Overview

This book tells the story of the rise of Margaret Thatcher in the context of crises assailing Britain in the 1970s and how her ascent to power ushered in the neoliberal era. Forging the Iron Lady details her journey from relative obscurity to the pinnacle of power as a collective, as well as personal, tale and how an uncertain chain of events, influenced through ideas and political agency, opened the path to certain outcomes while throwing up barriers to others. It is her “origin story” as the Iron Lady. It examines a dramatic phase in her political advance and how the tumultuous politics of the 1970s shaped her as a politician and her political ideals, and how the conditions necessary to bring about major political-economic changes were created, leading to three decades of neoliberalism. In doing so, this book offers a better understanding of the political conditions needed for a change in political-economic orders. This book is of key interest to scholars, students, and readers of British politics and history, Thatcherism, political parties, elections, executive, and elite politics.

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9781032660851

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Reviews

“An excellent study of the indispensable politician of the post-war era… Casey succeeds in highlighting the necessary origin story of Thatcher and Thatcherism… Forging the Iron Lady will be studied by historians and political scientists for many years to come.” Matt Beech, University of Hull, UK, and UC Berkeley, USA. “…Rich in detail, beautifully written, and with new archival evidence to bolster his argument, Casey’s book is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the rise and fall of neoliberalism as well as the possibilities for economic policy today.” Matthias M. Matthijs, Johns Hopkins University, USA “Too often those who applaud or attack Thatcherism do so with crude cut-out-and-keep portrayals of the Iron Lady… As Casey shows, only by understanding the tumultuous era that forged the Iron Lady can her legacy be successfully rescinded, recast, or renewed.” Tim Oliver, Loughborough University London, UK

Author Information

Terrence Casey is Professor of Political Science at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He is also Senior Fellow at the Centre for British Politics at the University of Hull, UK.

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