The rise of neo-liberal revolution in Britain: Thatcherism in the British conservative party

Recent theories of party change have emphasized interaction between political parties and their environment Employing this notion of interaction, this article has attempted to provide a more systematic analysis of the rise of Thatcherism in the British Conservative Party. It has demonstrated that while socio-economic changes provided a primary source of the ideological change, there were internal processes within the party that perceived environmental pressure from the socio-economic changes and actually pursued the task of the ideological change. First, environmental change in the socio-economic arena provided an initial cause of the rise of Thatcherism in the British Conservative Party. Second, electoral defeats also played a significant influence in the rise of Thatcherism. Third, a replacement of party leadership was another significant intervening impetus of the ideological change.