Historical Studies in Industrial Relations
Review Essays Symposium: The Winter of Discontent
Abstract
Three decades after the events themselves and with full access to the public record, historians and political scientists are now well placed to revisit and re-evaluate the ‘Winter of Discontent’. This article reflects on the first book-length studies of the period published since the opening of the archives. I argue that although neither study profoundly alters our view of this crucial episode and its place in the pre-history of Thatcherism, taken together the evidence they uncover might provide the basis for an alternative assessment. Ultimately, however, such an assessment requires more attention to methodology and, above all, an approach to the archives and to witness testimony that is both