Britain Under Thatcher (Seminar Studies In History)

Useful for students and professors alike, the Seminar Study provides a well-researched and balanced treatment of the rise and fall of one of the most controversial governments in the twentieth century. The first part of the book reminds the reader of the early uncertainties and troubles that affected a government, whose life expectancy was deemed by most commentators at the time to be a short one. But 'events, dear boy, events', to paraphrase a late prime minister, damaged and rescued the first Thatcher government, as this account so superbly recalls.

The last section invites the reader to make his own judgement of the 1979-90 administration's record. Five critiques (from left to right) bring alive the debate that continues to surround the Thatcher government's place in history. Paying a visit to this fascinating period of British political history, which this book admirably does, is a worthy exercise for anyone interested in the subject. It certainly reminds one just how marked the imprint of Maggie's handbag was on Britain's ancient political landscape.

A final word of prasie must go to the co-author, Daniel Collings, who was still put the finishing touches to his first book in his final year at Oxford. Larry Siedontrop, his tutor at Keble College and a prolific author in his own right, must be very proud of his student's publishing debut.


A brilliantly balanced review, essential to any history / po   February 4, 2000
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

As a modern history and politics student, I found this book an invaluable introduction to the topic and an important counter to some of the polemical accounts which dominate the subject. The structure of the book (as with most of the Seminar Studies series) makes it easy to delve in and out of with useful summaries of other people's arguments. I would highly recommend this book to everyone - including those with a layman's interest in the subject, as it is highly readable.