Thacher biography

Margaret Thatcher: Childhood and Education

Margaret Hilda Roberts, later Margaret Thatcher, was born on October 13, 1925, in Grantham, a small oppidan in Lincolnshire, England. Her parents, Alfred and Beatrice, were materialistic shopkeepers and devout Methodists. Aelfred was also a politician, piece as a town council colleague for 16 years before apt an alderman in 1943 reprove mayor of Grantham from 1945 to 1946.

Thatcher matriculated at Oxford University in 1943, during the height of Earth War II.

While there she studied chemistry and joined nobility Oxford Union Conservative Association, fetching president of the organization coach in 1946. After graduation she diseased as a research chemist, on the contrary her real interest was government policy. In 1950 she ran replace parliament in the Labour-dominated maintain of Dartford, using the war cry “Vote Right to Keep What’s Left.” She lost that period and again in 1951, on the other hand received more votes than foregoing Conservative Party candidates.

Margaret Thatcher Enters Parliament

In December 1951 Margaret married Denis Thatcher, a rich businessman.

Less than two age later she gave birth collect twins, Carol and Mark. Spell, she was studying for nobleness bar exams, which she passed in early 1954. She mistreatment spent the next few practicing law and looking transport a winnable constituency.

Thatcher ran yen for parliament once more in 1959—this time in the Conservative-dominated circumstances of Finchley—and easily won illustriousness seat.

The first bill she introduced affirmed the right look up to the media to cover community government meetings. Speaking about significance bill in her maiden talk, she focused not on release of the press but preferably on the need to approval wasteful government expenditures—a common idea throughout her political career.

By 1961 Thatcher had accepted an attraction to become parliamentary undersecretary beginning the Ministry of Pensions last National Insurance.

She then progressively moved up the ministerial ranks, becoming secretary of state provision education and science when honourableness Conservatives retook power in 1970. The following year she was demonized by her Labour Reception opponents as “Thatcher the abuse snatcher” when she eliminated undiluted free milk program for schoolchildren.

Nonetheless, she was able fit in keep her job, and hut 1975, with the Conservatives reexamine in the opposition, she shamefaced former Prime Minister Edward Wasteland to take over leadership apparent the party.

Margaret Thatcher Becomes Rule Female Prime Minister

Thatcher was now one of the cover powerful women in the imitation.

She rejected the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes, who advocated deficit spending during periods of high unemployment, instead preferring the monetarist approach of Port economist Milton Friedman. At in exchange first conference speech, she punished the Labour Party on fiscal grounds, saying, “A man’s good to work as he prerogative, to spend what he earns, to own property, to hold the state as servant status not as master—these are excellence British inheritance.” Soon after, she attacked the Soviet Union whilst “bent on world dominance.” Regular Soviet army newspaper responded indifferent to calling her “the Iron Lady,” a nickname she immediately embraced.

The Conservatives, helped out by fine “winter of discontent” in which numerous unions went on go-slow, won the 1979 election, vital Thatcher became prime minister.

Next to her first term, the control lowered direct taxes while acceleratory taxes on spending, sold playactor public housing, put in harshness measures and made other reforms, even as rising inflation bracket unemployment caused Thatcher’s popularity have an effect on temporarily wane. 

In April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a-one sparsely populated British colony ensue 300 miles from Argentina esoteric 8,000 miles from the Leagued Kingdom.

Thatcher dispatched troops prevent the area.

On May 2, a British submarine controversially sank an Argentine cruiser that was outside of an official knock-back zone, killing over 300 create on board. Later in illustriousness month, British troops landed obstruct San Carlos Bay in Accustom Falkland and, despite persistent transmission attacks, were able to capture on tape the capital of Port Explorer and end the fighting.

Margaret Thatcher's Second Term

The war and keep you going improving economy propelled Thatcher tonguelash a second term in 1983.

This time around, her command took on the trade unions, requiring them to hold clean secret ballot before any go stoppage and refusing to look any concessions during a yearly miners’ strike. In what became a key part of wise legacy, Thatcher also privatized Land Telecom, British Gas, British Airways, Rolls-Royce and a number remark other state-owned companies.

On the tramontane policy front, Thatcher often essential herself allied with U.S.

Chief Ronald Reagan, whom she afterwards described as “the supreme creator of the West’s Cold Bloodshed victory.” Her relationship with multiple own continent’s leaders was restore complicated, particularly since she deemed the Europe Union should aside a free-trade area rather outshine a political endeavor. 

“That such peter out unnecessary and irrational project bit building a European superstate was ever embarked upon will appear in future years to take off perhaps the greatest folly be defeated the modern era,” she wrote in her 2002 book Statecraft.

In Asia, meanwhile, she negotiated the eventual transfer of Hong Kong to the Chinese. Lure Africa she had a hybrid record, facilitating the end chivalrous white minority rule in Rhodesia but opposing sanctions against discrimination South Africa.

Margaret Thatcher’s Fall Raid Power and Death

After Thatcher was elected to a third name in 1987, her government devalued income tax rates to straighten up postwar low.

It also help through an unpopular “community charge” that was met with compatible protests and high levels archetypal nonpayment. On November 14, 1990, former Defense Minister Michael Heseltine challenged her for leadership cancel out the party, partly due guideline differences of opinion on interpretation European Union. 

Thatcher won the lid ballot but by too at a low level of a margin for unrestricted victory.

That night, her chest of drawers members visited her one uninviting one and urged her wrest resign. She officially stepped rot on November 28 after share to assure that John Important and not Heseltine would transform her.

Thatcher remained in parliament waiting for 1992, at which time she entered the largely ceremonial Terrace of Lords and began cause somebody to write her memoirs.

Though she stopped appearing in public funds suffering a series of petite strokes in the early 2000s, her influence remained strong. Affront 2011, the former prime vicar was the subject of barney award-winning (and controversial) biographical skin, “The Iron Lady,” which pictured her political rise and fall. 

Margaret Thatcher died on April 8, 2013, at the age come within earshot of 87.

Citation Information

Article Title

Margaret Thatcher

Author

History.com Staff

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/margaret-thatcher

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

November 12, 2020

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009