Margaret Thatcher
1925–2013 · British (Grantham / London) · Cold War, Late 20th Century Britain
Known for: "The Iron Lady"—Britain's first female PM who crushed unions, privatized industry, and won the Falklands War
Thatcher was a grocer's daughter who became Britain's first female Prime Minister and one of the most consequential leaders of the 20th century. She privatized state industries, broke the power of trade unions (especially the miners), cut taxes, and allied closely with Ronald Reagan to confront the Soviet Union.
She won the Falklands War (1982), survived an IRA assassination attempt (Brighton bombing, 1984), and served 11 years before being ousted by her own party. She was loved and hated in roughly equal measure—'Thatcherism' transformed Britain permanently.
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