Margaret Thatcher, born Roberts, was born on October 13th, 1925, in Grantham, England. Her father, Alfred Roberts, was a local grocery shop owner. Besides, he was also a member of the Liberal party. He served in the town council until 1952.
Between 1943 and 1947, Margaret Roberts studied chemistry at the University of Oxford. After graduation, she worked in a lab. But, Margaret soon fell for politics. So, she decided to pursue law a few years later. Hence, in 1950, at the age of 25, Roberts tried to run for parliament for the Conservative party.
In 1951, she married Denis Thatcher. At last, she became a member of parliament in 1959. She decided to work on social security topics. Besides, Thatcher started to focus on wasteful government spending. That was one of the focal points of her career.
✟ April 8, 2013, London, UK
Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady
In 1970, Thatcher became the secretary of education and science. But, in 1974, Conservatives lost elections. But, the economy suffered under the rule of the Labour Party. Thatcher criticized the party for abandoning conservative values. Besides, she joined a dining club of philosopher Roger Scruton. A year later, she became the new leader of the party.
In 1979, Thatcher became the first female prime minister in Europe. And, without a doubt, the most powerful female worldwide. Her first goal was to fix the finances. She lowered taxes, sold off state-owned companies, seized inflation, and more. On the other hand, unemployment grew, and Thatcher had pressing problems with Unions and the striking Welsh miners.
On the international scene, she created a strong alliance with the like-minded US president Ronald Reagan. Experts believe that the pair helped dismantle the Soviet block. Besides, it was the Soviet newspaper that called her the Iron Lady. Dominant was her approach to the Falkland war with Argentina.
Thatcher stepped down as prime minister in November 1990 with the economy stabilized. The conservative and economically liberal leader died on April 8th, 2013, in London. She was 87 years old and had two children.
“I love argument, I love debate, I don’t expect anyone just to sit there and agree with me – that’s not their job.”
Margaret Thatcher
