London, 1984. Conflict and change in the radical city

DOI: 10.1093/9780191895395.001.0001
Title: London, 1984
Published: 2024-02-15
Abstract: Margaret Thatcher remarked that there was ‘no alternative’ to her reforming agenda in the 1980s. But London in that decade put the lie to that remark: there was an alternative, one that lay in the city itself. London, 1984: Conflict and Change in the Radical City is a history of a city poised between two futures: one shaped by the neoliberalism of the Conservative government, one shaped by a resurgent social democracy out of County Hall in the form of a Labour Greater London Council and the efforts of many community organizations, groups, and individuals on the ground. The book explores that conflict through an exploration of one year—1984—and the stories of a series of moments, organizations, and artefacts. These include a protest on the Thames against the development of the Docklands, a raid on a gay bookshop, racial violence on an East End estate, efforts to make the city more equal for racial minorities, women, and gay and lesbian people, a major anti-apartheid demonstration, and tensions between the police and the Black community that led to an explosion of violence. London, 1984 is a focused account of a critical year in the history of a city.