Margaret Thatcher
| The Right Honourable Baroness Thatcher LG OM PC FRS |
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|---|---|
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| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
| In office 4 May 1979 – 28 November 1990 |
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| Deputy | William Whitelaw (1979 - 1988) Geoffrey Howe (1988 - 1990) |
| Preceded by | James Callaghan |
| Succeeded by | John Major |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 October 1925 Grantham, Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | 8 April 2013 (aged 87) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Sir Denis Thatcher, Bt. (m. 1951-2003, his death) |
| Relations | Alfred Roberts (father, dead) |
| Children | Mark Thatcher, Carol Thatcher |
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG OM PC FRS (her birth name was Margaret Hilda Roberts; 13 October 1925 – 8 April 2013) was the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She was prime minister from 1979 to 1990.[1] She led the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was often known by the nickname, "the Iron Lady", given to her by a Soviet journalist.[2]
Thatcher directed British troops in 1982 to get back the Falkland Islands from Argentina. Argentina had taken the Falklands for a short time during the Falklands War. She had the second longest single prime ministerial term in history. She married Denis Thatcher; they had twins: son Mark and daughter Carol.[3]
She suffered from strong opposition during a miner's strike in 1984 and 1985, which took away political power from the coal miners' union. There was also controversy when she introduced a poll tax to Britain. This caused rioting across the country. The riots were one of the reasons she was replaced by John Major in 1990. In 1992, she became Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, joining the House of Lords.[1]
During Thatcher's years as prime minister, unemployment rose by a lot, doubling during her first term, reaching 3 million in 1982. It started to decline again only in the late 1980s, and since the mid-1990s, Britain has consistently had lower unemployment than most of continental Europe. Thatcher's supporters claim this is the result of her structural reform of the labour market, though this is disputed by opponents.
She is widely remembered in the UK for her dislike of the trade union movement. Trade unions were much more powerful in the 1970s, and Thatcher did much to reduce their influence on British industry.
In the later years of her life, she suffered from dementia and withdrew from public engagements in 2002.[4] She died from a stroke on 8 April 2013 in London, England.[5]
Lady Thatcher is the only woman to have held the positions of Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader.
References [change]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "BBC History - Margaret Thatcher". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/margaret_thatcher. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ Frei, Matt (2007-10-24). "Washington diary: Best of friends?". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7059297.stm. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
- ↑ "Essential Margaret Thatcher | Margaret Thatcher Foundation". margaretthatcher.org. 2011 [last update]. http://www.margaretthatcher.org/essential/biography.asp. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ↑ "Book Recounts Margaret Thatcher's Decline". CBS News. 11 February 2009. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/25/health/main4380977.shtml. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ↑ "Ex-Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher dies". BBC News. 8 April 2013. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22067155. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
Other websites [change]
Media related to Margaret Thatcher at Wikimedia Commons- Margaret Thatcher Foundation
- Her obituary (a life story) on the BBC News Website
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