The "Thatcher Revolution".

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                                                                            Bisma Shahid Loan

                                                                            Professor Schilling

                                                                                 5-5-03

The “Thatcher Revolution”

        When one talks about revolution, certain concepts come to mind. They are that of a great upheaval, both social and economic and a change in the structure which is being targeted. The Thatcher Revolution was one such revolution, which started in 1979 when Margaret Thatcher came to power as the Prime Minister of England, till 2001, when Tony Blair finished his first term. Many barriers were broken down during this revolution, which changed England from a struggling economy to a highly efficient industrial power with a powerful economy.

        The Thatcher Revolution tried to ensure that ideas that were put forth resulted in some sort of  economic and social action regarding England. Although ideas came from different people and institutions, they were developed into an agenda and plan to follow and implement by Margaret Thatcher. The concept of Thatcherism emphasized on aspects such as individual freedom, opportunity and responsibility, with their being emphasis on aspects such as a strong market economy, strong families and a strong sense of patriotism. Margaret Thatcher was extremely critical of how British individualism was being replaced by a growing sense of socialism, and how the emphasis on creating a welfare state was leading many British people to become passive bystanders rather than being actively involved in creating lives form themselves and their families. She believed the welfare state to be responsible for the breakup of the family setup.

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She saw many failures in different aspects of the government or institutions of the government, such as schools, healthcare, law enforcement and local governmental handling. She tried to aggressively change and up haul these institutions, by using the power of the state, because to her, these institutions and their failings represented a failing of the British people and their expectations.

The Thatcher Revolution, while not being able to achieve everything that it had set out to accomplish, was successful on many fronts. The Thatcher Revolution started during the economic crisis, which was exacerbated by the framework of economic institutions ...

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