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'''Margaret Hilda Thatcher''', now Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven (born October 13, 1925), was the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] from 1979 to 1990. She served longer in that post than any other British politician for more than 150 years, and is widely regarded as being, together with Sir [[Winston Churchill]], one of the most important British leaders of the twentieth century.

'''Margaret Hilda Thatcher''', now Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven (born October 13, 1925), was the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] from 1979 to 1990. She was the longest-serving Prime Minister for over 150 years, and is widely regarded as being, together with Sir [[Winston Churchill]], one of the most important British leaders of the twentieth century, and arguably also one of the greatest.

Lady Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative Party in February 1975. She became notable for her opposition to socialism and to the out-of-control power of the trade [[union]]s, which had brought down the previous Conservative government in 1974. She obtained victory in the May 1979 election, in which the Conservatives swept back into office.

Lady Thatcher's policies challenged the [[liberal]] consensus that had dominated British politics since the end of the [[Second World War]] (sometimes known as the "post-war consensus" or as "Butskellism"). She was strongly opposed to socialism and to the extensive powers wielded by the trade [[union]]s, who had been instrumental in bringing down the previous Conservative government in 1974. While in power, she dramatically cut taxes, returned many nationalised industries to private ownership, and restricted the powers of the unions (most notably in the coal industry, where she faced down a national strike in 1985-1986). The result was that the weakened British economy underwent a considerable revival, though unemployment was high at times and there was significant social upheaval. For these reasons, Lady Thatcher remains a highly divisive figure in the UK, arousing strong emotions both for and against the political ideology that she espoused.

While in power, Lady Thatcher returned many of the nationalised industries to private ownership, cut taxes extensively, and dramatically reduced the power of the unions, notably breaking their stranglehold over the coal and newspaper printing industries. She was renowned for her tenacious and principled leadership style. She famously told her party conference that "The lady's not for turning". When the Soviet press dubbed her "The Iron Lady", her political ally Enoch Powell turned the intended insult into a badge of honour.

Lady Thatcher was renowned for her tenacious and principled leadership style. She famously told her party conference that "The lady's not for turning". When the Soviet press dubbed her "The Iron Lady", her political ally Enoch Powell turned the intended insult into a badge of honour.

In foreign policy, Lady Thatcher was a strong anti-communist, a staunch ally of the [[United States of America]], and a personal friend of President [[Ronald Reagan]]. She led Britain to victory in the 1982 [[Falklands War]], which was precipitated by the [[Argentina|Argentine]] invasion of those islands. Though the United States were allies of both countries and initially tried to mediate between them, the Americans ultimately supported Britain, providing vital intelligence information.

In foreign policy, Lady Thatcher was a strong anti-communist, a staunch ally of the [[United States of America]], and a personal friend of President [[Ronald Reagan]]. She led Britain to victory in the 1982 [[Falklands War]], which was precipitated by the unprovoked [[Argentina|Argentine]] invasion of those islands, whose inhabitants wished to remain under British rule.

Thatcher won three general elections between 1979 and 1990, when she was ousted from power by her own party.

Lady Thatcher won three general elections between 1979 and 1990: she was never rejected by the British electorate. The British parliamentary system, however, allowed her party colleagues, led by the more liberal [[Michael Heseltine]], to remove her in November 1990 and replace her with [[John Major]].

[[Time Magazine]] wrote of Lady Thatcher: ''"She was the catalyst who set in motion a series of interconnected events that gave a revolutionary twist to the century's last two decades and helped mankind end the millennium on a note of hope and confidence. The triumph of capitalism, the almost universal acceptance of the market as indispensable to prosperity, the collapse of Soviet imperialism, the downsizing of the state on nearly every continent and in almost every country in the world — Margaret Thatcher played a part in all those transformations, and it is not easy to see how any would have occurred without her. Champion of free minds and markets, she helped topple the welfare state and make the world safer for capitalism"'' [http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/thatcher.html]

[[Time Magazine]] wrote of Lady Thatcher: ''"She was the catalyst who set in motion a series of interconnected events that gave a revolutionary twist to the century's last two decades and helped mankind end the millennium on a note of hope and confidence. The triumph of capitalism, the almost universal acceptance of the market as indispensable to prosperity, the collapse of Soviet imperialism, the downsizing of the state on nearly every continent and in almost every country in the world — Margaret Thatcher played a part in all those transformations, and it is not easy to see how any would have occurred without her. Champion of free minds and markets, she helped topple the welfare state and make the world safer for capitalism"'' [http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/thatcher.html]