History: Protest (Miner's strike)

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How much money did the miner's strike cost the UK government?
£3 Billion (in 1984), £8,624,271,000 in 2013.
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How many miners went on stirke when it was first called?
187,000 miners
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Who led the miners' strike on behalf of the NUM?
Arthur Scargill
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What does the NUM stand for?
National Union of Mineworkers.
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How long did the miners strike last?
Just under 1 year (6th march 1984 to 3rd march 1985).
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Why did the previous strike by mineworkers succeed in it's attempt to bring down the Tory government?
Happened when British coal was essential to the country's industry, government could not get enough coal to power stations, other unions supported the miners, demand for coal was high as it was winter, no stockpile of coal.
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Who was the Prime Minister and head of the Tory party during the 1984-85 miner's strike?
Margaret Thatcher
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Which war in the 1980's increased the authority of Thatcher's government?
Falkland's war
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How long did the Falklands war last?
74 days
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In what year was Thatcher's Tory government re-elected?
1983
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Why was the British coal industry in decline in the early 1980's?
Cheaper to use oil, gas or coal from other countries, high wages for british labour, so mines were classed as "uneconomic".
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On march 1st 1984, how many coal pits did the government anounce it was intending to close?
20 pits.
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How many jobs would be lost by these pit closures?
20,000 jobs.
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Which pit was the first to close?
Cortonwood Colliery, South Yorkshire.
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Why were Thatcher's government determined to defeat the miners?
They were bitter about the downfall of the Tory government after the miner's strike in the 1970's, and wanted to end the power of the unions.
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Why did some people (including the Tory government) see the miner's strike as illegal?
No national ballot was taken, so under recent laws it was illegal.
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How did some miner's see Arthur Scargill's approach to not taking a national ballot?
They saw Scargill's tactic as "undemocratic".
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How did Arthur Scargill portray the strike to gain followers?
As a "fight for survival".
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List some of the miner's tactics.
National strike called, portayed the strike as a fight for survival, "flying pickets", use of the media to portray the government as bullies, posters, badges and leaflets, mining communities pulled together to support each other financially.
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List some of the government's tactics.
New laws passed reducing trade union rights, stockpiled coal to last two years, converted some power stations to use oil and gas, declared the strike illegal, kept some pits and jobs safe (divide and conquer), use of BBC and police.
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Who generally had more support during the 1984/5 strike?
The government.
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Which newspapers took the side of the government during the strike?
Daily Mail, The Sun, Daily Mirror.
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Which newspapers took the side of the miners during the strike?
Morning star, Socialist Worker.
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Which famous "battle" took place on the 18th June 1984?
"The battle of Orgreave."
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Where did the battle of Orgreave take place?
Ogreave coking plant, South Yorkshire.
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How did the television coverage shown by the BBC portray the miners?
Violent, starting the fight with the miners hurling objects such as bottles and bricks at them before they finally retaliated and charged.
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What actually happened between the miners and the police at the battle of Orgreave?
BBC reversed the footage: Police actually charged the peaceful miners first, before the miners threw objects at them.
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How did this coverage affect public opinion of the miners?
Many union leaders and politicians criticized the miners behaviour, huge loss of support that the miners never fully recovered from. NUM called off further mass pickets soon after.
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How did the financial cost of the strike affect the miners and their families?
Families of striking miners were not entitled to state benefits, which forced the majority of families involved to rely on handouts and charity. Poverty and hunger was rife in the mining heartlands, such as Wales and the north east.
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How did mining communities react to someone returning to work at their pit?
Shunned by the community, called a "scab", sometimes even physically abused.
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What did the miners families do to help other families survive during the strike?
Set up support groups, which then set up communal kitchens and organised fundraising events to support these families.
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What was the overall outcome of the strike?
The Tory government destroyed the strike and it's supporters, and sold off (privatised) most pits.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

How many miners went on stirke when it was first called?

Back

187,000 miners

Card 3

Front

Who led the miners' strike on behalf of the NUM?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What does the NUM stand for?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

How long did the miners strike last?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

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