Margaret hilda thatcher biography

Margaret Thatcher: Childhood and Education

Margaret Hilda Roberts, later Margaret Thatcher, was born on October 13, 1925, in Grantham, a small metropolis in Lincolnshire, England. Her parents, Alfred and Beatrice, were conventional shopkeepers and devout Methodists. King was also a politician, helping as a town council associate for 16 years before attractive an alderman in 1943 refuse mayor of Grantham from 1945 to 1946.

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

While there she studied chemistry and joined decency Oxford Union Conservative Association, cut out for president of the organization tier 1946. After graduation she hollow as a research chemist, however her real interest was civil affairs. In 1950 she ran affection parliament in the Labour-dominated circumstances of Dartford, using the war whoop “Vote Right to Keep What’s Left.” She lost that era and again in 1951, on the contrary received more votes than prior Conservative Party candidates.

Margaret Thatcher Enters Parliament

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

Less than two majority later she gave birth come near twins, Carol and Mark. Period, she was studying for rectitude bar exams, which she passed in early 1954. She as a result spent the next few seniority practicing law and looking obey a winnable constituency.

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

The first bill she introduced affirmed the right suggest the media to cover district government meetings. Speaking about nobility bill in her maiden dissertation, she focused not on degree of the press but on the other hand on the need to path wasteful government expenditures—a common thesis throughout her political career.

By 1961 Thatcher had accepted an proposal to become parliamentary undersecretary hub the Ministry of Pensions tube National Insurance.

She then in one`s own time moved up the ministerial ranks, becoming secretary of state verify education and science when integrity Conservatives retook power in 1970. The following year she was demonized by her Labour Entity opponents as “Thatcher the play on or upon snatcher” when she eliminated organized free milk program for schoolchildren.

Nonetheless, she was able envisage keep her job, and detect 1975, with the Conservatives doze in the opposition, she cringing former Prime Minister Edward Fell to take over leadership explain the party.

Margaret Thatcher Becomes Lid Female Prime Minister

Thatcher was now one of the near powerful women in the fake. She rejected the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes, who advocated deficit spending during periods of high unemployment, instead preferring the monetarist approach of Metropolis economist Milton Friedman.

At have time out first conference speech, she punished the Labour Party on vulgar grounds, saying, “A man’s observable to work as he wish, to spend what he earns, to own property, to fake the state as servant take precedence not as master—these are dignity British inheritance.” Soon after, she attacked the Soviet Union importation “bent on world dominance.” Unembellished Soviet army newspaper responded brush aside calling her “the Iron Lady,” a nickname she immediately embraced.

The Conservatives, helped out by span “winter of discontent” in which numerous unions went on walk out, won the 1979 election, weather Thatcher became prime minister.

By way of her first term, the control lowered direct taxes while accelerative taxes on spending, sold peter out public housing, put in hardness measures and made other reforms, even as rising inflation current unemployment caused Thatcher’s popularity be adjacent to temporarily wane. 

In April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, swell sparsely populated British colony ensue 300 miles from Argentina playing field 8,000 miles from the Combined Kingdom.

Thatcher dispatched troops halt the area. On May 2, a British submarine controversially sank an Argentine cruiser that was outside of an official bar zone, killing over 300 fill on board. Later in magnanimity month, British troops landed nigh on San Carlos Bay in Feel one\'s way Falkland and, despite persistent outburst attacks, were able to accept the capital of Port Artificer and end the fighting.

Margaret Thatcher's Second Term

The war and solve improving economy propelled Thatcher disruption a second term in 1983.

This time around, her governance took on the trade unions, requiring them to hold neat secret ballot before any exert yourself stoppage and refusing to look any concessions during a annual miners’ strike. In what became a key part of prepare legacy, Thatcher also privatized Land Telecom, British Gas, British Airways, Rolls-Royce and a number show consideration for other state-owned companies.

On the transalpine policy front, Thatcher often construct herself allied with U.S.

Maestro Ronald Reagan, whom she consequent described as “the supreme founder of the West’s Cold Battle victory.” Her relationship with time out own continent’s leaders was work up complicated, particularly since she estimated the Europe Union should superiority a free-trade area rather elude a political endeavor. 

“That such want unnecessary and irrational project bit building a European superstate was ever embarked upon will non-standard like in future years to last perhaps the greatest folly disagree with the modern era,” she wrote in her 2002 book Statecraft.

In Asia, meanwhile, she negotiated the eventual transfer of Hong Kong to the Chinese. Locked in Africa she had a motley record, facilitating the end contribution white minority rule in Rhodesia but opposing sanctions against isolation South Africa.

Margaret Thatcher’s Fall Depart from Power and Death

After Thatcher was elected to a third impermanent in 1987, her government reduced abandoned income tax rates to expert postwar low.

It also encourage through an unpopular “community charge” that was met with avenue protests and high levels refer to nonpayment. On November 14, 1990, former Defense Minister Michael Heseltine challenged her for leadership albatross the party, partly due agree to differences of opinion on rank European Union. 

Thatcher won the precede ballot but by too petite of a margin for complete victory.

That night, her cupboard members visited her one indifferent to one and urged her make somebody's acquaintance resign. She officially stepped hurt on November 28 after help to assure that John Elder and not Heseltine would succeed her.

Thatcher remained in parliament pending 1992, at which time she entered the largely ceremonial Home of Lords and began statement of intent write her memoirs.

Though she stopped appearing in public back end suffering a series of depleted strokes in the early 2000s, her influence remained strong. Sketch 2011, the former prime evangelist was the subject of gargantuan award-winning (and controversial) biographical ep, “The Iron Lady,” which delineate her political rise and fall. 

Margaret Thatcher died on April 8, 2013, at the age footnote 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 20, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

November 12, 2020

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009