Thatcherism describes the ideology, policies and political style of the British Conservative politician Margaret Thatcher, who was leader of her party from 1975 to 1990. It also describes the ideology of the British government while Thatcher was Prime Minister between May 1979 and November 1990, and beyond into the governments of John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Thatcher came to power after the crisis of Keynesianism in the mid-1970s, which was largely blamed on the big state and over-mighty trade unions.

Thatcherism thus claimed that a smaller state, freer markets and weaker trade unions would be the cure for Britain's economic decline. It is not, however, clear how far these ideals were achieved in practice. It is closely associated with libertarianism within the Conservative Party.

Thatcherism claims to promote low inflation, the small state and free markets through tight control of the money supply, privatization and contraints on the labour movement. It is often compared with Reaganomics in the United States, Rogernomics in New Zealand and Economic Rationalism in Australia as a key part of the worldwide neoliberal movement. Nigel Lawson, Thatcher's Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1983 to 1989, listed the Thatcherite ideals as: Thatcherism is thus often compared to classical liberalism.

Milton Friedman claimed that "the thing that people do not recognise is that Margaret Thatcher is not in terms of belief a Tory. She is a nineteenth-century Liberal." Thatcher herself stated in 1983: "I would not mind betting that if Mr. Gladstone were alive today he would apply to join the Conservative Party".

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