‘Between 1979 and 1990 British society became more divided and violent.’ Assess the
validity of this view
Divisions in British society and social unrest are both evident during this period. Evidently,
the divide between the north and south of Britain was sharpened as a result of economic
realignment. The gap between the rich and poor also expanded as homelessness and
poverty rose, contrasted with the growth of the ‘yuppie’ image as young men in cities
flashed their wealth. Additionally, a split in the working class appeared between those who
used Thatcher’s ‘Right to buy’ scheme for social mobility and those who fell further into
poverty. Therefore, British society did become ‘more divided’ as both regional and class
divisions increased. Additionally, violence in British society was prevalent in this period with
industrial disputes, the 1981 riots over police discrimination against ethnic minorities and
the 1990 poll tax protests. However, despite the fact violence occurred in this period,
arguably the level of violence in British society stayed the same as before 1979.
The north and south divide became more pronounced as a result of Thatcher’s economic
policies which accelerated economic realignment. Consequently, industries tried to
modernise and mechanise in order to stay competitive, meaning that worker’s with
traditional skills in heavy industry became outdated resulting in unemployment rising
sharply, hitting 3m in 1983. As heavy industry, which was mainly based in the north
contracted, the service industries in the south grew. Therefore, unemployment was most
concentrated in the north with 19.1% unemployed in 1986 and a far lower 10.1% in the
south. This regional division is also evident in the differing average weekly households
income, which in 1985 was £248 in the south east and £173 in the north. Alongside this
division, violence was prevalent in the northern areas most hit by de-industrialisation. The
1981 riots such as Toxteth were identified by the Scarman Report to have been triggered by
poverty as a result of high unemployment. Mining communities particularly suffered,
culminating in the 1984 mining strike developing into violent confrontations between
miners and police. For example, the Battle of Orgreave demonstrated a division between
the police and miners with both sides using violence, resulting in 120 being injured. Division
also arose between Yorkshire miners who went on strike and the Nottingham miners who
chose to continue working. Nottinghamshire became a target for aggressive picketing as
miners on strike tried to stop Nottingham miners from working. However, there is evidence
that the Conservatives tried to mitigate these divisions in society and reduce
unemployment. For example, the Youth employment scheme was created, giving employers
a subsidy if they employed young people under the scheme. National insurance rates were
also reduced for lower paid jobs to encourage job creation. Despite this, the north and
south divide remained pronounced, illustrating that British society did become more
divided.
The gap between… (preview ends)
validity of this view
Divisions in British society and social unrest are both evident during this period. Evidently,
the divide between the north and south of Britain was sharpened as a result of economic
realignment. The gap between the rich and poor also expanded as homelessness and
poverty rose, contrasted with the growth of the ‘yuppie’ image as young men in cities
flashed their wealth. Additionally, a split in the working class appeared between those who
used Thatcher’s ‘Right to buy’ scheme for social mobility and those who fell further into
poverty. Therefore, British society did become ‘more divided’ as both regional and class
divisions increased. Additionally, violence in British society was prevalent in this period with
industrial disputes, the 1981 riots over police discrimination against ethnic minorities and
the 1990 poll tax protests. However, despite the fact violence occurred in this period,
arguably the level of violence in British society stayed the same as before 1979.
The north and south divide became more pronounced as a result of Thatcher’s economic
policies which accelerated economic realignment. Consequently, industries tried to
modernise and mechanise in order to stay competitive, meaning that worker’s with
traditional skills in heavy industry became outdated resulting in unemployment rising
sharply, hitting 3m in 1983. As heavy industry, which was mainly based in the north
contracted, the service industries in the south grew. Therefore, unemployment was most
concentrated in the north with 19.1% unemployed in 1986 and a far lower 10.1% in the
south. This regional division is also evident in the differing average weekly households
income, which in 1985 was £248 in the south east and £173 in the north. Alongside this
division, violence was prevalent in the northern areas most hit by de-industrialisation. The
1981 riots such as Toxteth were identified by the Scarman Report to have been triggered by
poverty as a result of high unemployment. Mining communities particularly suffered,
culminating in the 1984 mining strike developing into violent confrontations between
miners and police. For example, the Battle of Orgreave demonstrated a division between
the police and miners with both sides using violence, resulting in 120 being injured. Division
also arose between Yorkshire miners who went on strike and the Nottingham miners who
chose to continue working. Nottinghamshire became a target for aggressive picketing as
miners on strike tried to stop Nottingham miners from working. However, there is evidence
that the Conservatives tried to mitigate these divisions in society and reduce
unemployment. For example, the Youth employment scheme was created, giving employers
a subsidy if they employed young people under the scheme. National insurance rates were
also reduced for lower paid jobs to encourage job creation. Despite this, the north and
south divide remained pronounced, illustrating that British society did become more
divided.
The gap between… (preview ends)
