Class notes
Thatcher and Society
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Summarised notes on how society developed during Thatcher's premiership, including the Yuppies, regional divisions, racial divisions and class divisions and gay stigma.
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Thatcher and SocietyCreated @November 12, 2022 8:40 PM
Topic Society
Gov and PM Conservatives Thatcher
Type Classwork Homework
The rising of the new Yuppie Class
Regional Divisions in the country
In England the term North-South divide refers to the cultureal,
economic and social differences between:
- Southern England: the South East and South West, including
Greater London and the East of England.
- Northern England: the North East, Yorkshire and the HUmber
and the Nosrth West including Merseyside and Greater
Manchester.
The cultural, economic, and social differences between the north and the south are
reflected in English politics. Between the early 20th century and 2019, The Labour
Party was the dominant political party in the north, and The Conservative Party was
dominant in the south.
Industrial decline is most usually given as an explanation for the north–south divide.
During the Industrial Revolution, many northern cities underwent a process of
intense industrialisation, as raw materials such as coal and iron ore could be found
in these areas. This led to comparatively high wealth; Shaw, Greater Manchester
reportedly had the highest concentration of millionaires in the country at the time. It
also led to heavy reliance on a few key industries and, as heavy industry began to
leave the UK for developing countries under the 'New international division of
Thatcher and Society 1
, Labour', these areas declined rapidly. Events like the UK miners' strike (1984–85)
polarised public opinion and led to an increase in the divide.
Racial divisions in Britain - repeal of the Sus. Law
In 1978, while still leader of the opposition, Thatcher told ITV's World In Action that
"People [in Britain] are rather afraid that this country might be swamped by people
with a different culture", which was seen as politicising the issue of race in UK
politics. In 2014, the then Defence Secretary Michael Fallon apologised for saying
that British towns were being "swamped" and "under siege [with] large numbers of
migrant workers and people claiming benefits"; these comments were likened by
freelance writer Stuart Jeffries in The Guardian to Thatcher and Enoch Powell's
rhetoric.
💡 The sus law(from "suspected person") was a stop and search law that
permitted a police officer to stop, search and potentially arrest people on
suspicion of them being in breach of section 4 of the Vagrancy Act 1824.
The law caused much discontent among certain sections of the
population, particularly black and ethnic minorities, against whom the law
was particularly targeted by the police. The sus law had attracted
considerable controversy prior to the early 1980s
Race riots occurred in Thatcher's Britain, such as those in St. Paul's
(1980), Brixton and Toxteth (1981) and Tottenham (1985), which brought heightened
political saliency to the 'race issue' in British politics. It is commonly assumed that
the Conservative Party under Thatcher had adopted a strong assimilationist stance
and was hostile to the concept of multiculturalism.
St Pauls Riot:
It occurred in St Pauls, Bristol, England on 2 April 1980
when police raided the Black and White Café on Grosvenor
Road in the heart of the area. After several hours of disturbance
in which fire engines and police cars were damaged, 130 people
Thatcher and Society 2
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