Thatcher's Britain: Privatisation, Unions, and Society 1983–1990

Thatcher's second and third terms (1983–87 and 1987–90) saw the most radical transformation of the British state and economy since the Attlee government. Privatisation, the defeat of the miners, the abolition of the Greater London Council, the poll tax, and the transformation of the financial sector — the "Big Bang" — reshaped Britain in ways that remain deeply contested. This period also saw rising inequality, the AIDS crisis, and the cultural ferment of the 1980s.

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The Miners' Strike 1984–85

Background

The miners' strike of 1984–85 was the defining industrial confrontation of the twentieth century. It was a deliberate test of strength between the government and the most powerful union in Britain — and the government was determined to win.