Margaret Thatcher

Biography

Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979 as Britain's first female Prime Minister, elected on a platform of rolling back the state and confronting what she saw as national decline. By early 1982, her government faced low poll ratings, rising unemployment, and deep social unrest. The Argentine invasion of the Falklands transformed her political fortunes: she immediately convened a war cabinet and authorised the assembly of the Task Force, overruling advisers who doubted the operation's feasibility and facing down pressure from the United States to negotiate. Thatcher's handling of the war was decisive and personal. She approved the sinking of the Belgrano despite its controversial circumstances and maintained public confidence through 74 days of high risk. The British victory produced a wave of patriotic feeling that swept her to a landslide re-election in 1983. She served as Prime Minister until 1990, reshaping British economic and social policy in ways that remain fiercely debated. The Falklands War was the defining moment of her premiership — the point at which 'the Iron Lady' became more than a nickname.

Key Battles