Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan—A Very Political Special Relationship

"A connection between Thatcherite and Reaganite domestic policy is often assumed by historians. The two political leaders are commonly viewed in the same 'New Right' context. Yet, although there was an alignment - and this study shows how the two administrations cited developments across the Atlantic in justification of their respective policy agendas - it is clear that this shared context was often only in terms of rhetoric and presentation rather than in policy. In this ground-breaking study, containing over thirty interviews with key protagonists, James Cooper explores a more complex relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in the 1980s; he reveals the strengths and weaknesses of their political bonds, and shows that their fortunes, whilst in concurrent power, offered a crucial mutual validation as they sought to 'roll back the state."--P. [4] of cover.