1980s and Margaret Thatcher
The Eighties were a time of great change in all aspects of society. It was a time of money, confidence and greed. The Government had changed in 1976 to the Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher, the first woman Prime Minister this country had ever had, and her style of leadership left its mark upon society for a long time. It was a time of economic growth thanks to a stable economy and everyone was encouraged to 'own' something, houses, cars, invested income. This had an effect on all areas of society right down to the youth of the time. Where the Punk movement in the Seventies had been a reaction against the unemployment situation, young people in the 1980s were put on Youth Employment schemes which were run by the Government. This meant that the unemployment figures were considerably reduced and there was much less opportunity for the youth of the time to protest. Whilst this seemed like a good idea, for some people it was not popular and was phased out quickly. However it did leave an impression upon many young people, that there was more to life than a Government pay cheque (dole money) and in the increasingly stable economy, it was a good opportunity for the business minded people to start to make money. Everyone was buying or selling something and making more money, in some cases, more than they had ever dreamed possible. Young men and women left school at sixteen or eighteen and went into business and became millionaires by the time they were twenty. Margaret Thatcher encouraged this idea for the individual to take control. The Eighties were becoming a time of excess, fast cars, fast money and everyone trying to get as much as they could for themselves. This confident attitude extended beyond the business world and in 1982 England was involved in the first major conflict with another country for forty years. The Falklands War lasted for a very short time but it gave Great Britain something to think about and raised the... [continues]
The Eighties were a time of great change in all aspects of society. It was a time of money, confidence and greed. The Government had changed in 1976 to the Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher, the first woman Prime Minister this country had ever had, and her style of leadership left its mark upon society for a long time. It was a time of economic growth thanks to a stable economy and everyone was encouraged to 'own' something, houses, cars, invested income. This had an effect on all areas of society right down to the youth of the time. Where the Punk movement in the Seventies had been a reaction against the unemployment situation, young people in the 1980s were put on Youth Employment schemes which were run by the Government. This meant that the unemployment figures were considerably reduced and there was much less opportunity for the youth of the time to protest. Whilst this seemed like a good idea, for some people it was not popular and was phased out quickly. However it did leave an impression upon many young people, that there was more to life than a Government pay cheque (dole money) and in the increasingly stable economy, it was a good opportunity for the business minded people to start to make money. Everyone was buying or selling something and making more money, in some cases, more than they had ever dreamed possible. Young men and women left school at sixteen or eighteen and went into business and became millionaires by the time they were twenty. Margaret Thatcher encouraged this idea for the individual to take control. The Eighties were becoming a time of excess, fast cars, fast money and everyone trying to get as much as they could for themselves. This confident attitude extended beyond the business world and in 1982 England was involved in the first major conflict with another country for forty years. The Falklands War lasted for a very short time but it gave Great Britain something to think about and raised the... [continues]
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