PrepWisePrepWiseThe UK Economy and Regional Change
The Changing Economic WorldCausation

The Deindustrialisation Cause-Chain

Part of The UK Economy and Regional Change — GCSE Geography

This causation covers The Deindustrialisation Cause-Chain within The UK Economy and Regional Change for GCSE Geography. Revise The UK Economy and Regional Change in The Changing Economic World for GCSE Geography with 15 exam-style questions and 20 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 5 of 16 in this topic. Use this causation to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 5 of 16

Practice

15 questions

Recall

20 flashcards

⛓️ The Deindustrialisation Cause-Chain

Here is the full chain of cause and consequence — from the global economic shift to the human impact on communities. In an exam, being able to show these connections earns higher marks than just listing facts.

Global: Cheaper labour in LEDCs/NEEs — wages in South Korea, China, India far below UK levels → factories relocating abroad becomes economically rational for TNCs
UK level: Factory and yard closures — shipyards in Newcastle and Glasgow, steel in Sheffield, coal in South Wales, textiles in Lancashire → mass redundancies in specific regions
Community level: Mass unemployment — in Jarrow, unemployment hit 67% when Palmer's Shipyard closed; similar concentrations in many industrial towns — entire communities without income
Social effects: Deprivation — poverty, poor health, reduced life expectancy, lower educational attainment, crime, family breakdown — all concentrated in the same deindustrialised areas
Long-term effect: Regional inequality — the areas that suffered deindustrialisation have not recovered. GVA (Gross Value Added) per head in the Northeast of England is approximately £23,000; in London it is approximately £57,000
Result today: The North-South divide — a persistent structural gap in wealth, health, opportunity, and life expectancy between regions — not caused by laziness or luck, but by where the Industrial Revolution happened and what was left when it ended

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in The UK Economy and Regional Change. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

What Grew Instead: The Service EconomyThe North-South Divide: Real, Persistent, and MeasurableThe Town That Built Half the World's ShipsThe Four Sectors: How Economies Are Structured

Practice Questions for The UK Economy and Regional Change

Which economic sector makes up approximately 80% of the UK's economy today?

  • A. Primary sector (farming, mining, fishing)
  • B. Secondary sector (manufacturing and construction)
  • C. Tertiary sector (services such as finance, retail and healthcare)
  • D. Quaternary sector (research and knowledge industries)
1 markfoundation

Describe the difference between the tertiary sector and the quaternary sector of the UK economy.

2 marksstandard

Quick Recall Flashcards

What is deindustrialisation?
The decline of traditional manufacturing and heavy industry.
Which sector now dominates the UK economy?
The service sector.

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What Grew Instead: The Service Economy

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The North-South Divide: Real, Persistent, and Measurable