general election cases

• Who won the 1979 general election?

  Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher
• What was the majority won by the Conservatives in 1979?

  43
• What factors can explain election results?

  Party policies, political context, campaign strategies
• What does a party's manifesto outline?

  Programme of policies if elected
• Why was the Labour government weak in 1979?

  Lost a vote of no confidence and faced defeats
• What was Jim Callaghan's perceived weakness in 1979?

  Inability to control trade unions
• What event preceded the 1979 election that affected public sentiment?

  The "Winter of Discontent"
• Who were the publicity specialists used by Thatcher in 1979?

  Tim Bell and Gordon Reece
• How did the Conservatives campaign against Labour in 1979?

  By pressuring them over the "Winter of Discontent"
• What was Jim Callaghan's standing in opinion polls compared to Thatcher?

  He was higher than Thatcher
• What was a key feature of both Conservative and Labour manifestos in 1979?

  Both prioritized lowering inflation
• What did Thatcher propose regarding nationalized industries?

  Privatizing them
• Who won the 1997 general election?

  Tony Blair's New Labour
• How many seats did Labour win in 1997?

  418 seats
• What was the Conservatives' vote percentage in 1997?

  30%
• What event damaged the Conservatives' reputation before the 1997 election?

  'Black Wednesday' in 1992
• What was Labour's strategy in the 1997 campaign?

  Targeting marginal seats
• How did Tony Blair's New Labour differ from traditional Labour?

  Moved away from increasing taxes and nationalisation
• What did Labour emphasize to appeal to 'Middle England'?

  Moderate policies
• What was Labour's constitutional reform policy aimed at?

  Appealing to Liberal Democrat voters
• Who formed a coalition after the 2010 election?

  Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats
• How many seats did the Conservative Party win in 2010?

  306 seats
• What economic event influenced the 2010 election?

  The 2008 financial crisis
• Why was Gordon Brown unpopular before the 2010 election?

  For not calling a general election promptly
• What was the public sentiment towards the Conservatives in 2010?

  Voters did not clearly favor them
• What was a significant event during the 2010 campaign?

  Television debates among party leaders
• How did Nick Clegg perform in the 2010 debates?

  He performed particularly well
• What was a notable incident involving Gordon Brown during the 2010 campaign?

  Called a voter a 'bigoted woman'
• What was the focus of the main parties' policies in 2010?

  Reducing the budget deficit
• What did the Conservatives propose regarding budget cuts in 2010?

  Immediate cuts
• How did the Conservatives criticize Labour's economic policy in 2010?

  Claimed it included overspending and poor regulation
• What was the public's view on the Conservatives' approach to Labour's economic policy?

  It was a successful approach