, 50% employees were women but pay remained 80% men’s earnings.
Married women taxed separately to husbands for first time.

Question 35

In the 1987 election, …. non-white MPs elected.

Answer 35

4 (first since the 1920s)

Question 36

What report concluded that the Met polic was incompetent and ‘institutionally racist’?

Answer 36

The MacPherson report after police investigations into Stephen Lawrence’s murder in 1993 were widely criticised.

Question 37

There was an increase in asylum seekers in the 1990s from where?

Answer 37

Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq

Question 38

When did Thatcher warn against federalism in the EEC?

Answer 38

Bruges Speech 1988, emphasised that EEC was a trade association. Infuriated other European leaders but encouraged Eurosceptics at home (papers, The Sun ‘Up Yours Delors’)

Question 39

What did Major achieve in Europe?

Answer 39

Maastricht Treaty in 1992, became EU and single currency set up. Major managed to opt out of single currency and the Social Chapter.

Question 40

What was the reception of Maastricht within the Conservative Party?

Answer 40

Ratified in parliament after 18 months (Major had to threaten vote of no confidence and general election)

Question 41

Why was Thatcher not invited to the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1999?

Answer 41

She had opposed German reunification

Question 42

Which war was in the Middle East and what was Britain’s response?

Answer 42

Saddam Hussein (Iraq president) sent forces into Kawait in Aug 1990. In 1991, UN and US coalition expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Question 43

In the Balkans, where did war break out in 1992?

Answer 43

Bosnia. Muslim population driven out by violent ‘ethnic cleansing’ by Bosnian-Serb paramilitaries.

Question 44

What was Major’s response to the Balkans?

Answer 44

Hosted joint EU UN conference in London in Aug 1992, helped put a EU peacekeeping force in place. Vance Owen plan set out framework for lasting settlement.

Question 45

What happened in 1995?
What did this cause?

Answer 45

Srebrenica massacre in July 1995 (peacekeeping force ordered not to intervene, 7000 Bosnian men and boys massacred)
President Clinton convinced to intervene and air strikes on Serb forces led to peace agreement in Dec 1995.

Question 46

How long was Sarajevo under seige?

Answer 46

3 years