Being one of the key people in the history of Britain, Margaret Thatcher introduced the state to a range of innovations, which concerned the political, economic and social life of its residents. As far as the impact of the changes made by Margaret Thatcher in the realm of the British economy, politics and social life is concerned, one must admit that the former prime Minister literally reinvented the way in which the British society and business operated. Despite the fact that some of the alterations, which were introduced into the society were quite radical, the improvements in the aforementioned areas are quite convincing of the success of Margaret Thatcher’s approach.
First and most obvious, the alteration in the principles of the British electioneering should be mentioned. The famous Saatchi poster featuring a line of people above the famous “Labor isn’t working” slogan was not only a gimmick for the Conservative Party and Thatcher to win the elections and take the majority of seats in the Parliament. Apart from its obvious goal, it also pointed at the barely noticeable, yet economically tangible flaws of the British society, which Thatcher aimed at addressing. Miraculously, even before Thatcher actually started working in the realm of the UK Parliament, she managed to reinvent the electioneering principle (Bronstein and Harris 276).
As far as the economy of the United Kingdom is concerned, the reduction in the influence of the trade unions was another priority of Thatcher’s (Ball para. 22). However, compared to the rest of the objectives that the Prime Minister and her party were aiming at, this goal did not seem to be an adequate response to the economic issues that Great Britain was facing at the time. Hoping that a drop in the influence of trade unions will inevitably lead to an increase in the productivity of state entrepreneurships, Thatcher did not take the problems of the British manufacturing industry into account, which led to an ultimate failure of the British government to boost the revenues of public companies. The reform for home ownership (Ball para. 5), which announced that the costs for house rent would rise by 30%, in its turn, contributed to the increase of Britain’s debt.
Of all political issues, which the UK Parliament was facing at the time, the conflict with Northern Ireland was definitely the most topical issue that needed urgent actions. Therefore, the fact that the problem that had been brewing for so long was finally addressed by Thatcher was welcome change of pace. Unless the then prime Minister of Great Britain had signed the Anglo-Irish agreement and declared that Northern Ireland was finally considered a Republic legally, a military resistance would have grown into a major catastrophe for the well-being of the residents of the Kingdom. It should also be noted that Thatcher was risking heavily by signing the paper, since giving the rebels the long-awaited sovereignty meant conflicting with unionists. Nevertheless, Thatcher disregarded the possible consequences for her reputation and made the political move that no British prime minister had dared yet (O’Kane 14).
Finally, the changes in the realm of Brits’ social life made in the era of Thatcherism deserve a mentioning. The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in fact, promoted the decriminalization of homosexuality and considered the legalization of abortions a necessity (Ball para 48). One of the most influential people of Great Britain, Thatcher may have made several wrong steps in the course of her rule, yet she clearly led the state to progress.
Works Cited
Ball, James. “The Thatcher Effect: What Changed and What Stayed the Same.” The Guardian. 2013. Web.
Bronstein, Jaime L. and Andrew T. Harris. Empire, State, and Society: Britain Since 1830. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. 2012. Print.
O’Kane, Eamonn. Anglo- Irish Relations and the Northern Ireland Conflict: The Totality of Relationships. New York, NY: Routledge. 2012. Print.