Summary of the section The End of Consensus for AQA: Making of Modern Britain
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Course
British History
Institution
AQA
Book
Oxford AQA History for A Level
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“The Conservative Party was politically successful in the 1980s because of the problems of the Labour Party”. Assess the validity of this view
class notes of Britain 1951-2007 completed notes
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3.1 Heath’s government 1970-1974
Heath as leader
(Oxford p.75-76, Hodder p.76-77)
What new style of the government did Heath try to adopt?
Political and economic policies and industrial relations and the miners' strikes
(Oxford p.76-79, Hodder p.77-81, p.84)
Sources (Oxford p.83): the value of sources to study the Conservative government problems
in 1970-1974
The Industrial Relations Act 1971
what were the considerations behind the Act? Its terms? Effects?
Barber’s measures as the Chancellor of Exchequer
What were Barber’s measures as the Chancellor of Exchequer? Results?
Heath’s U-turn
Why did Heath decide to change his policy?
Problems with the trade unions
How did Heath attempted to solve the problems with the trade unions?
What were the main reasons for trade unions’ discontents?
How did the government react?
The 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland
(Oxford p.80-83, Hodder p.99)
How Heath tried to deal with the growing violence? Was he successful?
Essay Question: Successive British governments were well meaning, but failed to
understand the complexities of Northern Ireland. How far is this view valid from 1969-1979?
Essay question (Oxford p.83): Sunningdale agreement failed because of problems in
mainland Britain. Assess.
3.2 Labour governments of Wilson and Callaghan 1974-1979
Wilson in the office 1974-1976
What were the problems that Wilson’s government met?
,Callaghan in the office 1976-1979
(Oxford p.86, Hodder p.90-91)
what were the hopes for the Callaghan's government?
Political, economic and industrial problems and policies
(Oxford p.84-85)
Economic problems and reforms
what were the attempts to improve the economic without annoying the trade
unions? Were they successful?
IMF crisis 1976
(Hodder p.86)
what were the main reasons/terms/consequences for the IMF loan?
Relations with the trade unions/Industrial relations
(Oxford p.85; Hodder p.87)
How the Labour government managed to appease/deal the trade unions?
Political problems
(Oxford p.86-88)
A vote of No confidence
How was the Labour government challenged in the Cabinet? How did it end?
Devolution
Who were the supporters of the devolution? How did it end?
The winter of discontent
(Hodder p.91)
What and who caused the winter of discontent?
What were the consequences?
The 1979 general election
(Hodder p.92-93)
What triggered the election?
What factors were against the Labour government?
,Problems of Northern Ireland
(Oxford p.89, Hodder p.99-100)
What caused the Sunningdale Agreement Collapse?
How the Labour government tried to deal with the ‘problems’ afterwards?
3.3 Society in the 1970s
(Oxford p.92-99)
Progress of feminism
What were the features of the second wave of the feminism in the UK in the 70s?
What legislation addressed gender inequality and how successful it was?
Race and Immigration
How was the immigration policy tightened?
What factors increased the flow of the immigrants?
How was the discrimination on the basis of race was attempted to be tackled?
What was the reaction of the right wing?
How police’s treatment of ethnic minorities echoed right-wing attitudes?
How was the equality illustrated in local authorities?
What were the social attitudes to ethnic minorities?
Youth
What movements/subcultures emerged in the 1970s?
Environmentalism
What caused the increase in popularity of environmentalism?
What organisations were formed? What were their methods?
In what other ways was the awareness raised?
What political movement was formed?
3.4 Foreign affairs
(Oxford p.100)
Britain’s entry into and relations with Europe
(Hodder p.81-83, p.87-88)
Entry into the EEC in 1973
, What external/internal factors favoured Britain’s entry in the EEC?
What was the contribution of Heath?
What were the difficulties of gaining parliamentary approval?
How the approval to join the EEC was received?
The European referendum
Why the Labour government decided to hold a referendum?
What factors helped the ‘yes’ campaign?
What factors were against the ‘no’ campaign?
What were the results of the referendum and its effects?
The state of the ‘special relationship’ with USA
Essay question: The ‘special relationship’ with the United States of America broke down in
the period 1970 to 1979. Assess the validity.
How the relations with USA worsened during Heath?
What were Wilson’s and Callaghan’s relations with the US?
Attitudes to the USSR and China
(Hodder p.94-95)
What was Britain ruled by in the relations with the USSR and China?
Attitudes to the USSR
What were Britain’s relations with the USSR?
Attitudes to China
What were Britain’s relations with China?
,3.1 Heath’s government
Heath as a leader
What new style of the government did Heath try to adopt?
Similarities to the Wilson’s government:
Following of the progressive policies
Differences:
Intention to break from consensus
‘Selsdon Man’ - a symbolic anti-Keynesian, pro-market individual, sometimes
referred to as ‘new right’
Decision to abandon an incomes policy and instead allow market forces to operate
(see Industrial reactions Act 1971 that was the result)
Political, economic policies and industrial relations and
the miners' strikes
The Industrial Relations Act 1971
What were the considerations behind the Act? Its terms? Effects?
-> aimed to not permit the trade unions to have unfair advantages to allow market forces to
operate (free bargaining between employers and workers)
(Extension of ‘In Place of Strife’)
Restriction of workers to strike by introducing a new concept of ‘unfair industrial
practice’
A National Industrial Relations Court (NICR), with the authority to judge the validity
of strike actions
Unions were required to put themselves on the government register if they wanted
to retain their legal rights
… TUC and CBI* opposed it – trade unions did not register
*CBI – Confederation of British Industry (tended to side with the Conservatives)
-> objective of giving freer rein to market forces
Creation of new department of trade and industry (DTI) with Davies as the leader (director-
general of CBI)
, Advised the government against helping ‘lame ducks’ (companies and businesses
that perform badly, but still use public money)
-> ‘new right’ approach
Barber’s measures as the Chancellor of Exchequer
What were Barber’s measures as the Chancellor of Exchequer? Results?
-> aim to prevent economic problems
Barber boom – tax cuts by 1 million
… led to inflation without economic rise = STAGNATION
Scrapping of the Price and Incomes board
… step away from the consensus
Withdrawal of free milk for school children
… ‘Margaret Thatcher, milk snatcher’
… failure in public relations – ground for Labour’s criticism
… proved Heath’s aim to step away from the consensus
Heath’s U-turn
Why did Heath decide to change his policy?
-> inflation rose by 15% by the end of 1971
-> decline of industrial output
… U-turn – announcement of the return to a policy of controlling prices and incomes:
DCI started helping lame ducks
Nationalisation of Rolls Royce
Problems with the trade unions
How did Heath attempted to solve the problems with the trade unions?
-> appeal to the unions to sit down and solve their common problems with the government
and the CBI
What were the main reasons for trade unions’ discontents?
, Reasons for the unions’ hostility:
- Stagnation of the economy – rise of unemployment
- ‘union bashing’ Industrial Relations Act
Union’s discontent over Industrial Relations Act
Collective rejection of registration demanded by Industrial Relations Act
… made the Cabinet look unrealistic and encouraged the more combative unions to increase
their demands
NUM strike in 1972 led by Scargill
-> join bid to gain a wage increase to highlight the increasing number of pit closures that
threatened its’ members’ livelihood
Flying pickets to prevent the movement of coal
… disruption of fuel and electricity supplies
… reduction in industrial production
How did the government react?
… idea that the government would be able to survive longer than the miners
… introduction of the three-day week in 1973
… ordinary people were left without light and heating for long periods
… eventual pay rise of 21%
… a major defeat for Heath
… government encouraged the usage of industrial actions as political
NUM called a national strike in 1974
-> pursuit of a higher wage demand
… Heath called for the election ‘Who governs Britain?’
The troubles in the Northern Ireland, including the Sunningdale
agreement
How Heath tried to deal with the growing violence? Was he successful?
Internment
-> explosion of sectarian violence (divisions in society based on religion)
… 1971 – Internment (around 2,000 Catholics were arrested and detained without a trial,
compared to 107 Protestants)
Meaning: Heath supported Ulster Unionist Party
… people became radicalised against the British government
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