Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher aos 13 anos de idade

Somerville College

Girls at Baldock County Council School in Hertfordshire enjoy a drink of milk during a break in the school day in 1944. D20552

Thatcher-loc

10 Downing Street 235

Margaret Thatcher visiting Salford

Margaret Thatcher (13 October 1925 – 8 April 2013) was a British politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. A member of the Conservative Party, she was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the office. Thatcher's policies and political ideology have been referred to as Thatcherism, characterized by deregulation, particularly of the financial sector, the reduction of state intervention in the economy, and a focus on free-market policies.

Early Life

Margaret Hilda Roberts was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, to Alfred Roberts, a grocer, and Beatrice Ethel. She studied chemistry at Somerville College, Oxford, and later trained as a barrister. Her interest in politics began at a young age, and she was elected President of the Oxford University Conservative Association in 1946.

Political Career

Thatcher was elected Member of Parliament for Finchley in 1959. She quickly rose through the ranks of the Conservative Party, serving as Secretary of State for Education and Science in the government of Edward Heath. In 1975, she defeated Heath in the Conservative Party leadership election to become Leader of the Opposition, the first woman to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister

In 1979, following a period of economic instability and industrial unrest, Thatcher led the Conservative Party to victory, becoming Prime Minister. Her government introduced a series of economic policies intended to reverse high inflation and Britain's struggles in the wake of the Winter of Discontent. Her political philosophy and economic policies emphasized deregulation, the privatisation of state-owned companies, and reducing the power and influence of trade unions in the UK.

Thatcher's tenure was also marked by her strong stance against the Soviet Union, her role in the Falklands War, and her relationship with other world leaders, notably Ronald Reagan, with whom she shared a close ideological affinity. Her policies and leadership style proved divisive, with supporters crediting her with revitalizing Britain's economy, while critics accused her of fostering social inequality and unemployment.

Later Life and Legacy

Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister in 1990 after losing the support of her cabinet and was succeeded by John Major. She retired from the House of Commons at the 1992 General Election. In her retirement, she wrote her memoirs and continued to be involved in public speaking and political life.

Margaret Thatcher's legacy is complex and contested. She is remembered for her formidable political skills, her role in ending the Cold War, her influence on the Conservative Party, and her impact on British society and the global economic landscape. Thatcher passed away on 8 April 2013, but remains a significant figure in British and world history.