Evans - Thatcher and Thatcherism, 3rd ed

This is the first text in the field and, as a lecturer, I am very grateful for it.

D. Rothewell, University of Edinburgh, UK

This is a startling account of Thatcher which is both analytical and ironic in equal proportions. It provides very useful, balanced accounts.

Mike Owens, University of Derby, UK

An excellent contribution to the continuing debate about this vitally important period.

David Russell, Bolton Institute of Higher Education, USA

This fully revised and updated third edition of Thatcher and Thatcherism examines the origins and impact of Thatcherism as a cultural construct and an economic creed from the 1970s to the formation of a coalition government in 2010.

Focusing on the career of Margaret Thatcher, Eric J. Evans questions both the originality and the ideological coherence of Thatcherism. He argues that Thatcherism was a bold experiment in ideologically driven government, but also that, despite Thatcher's political dominance, it failed to meet its main objectives.

He includes discussion of:

• privatisation policies and the challenge to trade union power;
• how Thatcher changed and controlled the Conservative Party;
• Britain's slow economic decline and Thatcher's attempt to turn Britain around;
• the legacy of the Falklands conflict and Thatcher's approach to Europe;
• the approach to the professional ethic, including education, the civil service and crime;
• the influence of Thatcherism on succeeding governments from Major, through New Labour and down to the CameronClegg coalition.

With comprehensive suggestions for further reading and explanation of the economic, social and historical context of Britain in the late 1970s and 1980s, Thatcher and Thatcherism is an invaluable guide to the complexities and paradoxes of Britain from the late 1970s to the present day.

Eric J. Evans is Emeritus Professor of Modern History at Lancaster University, UK. His many books include Sir Robert Peel: Statesmanship, Power and Party (2nd Edition, 2006); The Forging of the Modern State: Early Industrial Britain, 17831870 (3rd Edition, 2001); The Shaping of Modern Britain: Identity, Industry and Empire, 17801914 (2011).

Edited by Eric J. Evans and Ruth Henig

The Making of the Contemporary World series provides challenging interpretations of contemporary issues and debates within strongly defined historical frameworks. The range of the series is global, with each volume drawing together material from a range of disciplines including economics, politics and sociology. The books in this series present compact, indispensable introductions for students studying the modern world.

Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the Contemporary World
David J. Whittaker

China and the World since 1945
Chi-kwan Mark

China Under Communism
Alan Lawrence

The Cold War
David Painter

Communism and its Collapse
Stephen White

Conflict and Reconciliation in the Contemporary World
David J. Whittaker

Conflicts in the Middle East since 1945
Beverley Milton-Edwards and Peter Hinchcliffe

Decolonization
Raymond Betts

Dividing and Uniting Germany
J. K. A. Thomaneck and Bill Niven

Environmentalism since 1945
Gary Haq and Alistair Paul

The Extreme Right in Western Europe
Paul Hainsworth

Genocide since 1945
Philip Spencer

International Economic Relations since 1945
Catherine R. Schenk

The International Economy since 1945
Sidney Pollard

Islamic Fundamentalism since 1945
Beverley Milton-Edwards

Latin America
John Ward

Pacific Asia
Yumei Zhang

The Soviet Union in World Politics
Geoffrey Roberts

Southern Africa
Jonathan Farley

States and Nationalism in Europe since 1945
Malcolm Anderson

Terrorists and Terrorism in the Contemporary World
David J. Whittaker

Thatcher and Thatcherism
Eric J. Evans

United Nations in the Contemporary World
David J. Whittaker

The Uniting of Europe
Stanley Henig

US Foreign Policy since 1945
Alan P. Dobson and Steve Marsh

Women and Political Power in Europe since 1945
Ruth Henig and Simon Henig

Third edition

Eric J. Evans

Third edition published 2013
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

First edition published 1997 by Routledge
Second edition published 2004 by Routledge

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

1997, 2004, 2013 Eric J. Evans

The right of Eric J. Evans to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Evans, Eric J., 1945
Thatcher and Thatcherism / Eric J Evans. 3rd ed.
p. cm. (The making of the contemporary world)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Thatcher, Margaret. 2. Conservatism Great Britain
History 20th century. 3. Great Britain Politics and government
1979-1997. 4. Conservative Party (Great Britain) 5. World politics
1945-1989. I. Title.
DA591.T47E94 2013
941.0858092 dc23
2012032222

ISBN: 978-0-415-66018-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-66019-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-06689-8 (ebk)

Typeset in Times
by Taylor & Francis Books

When preparing the second edition of this book almost a decade ago, I noted that emphases and judgements about contemporary or near-contemporary figures are liable to alter over comparatively short periods of time. I have, therefore, especially welcomed the opportunity to produce this third edition, not because Margaret Thatcher (who is at the time of writing in poor health) has been politically active during the last decade but because the extent of her overall influence can now be seen in clearer perspective. I endorse the view I took in 2004 that Thatcher was, by some distance, Britain's most influential prime minister in the second half of the twentieth century. I am now in a stronger position to judge her abiding influence in the early part of the twenty-first, both over her successors and internationally. Although even the most powerful political figures cannot determine the course of their country by themselves, a rare few can claim to have contributed to decisive changes that alter the way the world works. It is now clear that, for good or ill, Margaret Thatcher was one of these. To appropriate the title of this series, I think that few now doubt that she has been one of the makers of the contemporary world.