Margaret ThatcherMargaret Thatcher was the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In her early life she studied at Oxford University and joined the Conservative party as MP of Finchly in 1959. She quickly rose through the party; reaching the position of secretary of state for education and science, which she held from 1970 - 74. In 1979 she replaced Callaghan as Prime Minister and had several achievements asides from the success in the Falklands war. In her first years in office she privatised much previously state owned industries and encouraged private investment to the extent that it had trebled by 1982. |
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Thatchers premiership invloved much battle with trade unions and introducing restrictions to their politcal powers. Her most famous battles was against the National Union of Mineworkers; who refused to work for just under a year, and the introduction of Poll tax in 1989. Thatcher worked closely with President Ronald Reagan, making the 1980's a truely conservative period.
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Thatcher was prominent in foreign office affairs, especially the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and expanding Britains nuclear deterent.
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In her retirement Thatcher remains politically active and is still included in Coservatve party politics.
Following a series of minor strikes Thatcher has retired from public speaking. Her daughter has since admitted that since 2000 she has been suffering with dementia. |