Lost in Ideologies: Comparing Thatcherism and Blairism Democratic

Abstract

Throughout the twentieth century, British politics saw major transformations in which various political parties came to implement similar policies. In fact, Thatcherism shook British politics and had a profound impact on the Labour party. This dissertation explores the policies of the Conservative and Labour parties under Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair from 1979 until Blair‘s resignation in 2007. It aims at showing and analyzing how New Labour under Tony Blair adopted and embraced Thatcherism. These analyses take places through studying similarities and differences between Blairism and Thatcherism. As to the approach, which is comparative, it was used to unveil both ideologies. The Labour Party reestablished itself by adopting a liberal approach and Blairism was considered a continuation of Thatcher‘s capitalism with a preservation of some social principles. Hence the term ―Blatcherism‖ was created.