Assess whether the Thatcher Governments 1979-1990 transformed Britain.

Heraclitus, the pre-Socratic philosopher noted ‘No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man’. Similarly, every Prime Minister will transform Britain but to the degree of which is questionable. However, in Mrs. Thatcher’s case, as Campbell wrote, she was, ‘for better or worse, twenty first century Britain was her monument’. Perhaps fortuitously, given the polarising nature of her character, it is difficult to be objective about Mrs. Thatcher, but, ultimately, she had three aims: reverse national decline, eradicate socialism and change ‘everything’. Hence, this essay will explore the extent that during her period as Prime Minister, Britain was transformed. It will be argued that over the eleven years, the Thatcher Governments did drastically alter the economic, political and social landscape of Britain but the end result was not always the one that was initially intended.