“I won’t say that I was lucky. I just deserve it."
One of the most famous politicians passed away on April 8, 2013. How Margaret Thatcher, the girl of their simple family, managed to reach the very pinnacle of power, and who came up with her “iron” nickname, the portal recalls together with its readers.
Margaret Thatcher: the foundation of her greatness
Margaret Hilda Thatcher (maiden name Roberts) was born in 1925 on October 25 in the small town of Grantham, Great Britain. Her family was engaged in the grocery trade, but her father always dreamed of her daughter achieving high heights. Margaret was a good student and, from childhood, freely expressed her opinion, even if it did not coincide with others. While still at school, the girl showed her leadership abilities, and for her sharp mind and language, she received the nickname “toothpick” from her peers. Margaret tried to keep up with everything: she studied diligently, attended additional classes in swimming, race walking, field hockey, playing the piano, and even mastered poetry.
Having become a successful politician, the woman claimed that she owed everything she achieved to her father. From the age of 12, he began taking his daughter with him to political meetings and always gave her the right parting words: “There are no such words as “I can’t” and “I can’t handle it.” These words are only for those who are weak in spirit.”
The only thing the young girl didn’t do well with was relationships with the opposite sex. Her first disappointment was the son of an earl, then she studied at Oxford Women's College. His parents forbade the young man to date a simple girl and threatened to deprive him of his inheritance if he disobeyed them. Love, which ended in such disappointment, forced the future “iron lady” to immerse herself even more in politics in order to speak on equal terms next to men, honing her oratory skills. At the age of 23, the girl first tried to join the parliament of the Conservative Party.
Margaret Thatcher: marriage, family and the pinnacle of political Olympus
In 1951, Margaret married Dennis Thatcher, a wealthy industrialist. Very soon, beautiful twins Carol and Mark appeared in their family, about whom the woman later wrote in her memoirs: “I devoted exactly 9 months to them while they were in me. And that's enough". Indeed, the birth of babies did not stop the woman on the path to big politics: when the children were only 4 months old, Margaret was already receiving a lawyer’s diploma.
The adult daughter of the “Iron Lady” Carol later released her own book, “Beyond the Parapet,” in which she talks about the Thatcher family, completely devoid of love and care. For Margaret herself, the house was just “a place where you come when you have nothing else to do in other more interesting places.”
The woman was often reproached that her marriage was created purely according to her calculations. Her husband’s position and money really helped her achieve political Olympus: he supported his wife in all her endeavors, both financially and morally. Margaret's husband died at the age of 88. That was the first time she cried in front of the public.
A woman entered parliament in 1959. First it was the House of Commons, in 1967 - the shadow cabinet, in 1975 - the Conservative Party, which she headed. In 1979, after the brilliant victory of the Conservatives in the elections, Thatcher became the first and so far the only woman who managed to take the post of Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Margaret proved herself to be an unyielding and tough leader. She was categorical in everything: she demanded strict reporting and personal responsibility in everything from her subordinates. She was first called the “Iron Lady” by the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, the main publication of the USSR Ministry of Defense, in 1976, when Margaret Thatcher announced an increase in spending on nuclear defense.
During her years as Prime Minister of Great Britain, the woman carried out a number of economic reforms: she advocated increasing taxes, severely limited the activities of trade unions, and initiated the privatization of such giants as British Airways, British Telecom and British Gas.
The third term of premiership became the most difficult for the impenetrable Thatcher: her position on the economy caused dissatisfaction among both politicians and the public masses. The pressure was so strong that in 1990 the woman announced her resignation. In the same year, she received the honorary British Order of Merit, and two years later from Queen Elizabeth II - the title of Baroness and lifelong membership in the House of Lords.
Unbending Margaret and the postulates of Thatcherism
The era of the “Iron Lady” left behind a huge legacy - the political philosophy of Thatcherism, which consists of consistently following the chosen course despite the criticism and dissatisfaction of others. Some of the tenets of Thatcherism are still shared by members of the UK party.
Despite the harsh type of government, this woman remains a significant political figure who managed to put the British economy on its feet and strengthen the image of a world power. During the years of her premiership, the welfare of the British increased by 80%. Margaret Thatcher is also credited with victory in the Falklands War and close allied relations with the United States.
“The passion for victory burns in each of us. The will to win is a matter of training. And the method of victory is a matter of honor.”
And here we have prepared even more interesting materials for you!
Margaret Thatcher you will learn interesting facts from the life of the most famous woman in Great Britain in this article.
Margaret Thatcher interesting facts
Childhood
Margaret Thatcher(nee Roberts) was born on 13 October 1925 in Grantham, Lincolnshire. Her father Alfred Roberts owned groceries and took an active part in local politics and the life of the religious community. Margaret and her sister Muriel were brought up in strict traditions.
As a child, Maggie not only excellent student, but also played the piano, practiced field hockey, swimming, race walking, and took poetry courses.
For her sharp mind and equally sharp tongue, her classmates called Maggie Toothpick.
Chemistry and life
Margaret Thatcher was initially trained as a chemist and studied at Oxford University.
And she even worked as a research chemist for several years, developing emulsifiers for ice cream production.
Political career
While still a student, Margaret Roberts became chair of the Oxford University Conservative Party Association. From the early 1950s, she began to fight for a seat in parliament and in 1959 finally achieved her goal, becoming a member of the House of Commons.
She was nominated to the post of parliamentary undersecretary for pensions and state social insurance, then worked on issues of construction and land ownership, in the House of Commons she supported the retention of the death penalty and at the same time voted for the release of homosexuals from criminal liability.
In the late 1960s, she participated in the International Visits Program, through which she was able to meet with US politicians, and subsequently became a member of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet. In 1970, after the Conservatives came to power, Margaret Thatcher was appointed Secretary of State for Education and Science, a post she held until 1974. After the defeat of the Conservatives, Thatcher was the leader of the opposition.
First woman as prime minister
In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became the first and so far only woman to serve as Prime Minister of Great Britain. She served three terms in this post - the longest of any prime minister since 1827. She was also the first female prime minister of a European state.
In fact, it was Margaret Thatcher from 1979 to 1990 who was entrusted with solving the most important issues concerning the political course of Great Britain, since the head of government in Britain, although appointed by the monarch, performs many functions that nominally belong to the monarch.
"The Iron Lady"
Margaret Thatcher received this nickname for her conservative policies and tough, unbending character. A Soviet military journalist called her the first “iron lady” in response to harsh criticism of the USSR. Yuri Gavrilov in his article in the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper dated January 24, 1979. At the same time, she had not yet assumed the post of prime minister.
As translated by British journalists, the “iron lady” became “the iron lady,” and this nickname was subsequently firmly attached to Thatcher.
Assassination
In 1984, the Irish Republican Army attempted to assassinate Margaret Thatcher. Separatists planted a bomb in a Brighton hotel during the Conservative Party conference. Five people were killed, but Thatcher herself was not injured.
Personal life of Margaret Thatcher
Your husband, businessman Denis Thatcher, Margaret Roberts met back in 1949. They met at a dinner to celebrate Margaret's official confirmation as the Conservative Party candidate in Dartford. In 1951 they got married, and in 1953 twins Carol and Mark were born to this marriage.
Denis Thatcher was 10 years older than Margaret, and this was his second marriage. By coincidence, Denis Thatcher's first wife was also named Margaret.
Margaret and Denis Thatcher were married for many years. In her autobiography, Margaret wrote that without the support of her husband, she would never have become prime minister. After her resignation, Denis Thatcher received the title of baronet, and Margaret Thatcher, accordingly, became a baroness.
Denis Thatcher died in 2003; his famous wife survived him by 10 years.
Disease
In recent years, Margaret Thatcher rarely appeared in public due to health problems. She suffered several heart attacks and suffered from dementia (senile dementia). In 2012, she underwent surgery to remove a bladder tumor.
Politics Margaret Thatcher
As Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher introduced many major reforms in a variety of areas. She sought to change what she saw as the cause of Britain's decline.
Margaret Thatcher advocated reducing government intervention in the economy (deregulation), reducing the influence of trade unions, and reducing spending on the social sector. She also carried out privatization - the sale of many state-owned enterprises, and increased taxes. This caused the decline of the mining and manufacturing industries, but marked a stage in the transition to the production of services rather than goods.
At the same time, Thatcher's economic policies were responsible for rising unemployment, although the short and victorious Falklands War contributed to her popularity. After her resignation due to a split in the Conservative Party, Margaret Thatcher remained a member of the House of Commons for two more years.
Margaret Thatcher always sharply criticized the Soviet Union; communism was unacceptable to her. However, she believed that communist and capitalist countries could coexist through mutual compromise. In foreign policy, she was guided by the United States and always spoke harshly of Soviet political leaders. Only Mikhail Gorbachev she called "a person with whom she could deal."
Thatcher got the nickname "Milk Thief" from his Labor opponents. This is how they reacted to Thatcher’s order as Minister of Education to cancel the free distribution of milk to schoolchildren.
Margaret Thatcher was undoubtedly one of the most significant politicians of the last century. Many had relatively great achievements, but not everyone managed to leave behind an entire direction in politics - Thatcherism. What is it and who was its founder?
Margaret Thatcher - short biography
The future head of the British government was born in 1925 into the family of a grocer and lived in Grantham. After graduating from school, she entered Oxford University and first tried to get involved in chemical research.
At the age of twenty-five, Thatcher tried to participate in politics for the first time - he ran for parliamentary elections, but suffered a fiasco. Three years later she became a certified lawyer and practiced law until 1957. But even then the characteristic features of the Iron Lady appeared: she did not deviate from the course she had once taken and in 1959 she nevertheless became a parliamentarian. From that moment on, Thatcher's life was inextricably linked with politics.
Her career was steadily ascending: in 1961 she was appointed junior minister of pensions and social security. In 1970, Margaret Thatcher became Minister of Education. When the Conservatives lose the parliamentary elections in 1974, she leaves the government and heads them.
Top career
May 1979. The Tories win, and Thatcher gets the job of prime minister. It begins to implement a neo-conservative economic program, the core of which is the compression of government spending and the privatization of state property. Having suppressed the resistance of the miners, the Thatcher government in the mid-1980s maintained stable low prices for mineral raw materials and electricity. Inflation was stopped at the cost of rising unemployment.
In 1990, the majority of Conservatives disagreed with their leader in their views on the integration of England into the common European economy. Thatcher was a representative of the House of Commons for two years, and then left the political arena completely.
While still in charge of education and science, she showed her political views, trying to reduce government spending on education as much as possible. As Prime Minister, Thatcher acted much more broadly: she reduced spending on education and public utilities, and to help regions with a backward economic structure.
In the short term, the country's economy has invigorated. However, it is now clear that the strategic consequences of Thatcherism are extremely bad. Instead of the production sector of the economy, its financial component received unreasonably large weight.
Children of Margaret Thatcher and their fate
When children appeared in the life of the future tough politician, she instantly got rid of the responsibilities of raising them. As Thatcher's daughter's book Beyond the Parapet attests, the atmosphere in the house was more like an industrial refrigerator running at full capacity than a family retreat. A typical feature of Margaret was her desire for beautiful clothes. Carol carefully and comprehensively distanced herself from her family and made an excellent journalistic career. Mark seemed to be in a better position... however, in 1984, while participating in a car race in Paris, he disappeared without a trace and appeared only three days later. In general, he became a real shelaput.
Margaret Thatcher was called by many names: Toothpick, Milk Thief and Iron Lady. And, of course, the last nickname remains the most famous. And today, 92 years ago, Margaret Thatcher was born. She died at the age of 88 after a stroke. Millions of lines have already been written about the Iron Lady, and we decided to collect the most interesting facts about Margaret Thatcher on her birthday.
Interesting facts about Margaret Thatcher
Just like in some films, little Margaret and her sister lived in a small apartment above their father's grocery store. It must be said that in her apartment there was no hot water, or even a toilet.
Despite all this, Margaret studied very well, and not only that. In her free time, she managed to play field hockey, go swimming, practice walking and take poetry courses.
When Margaret Thatcher was 9 years old, she received a rather prestigious award at school. The teacher foolishly said that she was lucky. But the girl was not taken aback and objected, “No, I deserve it.”
And at school they called her Maggie Toothpick.
Margaret Thatcher's first love was taken away by her sister. A young farmer was caring for the girl, but suddenly he began to take a closer look at his sister, who was not at all like Maggie. She was not interested in political battles, but in housekeeping. A good choice for the farmer.
Margaret received her most famous nickname due to her harsh criticism of the USSR. After this, Red Star called Thatcher “the iron lady.” Everyone really liked the translation into English.
Thatcher's daughter became a journalist. She even wrote a book, "Beyond the Parapet." There she talked about calling her house this way: “a frozen closet, completely devoid of love.”
Since 2002, Margaret Thatcher's health began to fail her. She suffered several mini-strokes, suffered a broken arm, and suffered from dementia (senile dementia) for the rest of her life. In 2011, she was even invited to the wedding of William and Catherine Middleton, but poor health prevented her from getting there.
On October 13, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher would have celebrated her 91st birthday. The “Iron Lady,” as she was nicknamed for her firm and unyielding character, led the country for 11 years, from 1979 to 1990. Thatcher played a key role in shaping the image of her country on the world stage, forever going down in history as a far-sighted and wise politician capable of defending her interests.
Fact No. 1
Margaret Thatcher was the first and still remains the only woman to serve as Prime Minister of Great Britain, effectively leading the country's domestic and foreign policy. She held this post for three consecutive terms (11 years), which had not happened in England since the beginning of the 19th century.
She was also the first female prime minister in the history of European states.
Fact No. 2
Margaret Thatcher received the famous nickname “Iron Lady” thanks to an article by a Soviet journalist in the newspaper “Red Star”, who called her “the iron lady” for her harsh criticism of the Soviet Union. The British press translated this phrase as "iron lady". And Margaret Thatcher willingly took advantage of this nickname, conducting her first election campaign under the slogan “Britain needs an Iron Lady.”
Currently, “iron ladies” are women holding high leadership positions in business or government service, who are characterized by an unyielding character, a tough leadership style, and an unwillingness to compromise.
Fact No. 3
Margaret Thatcher came from a family of grocers, meaning she had neither the title, position, nor money to have additional opportunities for her political ambitions. All the more surprising is her path to the Prime Minister's chair. She spent 9 years just to become a member of the House of Commons, and after another 20 she became prime minister.
In order to overcome the inevitable pressure and mistrust of the dominant men in politics, she required unprecedented patience, strength of character and determination.
Fact No. 4
As Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher was able to lead the country out of the economic crisis of the late 1970s and restore Britain's image as a world power, although she used tough and unpopular measures, including the privatization of state-owned companies, monetarism, the curtailment of social programs and the refusal from supporting unpromising enterprises. Thanks to them, the government gained more than £29 billion from the sale of state-owned industrial enterprises and £18 billion from the sale of municipal buildings.
The policy she pursued was called “Thatcherism,” and is still a subject of controversy among ardent supporters and no less ardent opponents of Margaret Thatcher’s socio-economic reforms.
Fact No. 5
The “Iron Lady” was successful not only in politics, but also in family life. She lived with her husband Denis Thatcher in a happy marriage for many years. Her political career also did not prevent her from giving birth and raising two children.
In her autobiography, Margaret wrote that without the support of her husband, she would never have become prime minister.
Fact No. 6
Margaret Thatcher experienced many difficult moments in her political activity.
