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Summary A* notes for chapter 6 of OCR A Level History: Britain 1930–1997
A* notes for chapter 6 of OCR A Level History: Britain 1930–1997. Written by a Cambridge student.
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Thatcher and the end of theConsensus - Chapter 6
Chapter 4: The Thatcher revolution 1979-90
1) Thatcherism: the first stage
Thatcherism pg 117
Ending the post-war consensus pg 118
Mrs Thatcher’s economic revolution pg 120
Monetarism pg 120
Social unrest pg 121
2) The Falklands War 1982
The Anglo-Argentinian dispute pg 122-123
The conflict, April to June 1982, pg 124-125
Political benefits for Thatcher (1983 election), pg 125
3) Miners’ strike 1984-5
Crisis in the coal industry pg 126 – 127
The gov’s case for pit closures 127
The miners’ case against closures 127
Development of the dispute 127-8
Reasons for the strike’s failure 128-9
Impact of the miners’ strike 129-30
4) Thatcherism: the second stage
Supply-side economics 131
Deregulation 131
Housing: the ‘right to buy’ 131 -2
,Chapter 6
Privatisation 132
North Sea Oil 132-3
Debate over deregulation and privatisation 133-4
Taxation under Thatcher 134-5
The Westland affair 1986, 135
1987 election pg 136
Local gov. Reforms pg 137
Eduction pg 137
Poll tax 1989-90 pg 137-8
‘One nation Conservatives’ pg 138
Opposition spreads pg 139
5) Foreign affairs and Ireland
Mrs Thatcher and Europe 140-1
Issue of federalism 141
Britian and the EEC budget 141
Single European Act 1986 142-3
Exchange Rate Mechanism pg 143
Howes resignation speech pg 143
Mrs Thatcher: the Iron Lady pg 146
Mrs Thatcher and Ronald Reagan pg 146
Mrs Thatcher and Ireland pg 147-8
Death of Bobby sands pg 148
Brighton bombing pg 148
Anglo Irish agreement pg 149
6) Labour Party during the Thatcher years
Labour’s problems pg 151-2
Labour left 152
Social Democratic Party 152
1983 general election 153
Kinnocks reforms 153-4
CHAPTER 5: From Thatcherism to New Labour
1) The fall of Margaret thatcher
Leadership contest, 158
Key dates
1979 – thatcher came to power
1980 – monetarism adopted
1981 – riots in a number of cities + serious slump
1982 – Falklands war
1983 - thatcher’s second election victory + kinnock becomes head of Labour party
1984-5 – miners strike
1984 – IRA bombing in Brighton
1985 – riots in major cities
1985 – kinnock’s key speech at Labour Party conference
1986 – Westland affair + supply – side economics adopted + single European act
1987 - thatcher’s third election victory
1988 - thatcher’s Bruges speech
1989 – leadership challenge of Anthony Meyer defeated
1990 – poll tax crisis + uk joined erm + Lawson and Howe resignations
,Chapter 6
Thatcher and the end of the Consensus, 1979-1997
Thatcher:
Born the daughter of a grocer in Grantham
Read Chemistry and law at Oxford
First woman as PM
Held office 1979-1990
As a populist, she claimed to have a special understanding of ordinary people that bypassed
party policies (result of her ‘poor’ background)
Wanted to rescue the power of the state, lessen gov interference
Why did Thatcher win three General Elections in a row?
ESSAY PLAN
Why did Thatcher win three general elections in a row?
->Thatcher's personality
May 1979:
-She would be 1st female PM in GB
-The Conservatives media campaign was excellent
Thatcher worked particularly hard to provide the media with photo-opportunities,
whether it was by swinging her shopping basket, drinking tea in a factory or cuddling
a new-born calf
June 1983:
-Decisive leadership during Falklands 1982 - many admired the resolution & skill she
had displayed
June 1987:
-Thatcher seemed to be the stronger leader, with a very firm hold over her
colleagues
-Thatcher had a growing international reputation - Ronald Reagan (USA) & Thatcher
shared a warm friendship & agreed about most policy issues
-Eg: April 1986 USA were allowed to use GB based F111s to bomb Libya in retaliation
for terrorist actions against US targets
, Chapter 6
->Popular policies/actions/events
May 1979:
-Election campaign:
brought a new attitude to government based on very firm beliefs in reducing state
intervention & promoting private enterprise
-High on principal, but light on specific commitments
-The manifesto did, however, promise to reduce government spending, to toughen
rules regarding trade unions, and to control the money supply (monetarism)
-The Tories as the party of Law and Order, offering Britain a new start after a
prolonged period of chaos amounting to anarchy
June 1983:
-Victory in Falklands War 1982 - sign of GB's greater confidence & unity; increased
personal popularity of Thatcher in her own strongholds
June 1987:
-Policies that were popular among key sections of the electorate
-A sense that the economy was doing well
-Gov'ts policies of selling council houses & shares in privatised industries appealed to
many M/C & skilled W/C voters
-These people were either better off, or believed that the gov't supported their
desire to increase their wealth & status
-Unemployment was falling
-The pound was strong
->Weaknesses of Labour
May 1979:
-Callaghan's miscalculations: had had the option of calling an election in the autumn
of 1978, but decided to carry on and face the country after the economy had
improved
Then the Winter of Discontent happened!
-The one 'gaffe' of the campaign came from Sir Harold Wilson - the former Labour
Prime Minister - who conceded in an interview with the Daily Mail that his wife
might vote for the Conservatives, because their leader was a woman!
-40 seats changed hands from Labour to the Cons
-These voters punishing Labour for its perceived failure to deal with inflation,
unemployment & 'over-mighty' TU's
-Depressing scenes of the 'Winter of Discontent'
-Previous decades had created an enlarged M/C who felt increasingly resentful about
strikes & TU power
-Piling up of rubbish during strikes in 1979 seemed symbolic of a decline in standards
June 1983:
-Disastrous split in Labour & selection of Michael Foot as leader in November 1980
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