Margaret Thatcher Biography

Margaret Thatcher was the first woman Prime Minister and the Conservative Party Leader of Britain. She became the first woman to hold the position of  PM in Britain and thus got elected in the year 1979. Her tenure as a Prime Minister lasted from 1979 to 1990 as she resigned from the post due to some power struggles and unpopular policies in her party. During her tenure that lasted for three terms, she was successful in cutting down social welfare programs along with reducing trade union power and privatizing certain industries. Thatcher passed away at the age of 87 due to some serious health issues on April 8, 2013. 

(Image will be uploaded soon)

Margaret Thatcher - The Iron Lady

Being the first lady Prime Minister to hold that office, Thatcher was known to be the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century. She was also given the title of “Iron Lady” by a Soviet journalist because of her uncompromising politics and leadership style. The policies that were implemented by Thatcher during her tenure became famous as Thatcherism.

After her demise, the biography of Margaret Thatcher was written by Charles Moore, which was named Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized Biography. Charles Moore’s book on the former UK PM is considered as the best biography on Margaret Thatcher where the author has beautifully revealed and narrated the early life and rise to power of Thatcher during her first few years as the first woman prime minister. He also described how she played a major role in transforming Britain and the world in the late twentieth century.

Early Life of Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher was born on 13th October 1925 to a local businessman in Graham, England. Her original name was Margaret Hilda Roberts and did her schooling at a local grammar school named Grantham Girls' High School. She along with her family lived in an apartment, which was above a grocery store that was run by her father. He was also a member of the town’s council, who introduced conservative politics to Thatcher.

Thatcher was known to be a bright student and hence, she was accepted to Oxford University. There she graduated in Chemistry from Somerville College and one of her instructors was Dorothy Hodgkin, who was a scientist and a Nobel Prize-winner. Thatcher was politically active from a young age and also served as president of the Conservative Association at the university. After earning a degree in Chemistry in 1947, she went on to work as a research chemist in Colchester. Thatcher also worked as a research chemist later on in Dartford.

Margaret Thatcher: Her Early Foray Into Politics

Thatcher made her first bid for public office after two years of her graduation. She stood as a conservative candidate in the 1950 elections for a Dartford parliamentary seat. Although she knew from the beginning about the less possibility to win the position away from the liberal Labour Party, yet her speeches made her earn the respect of her political party peers. Thatcher remained undaunted and tried again the following year, but was again unsuccessful. After two months, she got married to Denis Thatcher.

In the year 1952, Thatcher went to study law and had put aside politics for a while. Later next year, she and her husband welcomed twins Carol and Mark. She qualified for her training and became a barrister in the year 1953. She even represented Finchley by winning a seat in the House of Commons in the year 1959. Thatcher rose to fame when she was appointed as the parliamentary under-secretary for pensions and national insurance in the year 1961. 

First Female Conservative Leader of Britain

In June 1970, after the Conservatives returned to office, Thatcher was appointed as the secretary of state for education and science. Later in the year 1974, Thatcher became a dominant force in her political party after the Conservative Party lost power in 1974. She was also elected as the first woman in Conservative Lead in 1975 to serve as the opposition leader in the House of Commons. With the ongoing bankruptcy of the Government, England was in the middle of economic and political turmoil along with the rise in unemployment and conflicts with labour unions. In May 1979, Thatcher made history as a party leader when she was appointed as the first female prime minister of Britain.

After becoming the prime minister, she had to battle the country's recession and hence, she initially raised the interest rates in order to control inflation. Margaret Thatcher became familiar to the people for her attacks on labour organisations, which destroyed the traditional industries of Britain. These attacks also destroyed the miner's union and created massive privatization of social housing and public transport. 

During her first term, Thatcher had to face a military challenge followed by the invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentina in April 1982. As the Falkland Islands are located off the coast of Argentina, there has always been a conflict between the two nations for the British territory. As a result of the invasion, the British troops were sent by Thatcher to the territory to retake the islands, which led to the Falklands War but later in June 1982, Argentina surrendered.

In the year 1987 i.e., during the third term of her Leadership, Thatcher proposed to make changes in the socialized medical system of the country along with implementing a standard educational curriculum. But eventually, on November 22, 1990, she announced her decision to resign from the Leadership position as a result of the pressure yielded from the party. Thus, Margaret Thatcher departed from the official residence of the Prime Minister on November 28, 1990, for the last time.

Life After Politics

Soon after Thatcher left the office, she was appointed as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven to the House of Lords in the year 1992. She even wrote two books i.e., The Downing Street Years (1993) and The Path to Power (1995), where she has mentioned her experiences as a world leader and being a pioneer woman in the field of politics. Thatcher also shared her viewpoints on international politics in her book ‘Statecraft’, which was published in the year 2002. During this time of the year, Thatcher had to suffer and go through a series of small strokes, followed by the death of her husband Denis in the year 2003. Margaret Thatcher celebrated her 80th birthday in 2005  and followed by two years, a sculpture of Thatcher - the first female conservative leader was unveiled in the House of Commons.

Margaret Thatcher: Final Years and Death

The health conditions of Margaret Thatcher worsened in the year 2010. It also made a headline after she happened to miss a celebration that was kept by David Cameron in honour of her 85th birthday. She suffered a condition that caused severe pain and muscle inflammation. Later in November 2010, Thatcher got admitted to the hospital for two weeks. She even sat out several major events in the year 2011 which included the wedding of Prince William in April as well as the unveiling of the Ronald Reagan sculpture in London in July. Additionally, Thatcher's office in the House of Lords was permanently closed in July 2011, thus bringing a closure that marked the end of Thatcher’s public life.

Staying in seclusion at her home in London's Belgravia neighbourhood, Thatcher had to battle memory problems in her later years due to her strokes. Later on April 8, 2013, Thatcher passed away at the age of 83. Thatcher left an indelible impression on Britain and nations worldwide. Her policies and actions continue to remain a topic of debate among several detractors and supporters. Meryl Streep portrayed the role of Thatcher in her biopic The Iron Lady in the year 2011.