Margaret Thatcher
/ˌmɑːɡrət ˈθætʃə(r)/
/ˌmɑːrɡrət ˈθætʃər/
(also Mrs Thatcher
/ˌmɪsɪz ˈθætʃə(r)/
/ˌmɪsɪz ˈθætʃər/
, Maggie /ˈmæɡi/
/ˈmæɡi/
, Lady Thatcher /ˌleɪdi ˈθætʃə(r)/
/ˌleɪdi ˈθætʃər/
)- (1925-2013) a British Conservative politician who became Britain's first woman prime minister and was one of the longest serving British prime ministers of the 20th century. She became a Member of Parliament in 1959 and a member of the Cabinet in 1970 when she was made Secretary of State for education and science. In 1975 she defeated Edward Heath in a party election for leader and became Prime Minister in 1979 when the Conservative Party won the general election. She believed that the state should not interfere in business, and privatized many industries that were owned by the state. She reduced the power of the trade unions by a series of laws, and defeated the miners in the miners' strike in 1985. She wanted people not to rely on the welfare state, and instead to pay for their own healthcare, education and pensions. People were often critical of Mrs Thatcher's policies, and blamed her for the decline of many British industries and high unemployment. However she was seen as a very determined and patriotic prime minister, and she became especially popular after the Falklands War. Because of this she was often referred to as the 'Iron Lady'. After winning three general elections, she was forced to resign in 1991 by members of her own party who criticized her attitude to the European Union. She was succeeded as Prime Minister by John Major. She was made a life peer in 1992. “There is no such thing as society.”