( also Mrs Thatcher , Maggie , now Lady Thatcher ) (1925– )
a British Conservative politician who became Britain’s first female 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, and became leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister in 1979 when the party won the general election.
She believed that the state should not interfere in business, and privatized many industries that had been 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 also encouraged people not to rely on the welfare state , and instead to pay for their own health care, 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
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See also poll tax , wet .