About the book
1980s
The 1980s transformed Britain’s economy, politics and public culture. Privatisation, financial change and confrontation with organised labour created passionate supporters and opponents, while unemployment and regional inequality ensured that the decade’s opportunities were experienced very differently.
1980s explores these divisions alongside royalty, music, television, technology, sport, fashion and everyday life. The book connects major political decisions with their effects on workplaces, communities and personal expectations, while capturing the confidence and creativity visible in popular culture. New consumer technologies and global media altered how people worked and spent their leisure time, but older social tensions did not disappear. Written for general readers, this decade portrait explains why the 1980s remain so contested and how their arguments about markets, public services, identity and opportunity continue to influence Britain today.