Pre-Introduction • The most jarring of which may have been the attempt on her life in 1984.
• The most jarring of which may have been the attempt on her life in 1984. In a plot by the Irish
• Women have gained worldwide fame for all sorts of different reasons. Some are famous for
their athletic skills, others are famous for their beauty…
• There are so many different paths to fame, but there are certainly some women who stand out
above all the rest for their achievements in driving a nation, specially at controversial times
whether in terms of politic crisis, or in terms of women prejudice.
• Margaret Thatcher is one of them.
Early Years
• Nicknamed the “Iron Lady,” Margaret Thatcher served as the prime minister of England from
1979 to 1990.
• Daughter of a local businessman, she was educated at the local grammar school.
• Her family operated a grocery store and they all lived in an apartment above the store.
• In her early years, Thatcher was introduced to conservative politics by her father who was a
member of the town’s council.
• As you can imagine, the early years as a politician were quite difficult. She had no experience in
the business, she was a conservative candidate and she knew from the start that it would be
nearly impossible to win the positions she was applying to away from the liberal Labour Party,
besides she was a woman, but still she earned the respect of her political party peers with her
speeches.
• Defeated more than once, Thatcher always remained fearless.
• she became more and more involved into politics and started playing more important roles in
higher offices.
• As she was going up on her carrier, Thatcher felt the weight of being a woman in the world of
politics, since she felt all of the bad press around her actions, and she was getting difficulty
getting Prime Minister to listen to her ideas. She was seemingly disenchanted, however she did
not give up and she became leader of the Conservative Party in 1975.
• England was in a time of economic and political chaos with the government nearly bankrupt,
employment on the rise, and conflicts with the labor unions. This instability helped return the
Conservatives to power in 1979. As the party leader, Thatcher made history when she was
appointed Britain's first female prime minister.
Dramatic Politics
• In the first three years Thatcher was determined to stabilize the economy before Britain
entered a recession.
• The concept that public expenditure was the cause of the difficulties meant that long-term
solutions had to be found.
• Thatcher looked upon the greater masses of England as a society that had to be guided and
taught how to be responsible for themselves. The manner which she believed she could best
manifest this goal, was to restrict state aid in every sector.
• She was best known for her destruction of Britain’s traditional industries, through her attacks
on labour organizations such as the miner’s union, and for the massive privatization of social
housing and public transport.
• One of her most devoted allies was U.S. president Ronald Reagan, a fellow conservative. The
two shared similar right-wing, pro-corporate political philosophies.
The Falklands War
• Thatcher faced a military challenge during her first term. In April 1982, Argentina invaded the
Falkland islands. This British territory had long been a source of conflict between the two
nations as the islands are located off the coast of Argentina.
• Taking swift action, Thatcher sent British troops to the territory to retake the islands in what
became known as the Falklands War. Argentina surrendered in June 1982.
Attempt of murder
• In her second term, from 1983 to 1987, Thatcher handled a number of conflicts and crises.
Republic Army, she was meant to killed by a bomb planted at the Conservative Conference in
Brighton in October. Undisturbed and unharmed, Thatcher insisted that the conference
continue and gave a speech the following day.
Dramatic changes in education and health
• Returning for a third term in 1987, Thatcher sought to implement a standard educational
curriculum across the nation and make changes to the country’s socialized medical system.
• But she lost a lot of support because of her efforts to implement a fixed rate local tax—labeled
a poll tax by many since she sought to disregard those who did not pay it.
• Hugely unpopular, this policy led to public protests and caused dissention within her party.
• Demission ended up being her only alternative.
Other slide (?)
• Not long after leaving office, Thatcher was appointed to the House of Lords, as Baroness
Thatcher of Kesteven in 1992.
• She shares her experiences as a world leader and a pioneering woman in the field of politics in
two books, The Downing Street Years (1993) and The Path to Power (1995).
• A sculpture of the strong conservative leader was unveiled in the House of Commons.
Quotations
• While her policies and actions are still debated by detractors and supporters alike, Thatcher has
left an indelible impression on Britain and world politics.
• “I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they
attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left. “
• “I'm extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end.“
• “I've got a woman's ability to stick to a job and get on with it when everyone else walks off and
leaves it.”
• "I was often portrayed as an outsider who by some odd mixture of circumstances had stepped
inside and stayed there for eleven and a half years”
• “Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding
the problems of running a country.”
• “Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the
highroad to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction. “
Conclusion
• Margaret Thatcher may possibly be considered one of the most powerful women in Britain
from 1979 until 1990.
• She may have been a women working in a male dominated world of party politics, but first and
foremost she was an intellectual, sharp politician who was determined to keep socialism out of
England and reclaim economic stability for Great Britain.
• Margaret Thatcher remains a controversial figure. On the one hand, there are still people who
believe she did what needed to be done, since her neoliberal politics allowed to face the
difficulties of that time (the crisis of capitalism) in a brave way, not looking at ways to achieve
the objectives by her determined. On the other hand, others believe that she was a dictatorial
arrogant figure, that despite having overcame the difficulties she had on her way, started a
process whose consequences are still reaching our time.
• Well, but in economy and politics there are no ideal solutions, there are possible solutions. And
it is impossible to please Greeks and Trojans.
• We can only admire the strength and tenacity of a woman that breaking the gender barriers in
politics has conquered an incomparable place in the World History.