English writer Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher (Margaret Robins) was born in 1925. Her father had a grocer's shop but he was also very interest¬ed in local politics. Margaret was a good student and won a scholarship to Oxford to study chemistry. Then she worked as a research chemist until she met and married Denis Thatch¬er, a successful businessman. Then she decided to study law. She was already involved in politics and gave up law when she was elected to the Parliament in 1959. From 1970 to 1974 she was Secretary of State for Education. In 1975 she became leader of the Conservative Party which was the Oppo¬sition. In 1979 she beat the Labour Party and took office as Prime Minister, Britain's first woman Prime Minister.

Thatcher privatized publicly-owned industries and made cuts in state education, hospitals, and welfare benefits. In early 1980's, Britain was facing unemployment, inflation, problems of Northern Ireland. In 1982, Britain became in¬volved in an undeclared war against Argentina in the Falk¬land Islands. After the victory in the Falklands, she had an image of a strong, authoritative leader. In the 1983 election campaign, she won with a large majority of votes. In 1987 she won her third term as Prime Minister defeating the Labour Party which suffered from loss of votes due to the newly formed alliance with Liberal.

On November 22,1990, Mrs.Thatcher resigned. The "Iron Lady" who believed it was her destiny to reshape the British nation shed tears as she made the historic announcement. Three men were candidates for the post of Prime Minister. John Major was to win.