10 Political Rivalries That Played Out Like Hollywood Dramas (2 of 6)

John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon

In 1960, presidential debates were televised for the first time ever, thus transforming American politics. Kennedy and Nixon had been longstanding rivals, both young, ambitious, and determined to steer the nation towards its postwar identity. Kennedy was a calm, charismatic candidate, while Nixon was tense and domineering in contrast. America fell in love with Kennedy’s demeanor, and the optics proved to cement television’s power within politics and how political charisma would come to shape politics moving forward. 

Margaret Thatcher vs. The British Miners’ Unions

In the 1890s, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher faced one of the most defining and divisive political conflicts in British history against the National Union of Mineworkers. Thatcher’s campaign to close unprofitable coal pits collided with miners’ strikes that lasted nearly a year, led by union leader Arthur Scargill. The confrontation wasn’t just economical. It was also ideological, positioning reform against working-class solidarity.