Thatcher's Britain: The Politics and Social Upheaval of the Thatcher Era

by R. Vinen

May 2009 marks 30 years since Margaret Thatcher entered Downing Street. 'Thatcher's Britain' 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.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, British Literature, Academic

403 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 2009

Reviews

[Lex]

DNF. If reading this book felt like the equivalent of living under Thatcher’s government, I can see why people were not keen on the lady.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Try as I might this was hard work. I left it alone for about 6 weeks and eventually just skimmed through the second half. Not enough coverage of the topics I was particularly interested in - eg the Miner’s Strike, the Troubles. Her stubborn intransigence with regard to these epoch-defining events was for me the defining characteristic of her reign as PM. The book didn’t really live up to its title. Far too much on Thatcher and the in-fighting in the Tory party and nowhere near enough on her savage, negative social impact on Britain.

[Neo_classical · Rating 4 out of 5]

vigorous detail and well told however by the end i do come to disagree with his notion that Thatcherism belonged to a specific time, and believe that when trying to look back at its impact it’s difficult to measure due to it being a lot more of a philosophical and societal/mindset revolution in political thought than a physical, measurable change.

eg when Vinen talks abt how ackshually not every random working class white bought stocks or ackshually you needed a half decent job to buy your home and how these apparently show the impact wasn’t that much, i think that that’s flawed

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was extremely thorough, but the content (mostly centered around politics within the party and the opposition) was not really what I expected (details about the impact of Thatcherism on the community). I ended up skimming over a lot of it.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed--as I would expect--enjoyed the insight and the history.

[Ami M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't read a book on thatcher as objective as this - v good book for facts rather than opinions

[Wilhelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read if one is interested in Thatcherism

[Abi McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book for uni work, fairly interesting, but the economic stuff was very hard to follow.

[Ipswichblade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Vinen has written a really good book on the premiership of Margaret Thatcher. As someone who lived through the era of Thatchers's Britain it is interesting to read some of the back stories around the main events of the eighties such as the miners strike, the Falklands, the unemployment and of course the final act of being forced out of office. The way it is written makes for a enjoyable read without straying into very heavy writing as some political books do. Also it is not written from any particular political standpoint and politicans from all sides are praised and made fun of in equal measures.
Very enjoyable and a good reappraisal of the years under Thatcher. It certainly didn't make me change my views on Thatcher and I come under according to the book the two thirds of people who regard the phrase "Thatcher's Britain" as evoking "something unpleasant"

[Andy Walker]

A timely and fair-minded addition to the already vast spectrum of Thatcheriana, Vinen's whirlwind tour of the 1980s resists the urge to stray into nostalgic indulgence or arid proselytising. He gets to the heart of the mercurial phenomenon that was Thatcherism, concentrating as much on its contradictions as on its perceived cohesiveness. Central to his thesis is the idea that, far from demolishing the 'post-war consensus', Thatcher was one of its most effective defenders. The writing is crisp and sprightly and has provoked, in this Child of Thatcher at least, much on which to reflect.

[Justin Wu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focuses a big deal of Thatcher's policies on economy. However, the cultural aspect of Britain at that period is largely ignored, and it does not discuss much about Britain's foreign policy, whether with the US or with other countries.

[Natalie Coffman · Rating 2 out of 5]

You really have to have background knowledge regarding British history and culture, otherwise you might not understand many of the references made throughout the book. The focus really is on "Thatcherism" and not the woman herself.

[Sheridan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt like the author assumed a lot of foreknowledge in the reader - or maybe I just don't know enough about Thatcher, politics, the UK, or ......? Didn't feel like anything joined up. Couldn't find a timeline.......

[Christian Caryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent revisionist history of the Thatcher era. Very good at demolishing myths. Not quite so good when it's a matter of helping us to understand why she was important.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting on Thatcherism and Margaret Thatcher's influence on both Britain and the Conservative Party.

[xhxhx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good.