---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: During the 1980s, many people mistook…"
description: "\"During the 1980s, many people mistook Thatcherism and Reaganism - actually a wild form of liberalism - for conservatism.\" — Peter Hitchens"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/peter-hitchens-4419_1980s_during-the-1980s-many-people-mistook-tha_2980423.png"
---

#  During the 1980s, many people mistook Thatcherism and…

![“During the 1980s, many people mistook Thatcherism and Reaganism - actually a wild form of liberalism - for conservatism.” quote by Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/peter-hitchens-4419_1980s_during-the-1980s-many-people-mistook-tha_2980423.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/peter-hitchens-4419_1980s_during-the-1980s-many-people-mistook-tha_2980423.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/peter-hitchens-4419_1980s_during-the-1980s-many-people-mistook-tha_2980423.png)

> “During the 1980s, many people mistook Thatcherism and Reaganism - actually a wild form of liberalism - for conservatism.”

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote argues that the political movements of Thatcher and Reagan were actually radical liberalism, not traditional conservatism.

**In simple terms:** Thatcher and Reagan were liberal, not conservative.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the true nature of political ideologies.

Themes

politics ideology history conservatism liberalism

Mood

critical analytical thoughtful

Type

interpretive political historical

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- academic debate
- media commentary
- voter education

Key Concepts

Neoliberalism classical liberalism political mislabeling

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we differentiate liberalism from conservatism in practice?
- What impact does mislabeling have on public discourse?

A Different Perspective

The label "conservatism" can be useful for coalition building despite inaccuracies.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Liberalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberalism/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [“If he had a reason for preferring Liberalism to the Conservatism of many in his set, it was not that he considered Liberalism more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/if-he-had-a-reason-for-preferring-liberalism-to-the-conservatism-of/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [A cohort's 'liberalism' or 'conservatism' is dependent on the success of the presidential administration they come of age under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-enten/a-cohort-s-liberalism-or-conservatism-is-dependent-on-the-success-of/)

[Harry Enten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-enten/)

> [I claim neither liberalism nor conservatism - one tends to be airheaded while the other tends to be brickheaded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/i-claim-neither-liberalism-nor-conservatism-one-tends-to-be-airheaded/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [I think the most basic difference between Liberalism and Conservatism today, at its core, is that Conservatives just seem to want a better world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-r-audette/i-think-the-most-basic-difference-between-liberalism-and-conservatism/)

[Derek R. Audette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-r-audette/)

> [Liberalism, conservatism, that's irrelevant stuff to Trump. He looks at things in an entirely different way. This is a reason why we, as conservatives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/liberalism-conservatism-that-s-irrelevant-stuff-to-trump-he-looks-at/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [I think experience will teach you a combination of liberalism and conservatism. We have to be progressive and at the same time we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/i-think-experience-will-teach-you-a-combination-of-liberalism-and/)

[Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/)

> [I am sure future historians will say the biggest and most astonishing change in politics has been the embracing of all the tenets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/i-am-sure-future-historians-will-say-the-biggest-and-most-astonishing/)

[Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/)

> [I think the truth is that the Labour Party isn't believed any more because people suspect it will say anything to get votes. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/i-think-the-truth-is-that-the-labour-party-isn-t-believed-any-more/)

[Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/)

> [I think, historically, the term 'Thatcherism' will be seen as a compliment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-think-historically-the-term-thatcherism-will-be-seen-as-a-compliment/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [While every effort is being undertaken to make the memory of the Thatcher government disappear, Thatcherism is still working its way through the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-hall/while-every-effort-is-being-undertaken-to-make-the-memory-of-the/)

[Stuart Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-hall/)

> [Thatcherism has become bigger than she ever was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/thatcherism-has-become-bigger-than-she-ever-was/)

[Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/)

> [We will pave the way for a transformation and roll back the years of Thatcherism...We will turn economic ruin into economic recovery, and above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-scargill/we-will-pave-the-way-for-a-transformation-and-roll-back-the-years-of/)

[Arthur Scargill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-scargill/)

> [Thatcherism, as an ideology, addresses the fears, the anxieties, the lost identities, of a people. It invites us to think about politics in images.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-hall/thatcherism-as-an-ideology-addresses-the-fears-the-anxieties-the-lost/)

[Stuart Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-hall/)

> [Blair worshipped Thatcherism, could see little or no wrong in it, believed that that was what the country needed, thought that there was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/blair-worshipped-thatcherism-could-see-little-or-no-wrong-in-it/)

[Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/)

> [Blair - except at the edges - was a Thatcherite. Brown, in contrast, regarded Thatcherism as something that had to be taken on board…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/blair-except-at-the-edges-was-a-thatcherite-brown-in-contrast/)

[Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/)

## More by Peter Hitchens

> [Direct Grants, private schools which took huge numbers of state pupils, involved effective co-operation between state and private sectors - a thing all modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/direct-grants-private-schools-which-took-huge-numbers-of-state-pupils/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [Actually, I never wanted an E.U. referendum, and I think those who called for it will one day wish they hadn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/actually-i-never-wanted-an-e-u-referendum-and-i-think-those-who/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [I hate cars and wish they had never been invented. I try to use them only when I absolutely have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/i-hate-cars-and-wish-they-had-never-been-invented-i-try-to-use-them/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [What we need and have not got at Westminster are real experience and wisdom, possessed by people who do not view politics as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/what-we-need-and-have-not-got-at-westminster-are-real-experience-and/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [The Left have always preferred the state to the family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/the-left-have-always-preferred-the-state-to-the-family/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [“Americans may say they love our accents (I have been accused of sounding 'like Princess Di') but the more thoughtful ones resent and rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/americans-may-say-they-love-our-accents-i-have-been-accused-of/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [As I am actually partly Cornish, I am frequently tempted to start some sort of Cornish liberation front in the Home Counties, where our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/as-i-am-actually-partly-cornish-i-am-frequently-tempted-to-start-some/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [Fear is good and useful when it's deployed on the side of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/fear-is-good-and-useful-when-it-s-deployed-on-the-side-of-common-sense/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [It's interesting how thrillers reflect the times we live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/it-s-interesting-how-thrillers-reflect-the-times-we-live-in/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [Terrorists are overjoyed when we shut down our freedoms and turn ourselves into a police state and when we retaliate, swatting the Middle East…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/terrorists-are-overjoyed-when-we-shut-down-our-freedoms-and-turn/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [Comprehensive schools, as too few understand, have never been designed to improve education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/comprehensive-schools-as-too-few-understand-have-never-been-designed/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [If you want a day free of work, you must expect others to have the same privilege.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/if-you-want-a-day-free-of-work-you-must-expect-others-to-have-the/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [The giant fraud that is Britain's education system strides ever onwards, messing up many more lives than it improves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/the-giant-fraud-that-is-britain-s-education-system-strides-ever/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [The worst country I ever lived in, the old U.S.S.R., was crammed with privileges for the political elite. They had their own hospital, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/the-worst-country-i-ever-lived-in-the-old-u-s-s-r-was-crammed-with/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [If a man's reputation can be destroyed in an afternoon by a secret kangaroo court, then we, too, can one day be propelled into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/if-a-man-s-reputation-can-be-destroyed-in-an-afternoon-by-a-secret/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

[Explore all 111 Peter Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

## More 1980s quotes

> [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/)

[Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/)

> [“Everything worth knowing about the 1980s I learned from obsessively reading Bloom County collections when I was nine and Derek Jarman's diaries when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruadh-n-j-mcelroy/everything-worth-knowing-about-the-1980s-i-learned-from-obsessively/)

[Ruadhán J. McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruadh-n-j-mcelroy/)

> [“Dilettantes,’ Art3mis said. ‘It’s their own fault for not knowing all the Schoolhouse Rock! lyrics by heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/dilettantes-art3mis-said-it-s-their-own-fault-for-not-knowing-all-the/)

[Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/)

> [I was a safari guide in the 1980s in Kenya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/i-was-a-safari-guide-in-the-1980s-in-kenya/)

[Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/)

> [“As he defended the book one evening in the early 1980s at the Carnegie Endowment in New York, I knew that some of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/as-he-defended-the-book-one-evening-in-the-early-1980s-at-the/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Nuclear power will be the Vietnam issue of the 1980s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/nuclear-power-will-be-the-vietnam-issue-of-the-1980s/)

[Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/)

> [The 1980s were all about synths for me, and it never went away after that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grant/the-1980s-were-all-about-synths-for-me-and-it-never-went-away-after/)

[John Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grant/)

> [The 1980s was the era of the blonde cheerleader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/the-1980s-was-the-era-of-the-blonde-cheerleader/)

[Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/)

> [In the 1980s and the 1990s, when HIV hit its peak, the gay community was at the forefront of the fight against the silent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-flock/in-the-1980s-and-the-1990s-when-hiv-hit-its-peak-the-gay-community/)

[Elizabeth Flock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-flock/)

> [The 1980s really ended for me in 1992 with the film Kika.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-almodovar/the-1980s-really-ended-for-me-in-1992-with-the-film-kika/)

[Pedro Almodovar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-almodovar/)

> [Eventually, our kind of music, whether it's us or Motley or Poison of whoever, will define the 1980s. That's something to be proud of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jani-lane/eventually-our-kind-of-music-whether-it-s-us-or-motley-or-poison-of/)

[Jani Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jani-lane/)

> [Back in the 1980s, state-of-the-nation fictions were all set in Manhattan. Now, they're all in Trump country. Early in 'S-Town,' we're introduced to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hepworth/back-in-the-1980s-state-of-the-nation-fictions-were-all-set-in/)

[David Hepworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hepworth/)

> [“Reading about Bordertown was the first time I saw people like me in speculative fiction. Messed-up kids, making messsed-up choices. I couldn't be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/reading-about-bordertown-was-the-first-time-i-saw-people-like-me-in/)

[Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/)

> [I was kind of freaked out by the art world in the 1980s. Just the money thing. All the competition over artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/i-was-kind-of-freaked-out-by-the-art-world-in-the-1980s-just-the/)

[Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/)

> [I remain extraordinarily proud of the Vaughan Williams symphonies I recorded with the LSO, and in the 1980s and '90s, I made an almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-previn/i-remain-extraordinarily-proud-of-the-vaughan-williams-symphonies-i/)

[Andre Previn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-previn/)

Browse all 91 1980s quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "During the 1980s, many people mistook Thatcherism and Reaganism - actually a wild form of liberalism - for conservatism.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Hitchens"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/during-the-1980s-many-people-mistook-thatcherism-and-reaganism/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "1980s"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/during-the-1980s-many-people-mistook-thatcherism-and-reaganism/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/peter-hitchens-4419_1980s_during-the-1980s-many-people-mistook-tha_2980423.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/peter-hitchens-4419_1980s_during-the-1980s-many-people-mistook-tha_2980423.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/peter-hitchens-4419_1980s_during-the-1980s-many-people-mistook-tha_2980423.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“During the 1980s, many people mistook Thatcherism and Reaganism - actually a wild form of liberalism - for…” — Peter Hitchens",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Peter Hitchens",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "During the 1980s, many people mistook...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/during-the-1980s-many-people-mistook-thatcherism-and-reaganism/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/during-the-1980s-many-people-mistook-thatcherism-and-reaganism/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```