Preparing for Power: Margaret Thatcher as Leader of the Opposition

This thesis attempts to explore Margaret Thatcher’s years as Leader of the Opposition, by examining how this period helped to shape her as a credible leader and future Prime Minister. Specifically, this research analyses the idea of ‘soft power’, demonstrating that domestic and foreign politics are essentially the same thing - the global economy and the internationalization of politics was seen to be of great significance during the mid-late 1970s. The impact of economic declinism will also be assessed: post-1945 Britain enjoyed relative prosperity up until the late sixties, but then stalled during the seventies under the leadership of Edward Heath. Thus, this research seeks to uncover how ‘real’ declinism during this period actually was. Additionally, this thesis will examine the policymaking process that took place within the Conservative Party between 1975 and 1979, assessing how far the role of neoliberal economic ideas played a part in the Party’s economic design. Lastly, this thesis will analyse the impact of the General Election of 1979, asking whether this was won by chance or design. Using manuscript sources from the UK National Archives and the Margaret Thatcher Foundation, as well as oral interviews, this thesis will conclude that the ideology of Thatcherism is far more complex than previously thought. By exploring Thatcher’s visits abroad as Leader of the Opposition, as well as the themes of policymaking, gender and the role that chance plays in politics, this thesis will demonstrate that, rather than being a specific, logical ideology, Thatcherism was actually both distinct and complex, involving compromises between a mix of different thoughts, perspectives and approaches that came together as one.

Grantor dc:publisher

Oxford Brookes University

Year dc:date

2020

Author dc:creator

• Stacey, Emily

Contributors dc:contributor

• O’Hara, Glen
• Cooper, James

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.24384/7mdt-6n93

OAI identifier oai:identifier

tle:9918de09-35ee-4433-8fd6-d898fd6d7e19:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1