Making of Modern Britain Facts

Night of Long Knives

1962 cabinet reshuffle, weakened Macmillian

Profumo Affair

1963 scandal involving John Profumo and Christine Keeler

Post-war boom

Period of economic growth after WWII

Beeching Report

1963 cut public expenditure, including 30% of rail

Bank rate

Lowered in 1963, causing 2% growth increase

Balance of payments crisis

Occurred in 1957

Clean Air Act

1956 legislation to reduce smog

First motorway

Built in 1958

Teddy boys

Inspired by Edwardian fashion

Mods vs Rockers

Clashes in 1964 at Margate and Brighton

Commonwealth Immigration Act

Enacted in 1962, limiting immigrants from certain areas

Notting Hill Riots

Aug. 1958 racial violence incident

British A-Bomb

Developed in 1952

Decolonization

Process of granting independence to colonies

Suez Crisis

1956 conflict over the Suez Canal

EEC Application

Applied in 1961, rejected in 1963 by France

EFTA

Formed in 1959

Korean War

1950-53 conflict involving Britain

Second Wave Feminism

Movement for women's rights in the 1960s

Open University

Established in 1969 with 70k students by 1980

Permissive society

Era of liberal social attitudes

Death penalty abolition

1965 legislation

Abortion Act

Passed in 1967

Equal Pay Act

Enacted in 1970, fully established by 1975

Bloody Sunday

13 civilians killed by British Army in 1972

Sunningdale Agreement

1973 agreement for proportional representation and power-sharing in Ireland

National Enterprise Board

Established in 1974 to nationalize industries like British Leyland

Healey's Budget

Raised taxes and cut public spending in 1975

IMF Loan

£3 billion loan in 1976 to address balance of payments issues

North Sea Oil Fields

Discovered in 1978, aiding the economy

Devolution

Lib-Lab pact in 1977 promised devolution vote for Scotland and Wales

Race Relations Act

Legislation to address racial discrimination

Rock Against Racism

1978 concert promoting racial harmony

Winter of Discontent

1978-79 period of strikes and unrest in the UK

National Front

Far-right party with 20k members in 1976

Thatcherism

Policies of Margaret Thatcher, 1979-1987

SDP Formation

Gang of Four split from Labour in 1981 to form the SDP

Monetarism

Policy to limit money circulation to control inflation

Privatization

Selling state-owned assets to private entities

Deregulation

Removing restrictions to promote economic growth

Poll Tax

Thatcher's tax based on local council spending

Council Homes

Thatcher's push for council home ownership

Westland Affair

Controversy over a UK helicopter manufacturer in 1986

Falklands War

1982 conflict between UK and Argentina

Hunger Strikers

10 IRA members died in prison protests in 1980-81

Brighton Bomb

Failed assassination attempt on Thatcher in 1984

Channel Tunnel

Construction began in 1986 to link UK and France

Single European Act

Negotiated in 1986 for European integration

Heseltine resignation

Resignation over US takeover concerns of helicopter company

Reykjavik summit

1986 meeting between Thatcher and Gorbachev, pivotal for 1987 disarmament treaty

Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

1987 agreement for mutual disarmament

Thatcher-Reagan relationship

Close ties, UK air base use for Libya bombing, UK unaware of Grenada invasion

1987 General Election

Results: 376 (-21) vs 229 (+20), Kinnock stabilizes party

1992 General Election

Results: 336 (-40) vs 271 (+42), Kinnock's unpopularity, Major's win

Tory sleaze

Scandals, resignations, arms smuggling inquiry, taxpayer money misuse

Major's 1995 leadership reelection

Reelected as Tory leader

1992 ERM Crisis

European Exchange Rate Mechanism crisis leading to recession

Mad Cow Disease

1996 crisis with European ban on British beef

Social liberalism

Changes in gay age of consent, civil list, anti-establishment culture

Race and immigration

Events like Stephen Lawrence murder, Salman Rushdie controversy

Women's rights

Pay gap, women priests ordination, marital rape criminalization

Northern Ireland conflicts

Various bombings, 'shot to kill' policy criticism, wrongful accusations

IRA ceasefire

1996 event with loyalists also ceasing fire

Canary Wharf bombing

1996 attack in London financial district

Manchester City Centre bombing

1996 bombing in Manchester

Bruges Speech

Delivered in 1988 about Europe

Maastricht Treaty

Signed in 1992, ratified in UK in 1993

Vance-Owen Plan

Proposed in 1992 for Balkan peace

Srebrenica Massacre

1995 killing of 7000 men and boys

Cold War aftermath

Changes post-USSR and communism fall

New Labour Era

1997-2007 period under Labour governance

John Smith

Made Labour seem economically trustworthy

William Hague

Conservative leader 1997-2001

Iain Duncan Smith

Conservative leader 2001-2003

Michael Howard

Conservative leader 2003-2005

David Cameron

Conservative leader 2005-2016

Bank of England independence

Implemented in 1998

Private Finance Initiative

Introduced for public projects

Brown's Bottom

Sale of gold reserves at record low in 1999 and 2002

Equalization of age of consent

Applied to all sexual orientations in 2000

Section 28 repeal

1998 removal of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation

Civil Partnerships

Legalized in 2004 for same-sex couples

Human Rights Act 1998

Introduced in the UK

National Minimum Wage

Implemented in 1998

NEETs

Youth not in employment, education, or training

Anti-Social Behavior Orders

Introduced in 1998 to tackle behavior issues

Good Friday Agreement

Peace deal in Northern Ireland in 1998

Treaty of Lisbon

Agreement in 2007 to improve EU constitution

War on Terror

Response to 9/11 attacks, includes Afghanistan and Iraq invasions