CZ:Featured article/Current
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher (13 October 1925 – 8 April 2013) was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She made history in being the first and only woman to be prime minister. Thatcher led her party to a series of electoral landslides in 1979, 1983 and 1987 by preaching 'Thatcherism' as a tough remedy to reverse the United Kingdom's steady decline. Thatcherism meant she weakened labour unions, privatised some industries, rejected Keynesian economic policies for the monetarism of Milton Friedman, and helped reinvigorate the British economy. In foreign policy she collaborated closely with American President Ronald Reagan, especially in his efforts to end the Cold War by working deals with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. She was the first prime minister in modern British history to win three consecutive terms, and her 'Iron Lady' image and toughness in action and optimism for the future impressed many Britons. After proposing a poll tax that alienated voters, and continuing with a domineering style that alienated politicians, she was ousted from power in 1990 and took a peerage. Historians rank her impact alongside Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Tony Blair - indeed, she forced Blair to abandon socialism and incorporate elements of Thatcherism into his 'New' Labour policies.
| notes |
|---|