The Thatcher's 'Welfare Reforms' and the Changed Balance of Class Strength

대처의 '복지개혁'과 계급관계

  • 원석조 (원광대 사회대 복지보건학부)
  • Published : 2001.03.30

Abstract

Because of their international importance, 'the Welfare Reforms' of the Thatcher government as well as Thatcherism were studied so much, and analysed so deeply. However, the existing studies mainly focused the institutional changes of the welfare state themselves and cynically criticized the decline of it. And, there is no study explained the Thatcher's reform as the changed balance of the British class strength. This means that the nature of the Thatcher's welfare reform is not scientifically clarified yet. So, I tried to examine this one again. For the purpose, I reviewed the nature of Thatcherism, described the changed welfare state, and analysed the result of the polling, the power dynamics of the Labour Party, the changed attitude of the Labour Party and the working class to the welfare state and Keynesianism, and the political attack of the Thatcher government on the working class and their response to it.

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