Winter of Discontent

E632382

The Winter of Discontent was a period of widespread strikes and social unrest in the United Kingdom during the winter of 1978–79, which severely disrupted daily life and undermined confidence in the Labour government.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Winter of Discontent canonical 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf historical event ⓘ
period of industrial unrest ⓘ
cause attempts to control inflation ⓘ
breakdown in negotiations between government and trade unions ⓘ
government pay restraint policies ⓘ
country United Kingdom ⓘ
describedBySource British news media ⓘ
political commentators ⓘ
effect damage to Labour Party’s reputation for economic management ⓘ
decline in public confidence in the Labour government ⓘ
increased support for tighter union legislation ⓘ
political advantage for the Conservative Party ⓘ
severe disruption to daily life in the UK ⓘ
shift in public opinion against trade unions ⓘ
endTime 1979-03 ⓘ
followedBy 1979 United Kingdom general election ⓘ
hasContext IMF crisis and austerity measures of the mid‑1970s ⓘ
high inflation in the 1970s ⓘ
rising unemployment in the UK ⓘ
hasCulturalReference phrase from William Shakespeare’s play Richard III ⓘ
hasParticipant British trade unions ⓘ
Labour government of James Callaghan ⓘ
general public in the United Kingdom ⓘ
private sector workers ⓘ
public sector workers ⓘ
locatedIn England ⓘ
Northern Ireland ⓘ
Scotland ⓘ
Wales ⓘ
mainSubject industrial disputes ⓘ
public sector pay ⓘ
trade union strikes ⓘ
opposedBy business groups in the UK ⓘ
sections of the British public ⓘ
partOf late 1970s economic crisis in the United Kingdom ⓘ
pointInTime winter of 1978–79 ⓘ
significantEvent fuel and supply shortages ⓘ
grave-diggers’ strikes ⓘ
hospital and NHS staff strikes ⓘ
private sector strikes ⓘ
refuse collection stoppages ⓘ
school closures ⓘ
transport disruptions ⓘ
widespread public sector strikes ⓘ
significantOutcome election of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister ⓘ
electoral defeat of the Labour government in 1979 ⓘ
start of long period of Conservative rule from 1979 ⓘ
strengthening of arguments for trade union reform ⓘ
startTime 1978-11 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

post-war Britain → hasPart → Winter of Discontent ⓘ
Callaghan government → notableEvent → Winter of Discontent ⓘ