An attempt to provide an account of the genesis of Thatcherism in opposition, its record in government, its relationship to the Conservative tradition and the ideological challenge of the New Right. The manner in which Thatcherism has been analysed by the Left and the Right is assessed.

A crisis in hegemony; the new right; from Butler to Thatcher; the Thatcher Government 1979-1987; the pursuit of power; the struggle for hegemony; politics, class and ideology.