When we talk about history, we speak in terms of eras and
centuries. But when we talk of the last century in which we have lived, it is
apt to talk in terms of decades. Each decade of the twentieth century is
replete with interesting events and developments. The nineteen eighties were
the focus of many political analysts for many years before the dawn of 1980
because of the famous Orwellian year Nineteen Eighty Four, the name of the
novel in which George Orwell had described the ultimate totalitarian state that
could come into existence with the rise of totalitarianism. Happily the
predictions of Orwell did not come true in totality although streaks of the
horror described were seen here and there.
There were strong democratic leaders, who came up in nineteen
eighties in liberal democracies, who definitely contributed to the arrest of
totalitarianism across the world. China and Cuba are among the few that still
carry on, but not as bad as could have been without a challenge to the idea.
The ideas of freedom, equality, free enterprise, human rights and democracy
have prevailed; the seed is growing in spite of being throttled by dictators
and autocratic regimes of various hues. We have military dictatorships, hereditary
monarchies, communist ideologies, and theocracies that still exist. Individual
freedoms and human rights are trampled upon to maintain conformism to the
prevailing system, and to impose the same on unwilling citizens.
Who can deny the role some strong leaders played in the
period we are talking about? Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of UK, who passed
away last week, played a stellar role along with President Ronald Reagan of USA.
Their formidable combination contributed in no small measure to the decline of
communism as a political force, especially in East Europe. May I state here
that I am not so much against the Marxist ideology as against its political
manifestation as unfolded in history. The human spirit can’t be bonded by any
chains whether they are ideological or
religious, political or economic, social or gender based. The dignity and
freedom of each person and all persons are the ultimate criteria to judge a
state or society. That is why the preservation of diversity is so important.
That is why liberal democracy is so important. And that is why secularism is so
important. If we don’t understand this and give it our first priority, then we
run the risk of being made robots in 2084 may be, if not earlier.
The Nineteen Eighty Four nightmare can come true in the
twenty first century. But not if we are vigilant and learn the lessons of the
nineteen eighties. Margaret Thatcher in a way arrested the economic decline of
the mother of parliamentary democracy. She was strong and decisive, determined
and pushy. She pushed ideas and reforms, some good and some not so good. But
she did not push herself. She ruled Britain for eleven years from 1979 to 1990.
When the time came to abdicate as she could no more command majority in her
party, she gracefully resigned. She did not manipulate her supporters to throw
shoes and break mikes in the House of Commons. She did not restrain her
opponents on some pretext or the other from attending the parliament. As a true
democrat, she submitted her resignation to the queen and let others take over
although her party had won three times under her leadership. The final tribute to
her may have come not from her Conservative Party but from the opposition
Labour Party under Tony Blair, their new leader and future prime minister.
Blair brought about reforms to present to the people a new face of the Labour
Party, which subsequently won and implemented quite extensively some policies of
Margaret Thatcher.
In obituary references, the British newspaper The Daily Mail
described her as the woman who saved Britain. But Prime Minister David Cameron,
while paying tributes, also said that Lady Thatcher divided opinion. It can’t
be forgotten that she became known for breaking the back of the unions and was
called the iron lady, not admired by many. On the international front she will
be remembered for winning the Falkland Islands war in far away South Atlantic
against Argentina with the might of the British navy during her early years in
office , and for backing President
George Bush during the Gulf war over Kuwait during her final year. In between she
worked in close collaboration with President Reagan to end the Cold War. Along
with Reagan, she welcomed the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev in USSR, and must have
rejoiced when the USSR was dismantled.
Yes, the nineteen eighties were an interesting period in
world history. Among the great leaders of those times will also be remembered
Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela and our own Indira Gandhi.
Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 14.04.2013
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