A-Level History: Thatcher to Blair, 1979–2007

This material covers British history from Margaret Thatcher's first election victory in May 1979 to Tony Blair's resignation in June 2007, the second half of the modern Britain depth studies (for example AQA's 'The Making of Modern Britain, 1951–2007'). It follows on from the category's material on post-war Britain, 1951–79.

The Thatcher years are covered through the economic strategy and its early costs (monetarism, Howe's 1981 budget, unemployment above three million), the Falklands War and its political effect, privatisation and 'popular capitalism', council-house sales, the miners' strike of 1984–85 and why the miners lost, financial deregulation in the Big Bang, and the Community Charge. Her fall is examined in precise detail, down to the leadership rules that turned a first-ballot lead into defeat. The split in the Labour Party, the founding of the SDP and the Alliance's 1983 result explain why the opposition could not win. The Major years are covered through the Exchange Rate Mechanism and Black Wednesday, Maastricht and the party's divisions over Europe, and the start of the Northern Ireland peace process. The New Labour years are covered through the rewriting of Clause IV, Bank of England independence, devolution in Scotland and Wales, the Human Rights Act, the Good Friday Agreement and the minimum wage, with the Iraq War in the written tasks.

The quiz combines chronology questions, multiple-answer questions testing exact results and dates, and short scenarios such as the 'Tell Sid' advertisements or the evening of Black Wednesday. The flashcards fix the key terms and dates. The written work sets eight explanation and essay-style tasks, for example on why the miners' strike failed or how far New Labour continued Thatcherism, each with a reference answer and key points. The oral exam asks you to argue a case aloud, one question at a time, and ends with brief feedback.

The material is based on the content common to the modern British history options of the A level History specifications; the date ranges and emphases of individual papers differ, so check your own specification.

• Explain the aims and early results of Thatcher's economic policy
• Assess why the miners' strike of 1984–85 failed
• Explain the reasons for Thatcher's fall in November 1990
• Explain the impact of Black Wednesday and Europe on the Major government
• Describe New Labour's constitutional and economic reforms, 1997–2007
• Assess how far New Labour continued or reversed Thatcherism

Practice material written by Zestly, based on the modern British history content of the A level History specifications (for example AQA 2S, The Making of Modern Britain, 1951–2007), period 1979–2007.