Abstract

The relationship between Thatcherism and conservatism has fueled a fervent debate. This essay aims, first, at analysing the context and climate in which Thatcherism was born and developed. Second, it focuses on the political objectives that Thatcher’s governments set out to achieve and on the means used to pursue them. Third, it tries to assess to what extent Thatcherism can be considered either a resource or a problem to conservative political culture.