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'''Margaret Hilda Thatcher''', now Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven (born October 13, 1925), became the leader of the Conservatives in [[The United Kingdom]] in February 1975. She was opposed to socialism out the of control union power that had brought down the previous Conservative government in 1974 and ran on these issues, resulting in her being elected as Prime Minister in May 1975 with the Conservatives sweeping into power. She sold many of the nationalized industries back to private investors and made tax cuts. Thatcher stood up against the powerful Labour Party unions, thus encouraging the British coal and newspaper industries by breaking the power of the corrupt unions who had a stranglehold over these industries. Due to her strong standards and her leadership style, she became known as the "Iron Lady," a term originally coined as an insult by the communist [[Soviet Union]], but one she adopted with glee. Another famous statement of hers is that "the lady is not for turning" Thatcher was always a strong supporter of the the [[United States of America]], and was a good friend of their President [[Ronald Reagan]], uniting with him in actions against the Communists. She led Britain to victory against [[Argentina]] in a 1982 war over ownership of the [[Falkland Islands]], and though the United States were allies of both countries and did initially try to wager a negotiated settlement, when that failed the Americans supported Britain and not Argentina with vital intelligence information. Thatcher won 3 elections between 1979 and her ousting from power by her own party in 1990. Margaret Thatcher was the longest serving Prime Minister for more than 150 years, and alongside Winston Churchill, many consider her to be one of the two most important British political 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 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

[[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]