Herbert Agar's "A Time for Greatness" is a historical analysis that examines the rise of fascism and the importance of democratic values. Agar argues that the West's weakness and failure to confront the threat of fascism allowed Hitler's rise to power. He emphasizes the need for a return to Western liberal democratic values and advocates for social reforms to address inequality and injustice. The book's focus on the importance of individual liberty and the dangers of unchecked power resonates with contemporary concerns about the fragility of democracy. Agar's work serves as a reminder of the historical context of political ideologies and the ongoing struggle to preserve democratic values.
This book, written by five Conservative MPs, presents a vision for the UK's future as a leading global economy. It advocates for a radical shift towards free market economics, suggesting fewer employment laws and drawing lessons from countries like Canada, Australia, and East Asian economies. The authors argue that Britain must adopt these measures to avoid economic mediocrity, criticizing the current state of high taxes, excessive regulation, and perceived laziness among British workers. The book has been controversial, with critics pointing out factual errors and slipshod research, and it has been linked to the economic policies of the Johnson and Truss governments[1][4][5].
Margaret Thatcher's autobiography offers a firsthand account of her remarkable life, from her upbringing in Grantham to her rise as Britain's first female Prime Minister. The book covers significant events during her premiership, including the Falklands War, the miners' strike, and her economic reforms known as Thatcherism. It provides a compelling narrative of her political career and personal life.
This book retraces Lyndon Johnson's early life, from his childhood in the impoverished Texas Hill Country to his early years in Washington, D.C., first as a congressional aide and then as a congressman. It explores Johnson's relentless ambition, his ability to mesmerize and manipulate powerful figures, and his complex relationships with family, contemporaries, and influential politicians like Sam Rayburn and FDR. The book also delves into Johnson's secret love affairs and his strategic cultivation of wealthy and powerful allies. Caro's exhaustive research and immersive writing style provide a vivid portrait of Johnson's formative years and the environment that shaped his political career.
When the Lights Go Out chronicles David Nino Rodriguez's life, from his early days as a boxer to his near-death experience and subsequent recovery. The book offers a candid look at his struggles with addiction, PTSD, and his path to redemption as an advocate for bullied children. It highlights the importance of transparency and resilience in overcoming life's challenges.
In this influential book, Hayek argues that the abandonment of individualism and classical liberalism leads to a loss of freedom, the creation of an oppressive society, and ultimately, the tyranny of a dictator. He challenges the view that fascism and Nazism are capitalist reactions against socialism, instead positing that these ideologies share common roots in central economic planning and the empowerment of the state over the individual. The book emphasizes the dangers of collectivism and the importance of maintaining a free market system to preserve human freedom and dignity.
Written during World War II and published in 1945, 'The Open Society and Its Enemies' is a seminal work in political philosophy. Karl Popper critiques the theories of teleological historicism espoused by Plato, Hegel, and Marx, arguing that these theories undermine individual freedom and pave the way for authoritarian regimes. The book defends the open society and liberal democracy, emphasizing the importance of critical rationalism, individual freedom, and the ethos of scientific inquiry in politics. It also discusses the challenges facing open societies, including totalitarianism, dogmatism, and relativism, and advocates for a piecemeal approach to social reform.
This book, written by John Hersey, tells the stories of six survivors of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It is a pioneering work of New Journalism, focusing on the human suffering and survival in the aftermath of the bombing. The book follows the survivors—a doctor, a surgeon, a Methodist pastor, a German Jesuit priest, a widowed seamstress, and a young female factory worker—through their experiences on the day of the bombing and in the subsequent months and years. Hersey's account is known for its straightforward and emotive prose, highlighting the personal and long-term effects of the nuclear bombing on the survivors and the city of Hiroshima.
Published in 1940, 'Darkness at Noon' is a haunting portrait of life under totalitarian rule. The novel revolves around Nicholas Rubashov, a former high-ranking official in a communist regime, who is arrested and subjected to intense interrogation and psychological manipulation. The story explores the moral crises and existential dilemmas faced by Rubashov as he grapples with the consequences of his past actions and the ideologies he once fervently believed in. The book is a powerful critique of Stalinist totalitarianism and the corrosive effects of political corruption, making it a seminal work of 20th-century literature[2][3][5].
Hello and welcome to season seven of Origin Story, where Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey continue to explore the misunderstood ideas and people that shape our politics today. We hope you’ve enjoyed all the bonus episodes. We’re starting with a topic that’s been on our shortlist since the very beginning, and it’s a big one: Thatcherism. By that we mean Margaret Thatcher herself, born 100 years ago, and the evolution of the rather nebulous idea that bears her name. Is it a coherent ideology or the expression of a very unusual personality?
In part one we follow Thatcher from her birth in Grantham in 1925 to her triumph in the Falklands War 57 years later. We investigate the influence of her father, the Methodist grocer and local celebrity Arthur Roberts; her entry into the reformist wing of the Conservative Party at Oxford University; and her journey to becoming MP for Finchley in 1959. It’s only in the 1970s that Thatcherism really takes shape. Scarred by her vilification as the “Milk Snatcher”, and repelled by Ted Heath and the post-war consensus, she follows the likes of Enoch Powell and Keith Joseph to the right, finding intellectual ideas to match her instinctive
beliefs.
The Thatcher who becomes Tory leader in 1975 and prime minister in 1979 is more “Cautious Margaret” than “Iron Lady”, not yet allergic to advice and compromise. She even has nice things to say about Europe. But before long, she’s the most unpopular prime minister since polling began. As her radical monetarist experiment leads to recession, mass unemployment and civil unrest, she appears doomed but once she’s defeated both the Tory “wets” and Argentina’s General Galtieri, Thatcherism is unchained.
What were Thatcher’s formative influences? How did she grow to hate consensus politics and see herself as the antidote? Who were the other architects of Thatcherism? How close did she come to disaster and was it really the Falklands that saved her? And can Keir Starmer learn anything from her chaotic and unpopular first term?
Next week the story continues with the 1983 election, the miners’ strike and the Thatcherite revolution, before it all goes horribly wrong for Maggie. If you’re a Patreon, you don’t have to wait: you can hear it right now.
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Reading list
• Andy Beckett, Pinochet in Piccadilly: Britain and Chile’s Hidden History (2002)
• Andy Beckett, When the Lights Went Out: Britain in the Seventies (2009)
• Andy Beckett, Promised You a Miracle: Why 1980-82 Made Modern Britain (2015)
• Brian and Maggie, written by James Graham and directed by Stephen Frears (2025)
• Ronald Butt, Interview with Margaret Thatcher, Sunday Times (1981)
• Conservative Central Office, ‘The Right Approach’ (1976)
• Iain Dale (ed.), Memories of Margaret Thatcher (2013)
• Patrick Dunleavy, ‘The lasting achievement of Thatcherism as a political project is that Britain now has three political parties of the right, instead of one’, LSE (2013)
• Ian Gilmour, Dancing with Dogma: Britain Under Thatcherism (1992)
• Ipsos polling on the Falklands War, Ipsos (1982)
• John Harris, ‘Spare a thought for the late unlamented one nation Tory’, The Guardian (2013)
• John Hoskyns and Norman Strauss, ‘Stepping Stones’ (1977)
• Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech (1990)
• Geoffrey Howe, Conflict of Loyalty (1994)
• The Iron Lady, written by Abi Morgan and directed by Phyllida Lloyd (2011)
• Sir Keith Joseph, ‘Notes Towards the Definition of Policy’, Conservative Research Department (1975)
• Kwasi Kwarteng et al, Britannia Unchained: Global Lessons for Growth and Posterity (2012)
... reading list continues on Patreon
Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey and Ian Dunt. Produced by Simon Williams. Music by Jade Bailey. Art by Jim Parrett. Logo by Mischa Welsh. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Origin Story is a Podmasters production
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