Consensus Politics: From Atlee to Major

British politics from the end of the Second World War until the rise of Thatcherism was characterized by the practice of consensus. In 1979 Margaret Thatcher proclaimed, "it must be a conviction government" – a view incompatible with consensus as a style of governing – and set about challenging the shared assumptions of the previous three decades. Margaret Thatcher′s departure from office and the arrival of her successor, John Major, have had a profound impact on the way Britain is governed – and in this new edition of Consensus Politics, the authors examines the legacy of Thatcherite "conviction politics" and assess the state of consensus in Britain′s government today. This chronicle of the rise and fall of the post–war consensus in five key policy areas – the mixed economy, full employment, trade unions, welfare and foreign policy – remains a superb introduction to one of the major debates of recent political history.

1. Consensus. 2. Mixed Economy. 3. Full Employment. 4. The Role of the Trade Unions. 5. Welfare State. 6. Foreign and Defence Policy. 7. Assessment. Afterword: From Thatcher to Major.

Dennis Kavanagh is Professor of Politics at the University of Nottingham. His many works include Political Science and Political Behaviour, Thatcherism and British Politics, British Politics: Continuities and Change and The Politics of the Labour Party. He has been the co–author of the Nuffield election studies since 1974. Peter Morris, Lecturer in Politics at the University of Nottingham, has written on aspects of contemporary French politics and history and he has translated a selection of Raymond Aron′s sociological writings. He is also an editor of Modern and Contemporary France.