Obituary:Margaret Thatcher

The Iron Lady

Margaret Thatcher served as Britain's Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. She brought radical changes in the history of Britain’s politics and economics.

She was the only woman in the history of Britain to serve as Prime Minister from Conservative Party.

Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of Britain, brought revolutionary changes in economics and politics in Britain’s history regardless of so many noticeable obstacles during her regime. Thus she was named as Iron Lady.

Edward Heath from Conservative Party was Prime Minister while Margaret Thatcher was Education Minister during Heath’s regime.

In 1975, Margaret Thatcher became the chief of Conservative Party defeating Edward Heath.

She brought some remarkable reforms in Union Law that each union can call strike on the basis of consensus of union members.

In addition, she privatized some state owned organizations amidst the protest of employees of those organizations.

She never changed her previously determined policy even when unemployment tally reached up to 30, 00000.

She earned some negative impressions due to her adamant approach but became Prime Minister yet again winning poll in 1983 for the victory in Falkland War in 1982.

Laborer-strike and bomb attack on Brighton Conference Center couldn’t even make her mind divert from firm determination and eventually won the election in 1987 for the third time in a row.

But some dissatisfaction arose regarding the policy about Europe.

John Major was elected her successor and Margaret Thatcher returned to the back benches, finally standing down as an MP in 1992.

Brief Highlights of Thacher’s career:

·         Born Margaret Roberts on 13 October 1925

·         First stood for Parliament in the 1950 poll

·         Married businessman Denis Thatcher in 1951

·         Elected as Conservative MP for Finchley in 1959

·         Selected education secretary by Ted Heath in 1970

·         Defeated Heath in Tory leadership contest in 1975

·         Became first female prime minister after Conservative election victory in 1979

·         Sends taskforce to regain control of the Falklands Islands in 1982

·         Wins landslide election victory in 1983

·         Fights year-long battle with mining unions in 1984-5

·         Survives IRA bombing of Brighton hotel during 1984 Conservative conference

·         Wins third general election victory in 1987

·         Resigns after facing leadership challenge in 1990

·         Stands down as MP in 1992 and awarded a peerage