Margaret Thatcher, British public opinion and German reunification, 1989-90

Smedley, Stuart (2023) Margaret Thatcher, British public opinion and German reunification, 1989-90. Cold War History, 23 (3), 431-451. (doi:10.1080/14682745.2023.2191950).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Using opinion poll data collected for the United States Information Agency, the European Commission and various media organisations, this article analyses British public opinion towards German reunification in 1989 and 1990. Contrasting the public’s views with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s hostile approach towards German unity, it demonstrates that the British public were largely supportive of the principle of German reunification. Nevertheless, there was uncertainty about reunification’s consequences. Furthermore, significant generational differences existed, with Britons who experienced life during periods of war in the first half of the twentieth century expressing greater concern about the prospect of a united Germany.

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Accepted/In Press date: 11 March 2023

e-pub ahead of print date: 20 April 2023

Published date: 3 July 2023

Additional Information: Funding: This work was supported by the ‘Social and Political Change in Britain: Gallup Polls 1945-1991’ project (Project Reference: ES/S000380/1); Economic and Social Research Council, July 2019 – June 2022. Funding Information: This work was supported by the ‘Social and Political Change in Britain: Gallup Polls 1945-1991’ project (Project Reference: ES/S000380/1); Economic and Social Research Council, July 2019–June 2022. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords: German reunification, Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher, public opinion