Britain’s Conservative Party 1979-1997

1. Britain’s Conservative Party1979-1997

2. Origins Legislation THEConservatives Margaret Thatcher’s Biography John Major’s Biography Foreign Policy Social Movements Economy Bibliography

3. Origins • The Conservative Party is a party that stands for social stability and the rights of property. • Between 1783 and 1830, the Tory faction had a secure hold on government, experienced collapse and disunity, and then came back on top in the 1840s. • The Conservative Party suffered defeat in 1880 but from 1886-1906, it had its first period of dominance, becoming a national presence with an appeal to all communities.

4. Margaret Thatcher • Thatcher was born in 1925 to a shopkeeper. • She studied chemistry and law at Oxford. Then at age 34, she landed a place in Parliament. • By the mid-1970s, the Tories were tired of statism’s ineffectuality and appointed Thatcher prime minister in hopes that she would make the promised changes for free markets, against out-of-control trade unions, and cut out inefficient programs.

5. Margaret Thatcher • Thatcher began her first term in office by cutting taxes, privatizing state industries and state housing, shrinking the welfare state, demanding accountability, and reducing crime. • Thatcher handled problems with a pragmatic yet optimistic approach. • She has been criticized for being too tough, but many have praised her for saving Britain from its former status as the “sick man of Europe.”

6. John Major • John Major grew up in a poor city called Brixton where his family was forced to move after the failure of his father’s business. • His political career began as a Conservative councilor in the London borough of Lambeth. • Major ran for Prime Minister in 1990 and won with the support of Margaret Thatcher. He was the youngest Prime Minister in over a century.

7. John Major • Major’s style was calm and down-to-earth compared to Margaret Thatcher’s assertiveness. • The Conservatives were defeated by Labor Party in the 1997 General Election, and John Major resigned as leader, having been PM for seven of the Conservative’s eighteen consecutive years in power.

8. Legislation Thatcher • The Anglo-Irish agreement was reached on November 15th, 1985. This gave the Irish government an advisory role in the government of Northern Ireland. While it was far from giving Ireland full independence, it certainly was a good first step in that direction. • In 1986, Thatcher dissolved the Greater London Council and six Metropolitan City Councils. • In 1988, Section 28 of Local Government Act 1988 was passed • During her third term, she supported welfare reforms that established programs for adult Employment Training.

9. Legislation Early into John Major’s first term, he got rid of the controversial poll tax, or community charge. During Major’s premiership, the Maastricht Treaty was ratified. This was one of the major pieces of legislation leading up to the establishment of the EU. Major engineered the “Downing Street Declaration” and the “Joint Frameworks Document,” which were instrumental in the eventual ratification of the Good Friday Agreement, which granted independence to Northern Ireland, which formerly was under the control of Britain. Major

10. Foreign Policy Thatcher • She was even given the name “Iron Lady”by the Soviet Union press and she actually chose to go by it because it demonstrated her assertiveness and endurance in the face of hardships • Thatcher and President Reagan were “ideological soul mates” in both domestic and foreign policy, which yielded strong transatlantic collaboration between the United States and Britain, especially concerning issues pertaining to the Soviet Union. • She forwarded this message to Reagan, who felt that the Soviet Union was an “Evil Empire.”

11. Foreign Policy Major • In 1989 he served as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Minister of Oversea Development. • Ironically, he was not considered a great person for foreign policy. • He had to deal with an international crisis when Iraq raided Kuwait. • He created the Northern Ireland Peace Process in the early 1990s and agreed to the Downing Street Declaration and Joint Frameworks Document with succeeding Irish prime ministers. These helped form the necessary building blocks for the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

12. Social Movements • Women’s Movement • - WWI advanced movement because female workers were needed in heavy industry • - Waves of feminism • - Third wave feminism in the 1990’s • Social Effects of the Conservative Movement • - Industrial production decreased • - An increase in unemployment • - Highest poverty rate in Europe in 1997

13. Economy Thatcher • THATCHERISM, or “free-market” policy. She decreased the power and influence of the government in the economy as much as she could. • This laissez-faire policy supported privatization of public industry, reductions in tax and manipulation of money supply to reduce inflation. • Some people do not consider Thatcherism an ideology, while other people do. Either way, this policy helped Britain get out of a severe economic recession.

14. Economy Major • BLACK WEDNESDAY (1992)- On September 16, 1992, Britain lost 3.4 billion British pounds in one day. Britain was forced to withdraw its monetary currency (pound) from the EUROPEAN EXCHANGE RATE MECHANISM (ERM). • Britain set interest rates based only on internal needs, not considering that in this way there could have been inflation.

15. Bibliography Pictures: • Google. http://images.google.com/imghp?tab=wi: • http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/311372.jpg • http://chameleonsonbicycles.files.wordpress.com/2006/05/uk-flag.jpg • http://s94595245.onlinehome.us/archives/the%20conservative%20journalist.jpg • http://www.poster.net/thatcher-margaret/thatcher-margaret-photo-margaret-thatcher-6230207.jpg • http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=8298&rendTypeId=4 • http://www.nndb.com/people/140/000023071/thatcher-1-sized.jpg • http://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/2004%20archive/120204/images120204/major2.jpg • http://asem.inter.net.th/asem-info/uk/leader_full.jpg • http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=2274&rendTypeId=4

16. Euro Glossary. “Maastricht Treaty.” BBC News. 30 April 2001. BBC. 21 October 2007. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/europe/euro-glossary/1216944.stm> • British Government. “John Major 1990-97 Conservative”.10 Downing Street. Prime Minister's Office.18 October 2007. <http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/page125.asp> • -eff Fallis. “Biography for John Major”. Internet movie Database Inc. 21 October 2007. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0538196/bio> • Kennedy, Bruce. "Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister." CNN Interactive, Cold War. 18 Oct. 2007 <http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/kbank/profiles/thatcher/ • "John Major, 1990-1997, Conservative." 10 Downing Street. 18 Oct. 2007 <http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/page125.asp>. • Ball, Stuart. "A Brief History of the Conservative Party." Conservatives. School of Historical Studies, University of Leicester. <http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=party.history.page>. • "Speeches, Interviews, & Other Statements." Margaret Thatcher Foundation. 2007. 20 Oct. 2007 <http://www.margaretthatcher.org/speeches/default.asp>. • "Quote Collections of Margaret Thatcher." Quotes and Poems. 2003-2007. 21 Oct. 2007 <http://www.quotesandpoem.com/quotes/listquotes/author/Margaret-Thatcher/0>. Bibliography