Margaret Hilda Thatcher
- Born:
- 13 October 1925, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England
- Died:
- 8 April 2013, London, England
- Nationality:
- British
- Profession(s):
- Politician, Barrister, Chemist
Early Life and Education
- Born Margaret Hilda Roberts to Alfred Roberts, a grocer, and Beatrice Ethel (née Stephenson).
- Educated at Huntingtower Road Primary School and Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School.
- Studied Chemistry at Somerville College, Oxford, graduating with a Second-Class Honours degree in 1947.
- President of the Oxford University Conservative Association in 1946.
- Researched X-ray crystallography under Dorothy Hodgkin before training as a barrister.
Career and Major Achievements
- Called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1954, specializing in taxation law.
- Elected as Member of Parliament for Finchley in 1959.
- Served as Secretary of State for Education and Science (1970–1974) under Edward Heath.
- Became Leader of the Conservative Party in 1975, the first woman to lead a major British political party.
- Served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century.
- Implemented a series of economic policies known as "Thatcherism," which included privatization, deregulation, and reduced trade union power.
- Oversaw the Falklands War in 1982, resulting in British victory.
Notable Works
- Statecraft: Strategies for a Changing World (2002)
- The Path to Power (1995)
- The Downing Street Years (1993) - a memoir detailing her time as Prime Minister. The book has been digitised and is available in PDF format, requiring tools to enable extraction of the text, such as a 'margaret thatcher autobiography pdf to word converter'.
Legacy and Impact
Margaret Thatcher's premiership significantly reshaped the British economy and political landscape. Her policies sparked both strong support and considerable opposition, and her legacy continues to be debated. She is remembered for her strong leadership, economic reforms, and assertive foreign policy.