post revision
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topic question: In what ways did thatcher set Britain on a new course? what were the limits to her program?
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instructions:
To begin your post revision, look at the last 3 posts that you have written. Which one interests you the most, and do you feel like you could say more about it? Think about what you’ve learned in class and in the readings. Does one of the topics relate more to the other things that you’ve learned and might be able to incorporate into your revision? Make the assignment easier on yourself by choosing a topic that you already have more to say about.
Look at what the rubric asks of you:
Thesis: rethinks its original position
Evidence: incorporating ideas from classmates’ posts and from course materials
Analysis: adds relevant information and cuts irrelevant information
Before you write ask: what was my original position and how can I transform it into a thesis for a 3-5 pg paper? If you’re not sure, go to classmates’ posts for ideas. Did any of them come up with an idea that challenges your original position? Also go to your class notes and your readings—did you learn anything after writing your post that you can now incorporate into your argument?
This is your evidence. Write down the things from class or from the reading that made you change your mind or expand your thesis, and think about why these things had that effect on your thinking?
This is your analysis. One possible outline for a post revision could go: Originally I thought X. After reading and learning certain new things and considering other perspectives, my opinion of X was challenged. Here are the things I learned and here is why they where challenging. Therefore, I now believe that Y is more true than X.
The analysis is a very important part of your writing because this is where the reader gets a window into your thinking. You want to write as if any reasonable person reading would see your point of view, and give them enough evidence and fill in as many logical gaps as possible, so that they can get there with you.
And don’t forget a conclusion that restates your thesis and summarizes what you’ve just told your reader.
Fellow classmate post to base revision
ohnathan Torres
11/25/21
Professor Dowling
HIE 314
In what way did Thatcher set Britain on a new course? What were the limits to her program?
After being decades removed from the events following the Second World War, the nations of Europe began to steer away from the economic policies that had charted their course since the conclusion of the conflict. From the post-war period until the end of the 1970s, many European nations adhered to the practice of a government by consensus to curb any revival of totalitarianism on the continent. However, because the European economy also experienced low growth during this time, some believed that, as Bonnie G. Smith explains in Europe in the Contemporary World: 1900 to the Present, the push for change was palpable from many different perspectives (Smith, 453). One of the most recognized figureheads of this political shift was Margaret Thatcher, the first woman Prime Minister of the U.K.
In her pursuit to foster this emerging perspective throughout the nation, Thatcher was uncompromising in setting Britain on a new economic and political course. Smith writes that “as prime minister, Thatcher worked a policy revolution. Britain’s stagnating Industries supported by the government and its soaring inflation caused not only by the oil crisis but by budget deficits that financed the welfare state appalled her, and she attributed both problems to bad economic programs. Government spending was a tax on business, she believed, and support for failing Industries made bad economic sense. Thatcher determined to right that by eliminating the cost of the welfare state…” (Smith, 478). Essentially, Thatcher’s perspective on why the British economy was declining revolved around the idea that government spending was excessively diverted to public instead of private interests. In other words, because Britain was not investing in its businesses, the nation was suffering the consequences. To address the problem, Thatcher proposed austere economic policies towards the poor and disenfranchised that would severely limit public benefits such as funding for education and healthcare.
The negative political backlash to Thatcher’s proposals was shared by many throughout the U.K., Europe, and beyond. Public sentiments towards Thatcher deteriorated and much of her tenure saw demonstrations that fought against her austerity measures. As Smith explains, because of the political fallout from such drastic economic policies, Thatcher was never successful in completely eradicating the “welfare state” in Britain (Smith, 478). However, her impact was felt throughout the 1980s in her relationship with American president, Ronald Reagan (who derived his economic policy dubbed “Reaganomics” from Thatcher’s principles). Furthermore, in Britain, even non-conservative politicians began implementing rhetoric containing aspects of Thatcher’s economic policies (e.g., demanding that citizens work for government benefits instead of receiving them without such provisions). Ultimately, for better or worse, Thatcher remains one of the most significant world leaders in European history, and even in the 21st century, her legacy remains as potent as it did over four decades ago.
Works Cited
Smith, Bonnie G. Europe in the Contemporary World: 1900 to the Present. Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Academic. 2021.
