ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book analyses the change in economic policy formation between 1979 and 1983 and the way in which policy sources were translated into reality, and how the first Thatcher government has changed the nature of contemporary Conservatism. It deals with the government's objectives and how they were affected by the economic legacy, both short and long term, as well as considering the herculean political task Mrs Margaret Thatcher undertook in radically altering the nature of postwar Conservative thinking. The book examines the first six months of office and how the expectations of government were prepared. It explains the great issues as they were perceived by the government, analysing how effectively the government succeeded both in its own terms and in the wider context.
