Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher was a British politician who became the first woman to serve as prime minister of the United Kingdom. She held this office from 1979 to 1990. A prime minister is the head of government in the United Kingdom. Thatcher led the country for more than eleven years. This made her the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century. She was leader of the Conservative Party during this time. Because of her strong style of leadership, she was often called the Iron Lady, a nickname first used by a Soviet newspaper.

Margaret Hilda Roberts was born on 13 October 1925 in the town of Grantham, England. Her father, Alfred Roberts, owned grocery shops and was active in local politics. Her mother was Beatrice Roberts. Margaret went to local schools and did well in her studies. She later studied chemistry at the University of Oxford. Chemistry is the science that studies substances and how they change. After graduating, she worked as a research chemist. Later, she trained as a lawyer. A lawyer is a person who studies and practices law. During this period, she married Denis Thatcher in 1951. They had two children, Carol and Mark.

Thatcher became interested in national politics in the 1950s. She joined the Conservative Party, one of the main political parties in the United Kingdom. The party generally supports free markets and private ownership. She was elected as a Member of Parliament in 1959. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is an elected representative in the House of Commons. Over the years, she held several government positions. From 1970 to 1974, she served as Secretary of State for Education and Science. In this role, she was responsible for schools and universities. In 1975, she became leader of the Conservative Party. This made her leader of the opposition in Parliament.

In 1979, the Conservative Party won the general election. A general election is a national vote to choose Members of Parliament. After this victory, Margaret Thatcher became prime minister. Her government introduced many changes to the British economy. The economy is the system by which goods and services are produced and used. Her policies aimed to reduce the role of the government in business. Several state-owned industries were privatized. Privatization means transferring ownership from the government to private companies. These industries included gas, electricity, and telecommunications. Her government also reduced the power of labor unions, which are groups that represent workers.

During Thatcher’s time as prime minister, the United Kingdom was involved in important international events. In 1982, Britain fought the Falklands War against Argentina. The Falkland Islands are a group of islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. British forces regained control of the islands after a short conflict. Thatcher also worked closely with United States President Ronald Reagan. They shared similar views on economic policy and relations with the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was a large socialist state that existed until 1991. Thatcher supported a strong defense policy and was a member of NATO, a military alliance of Western countries.

Margaret Thatcher resigned as prime minister in November 1990 after losing support within her party. She was succeeded by John Major. After leaving office, she was given the title Baroness Thatcher and became a member of the House of Lords. The House of Lords is the upper chamber of the British Parliament. She continued to speak and write about politics for several years. Margaret Thatcher died on 8 April 2013 at the age of 87. She remains an important figure in British history because of her long time in office and the major changes that took place during her leadership.