Product Description

It will, in May 2009, be thirty years since Margaret Thatcher entered Downing Street. Thatcher was the longest serving prime minister of the twentieth-century and her period in government coincided with extraordinary changes in British society and in Britain's place in the world. Thatcher's image permeates, not just discussion of recent British history, but also films and novels -- there has even been a musical based on her career. Curiously, the emphasis on Thatcher as a kind of cultural icon has often gone with a declining interest in the details of what her government did. This book tells the story of Thatcherism for a generation with no personal memories of the 1980s -- as well as for those who want to revisit the polemics of their youth. It aims to describe Thatcherism in a way that is both detached and engaging. Most of all, it seeks to rescue Margaret Thatcher from being seen as John the Baptist for Tony Blair. It stresses that Thatcherism was not a timeless phenomenon that can be traced back into the nineteenth century or transported forward into the twenty-first.It was rooted in the 1970s and 1980s -- a time when the Soviet empire seemed to be expanding and when the British economy seemed to be on its deathbed. Anyone who wants a flavour of the times should recall that Margaret Thatcher received her first ever letter from Ronald Reagan on the day that Saigon fell to the Viet Cong.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7440 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Richard Vinen teaches history at King's College London. His most recent books are A History in Fragments: Europe in the Twentieth Century and The Unfree French: Life under the Occupation. He reviews regularly for the Independent and the Times Literary Supplement. He has also served as historical consultant for the Sun's book of the millenium -- Hold Ye Front Page.

Customer Reviews

Thoroughly engaging read
I really enjoyed this book. As a Thatcher loather I thought it was about time I took a more objective view of her place in our lives and this book has helped me do just that in a broad and intelligent way (a biography would still be too much to stomach). I was in my twenties in the eighties, politically despairing and never really thought about the wider context or cared about how she had got to be where she was. This book has helped me understand the phenomena and made me more objectively alert to the impact that she is still having. I recommend it to anyone who wants to be made to reflect on Thatcher in an accessible and highly readable way.

Highly intelligent, frequently challenges orthodoxy, and a truly entertaining read.
A highly intelligent, humorous and accessible book which challenges several widely held historical orthodoxies and misconceptions about Thatcher. This book is ideal as an introduction to the Thatcher era for students, and is a sparkling contribution to the existing literature on the woman who defined 80s Britain.

Particularly impressive is the nuanced perspective Vinen provides on the contradictions in Macmillan's politics, on Thatcher's views on education and his brave point that Thatcher's gender actually worked to her advantage by the time she entered parliament. The book deals delicately with the oft- hashed case of the miners' strike and sheds new light on Thatcher's fall from power. Its attention to detail with regard the characters who surrounded Thatcher while she was in power, the centrality of journalism to Thatcher's reputation and the effect unemployment had on the British nation during Thatcher's premiership is breathtaking. It is political history at its best.

In its intellectual sensitivity, honesty and non-partisan approach, this salient and sophisticated account surpasses recent contributions to the Thatcher debate. It has already become a central text for all British history students, and sets an extremely high standard for future accounts on Thatcher.

Excellent
I thought this was an excellent and insightful book. Its narrative on the Thaturite era was both interesting and compelling. The book wonderfully captures the political landscapes of the time and Thatcher's influence in an often troubled Britain. It's a terrific insight into one of Britain's most famous Prime Ministers and a great look at an eventful period of modern British history.