Margaret Thatcher Iron Lady: UK’s first female PM

One of the most dominant and influential female figures of the 20th century is Baroness Margaret Thatcher “Iron Lady.” She was the leader of the Conservative Party and the first female to hold office as a prime minister in Britain. She is known for her conservative and firm ideology. Here’s how she went from a chemistry student to the most powerful woman in Great Britain. The Margaret Thatcher biography of the Iron Lady follows.

Childhood and early life

Margaret Hilda Roberts was her given name, and she was born on October 13, 1925, in Grantham, England. She spent her childhood in Grantham, where her parents ran a grocery shop.

She first came in touch with politics as a very young girl, since her father, Alfred Roberts, was in the town’s council. He was later the mayor of Grantham. He had a great impact on the young Maggie and is considered one of the reasons why she got into politics.

Margaret attended the Grantham Girls’ High School, a local grammar school.  There, she stood out for her leadership skills and dedication to studying.

Oxford University

In 1943, at the age of 18, Roberts (aka Margaret Thatcher, Iron Lady) applied for a scholarship at Somerville College, Oxford. It was there that she studied chemistry.

Oxford University provided quality education and Thatcher graduated in 1947, earning a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry. One of her professors was Dorothy Hodgkin, who won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1964.

During her time at Oxford, she was politically active. For example, Thatcher became the president of the Oxford University Conservative Association.

After graduation, she worked as a research chemist in Essex. Soon, though, her political aspirations took over her focus.

Early political career of Margaret Thatcher, Iron Lady

Margaret Thatcher tested out political waters and got a major step forward in 1950. At age 24, she was elected as the Dartford Conservative Association candidate for the parliamentary seat.

She was the youngest female candidate in this general election. When this news reached the West German Press, they published the following description of young Thatcher:

junge Dame mit Charme (meaning “young lady with charm”)

Perhaps this was her first big impact on the public. She was fearless, well-prepared, and a great spokesman, much like Nellie McClung.

Although she lost both the 1950 and 1951 elections, she still made a change in process. She managed to reduce the Labour majority, for instance, and got the attention of the media as a young female candidate.

Following this event, she then married Denis Thatcher. She spent time studying for the bar and soon became a qualified barrister. She specialized in tax law, something few people know about her education.

Then, in 1953, she became a mother, giving birth to twins, a son and a daughter.

Member of Parliament

After a brief break from politics to raise her children, Thatcher soon got back to it looking for a seat in Parliament. In 1958, she became a candidate for Finchley and was elected Conservative MP in the 1959 election.

“As soon as she became an MP, Thatcher showed just how fearless and confident she was. She gave powerful speeches and acted according to her instincts, without hesitation” says Mila Pearson, an essayist from Grab My Essay.

On the rise

Thatcher continued to rise within the Conservative party. It was a slow and steady progression throughout the years.

The rumor was that she was a potential prime minister candidate in her 20’s. But, she still had a long political road ahead of her. As she advanced, Margaret Thatcher Iron Lady took on many different roles:

• Parliamentary Undersecretary at the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance (1961-64)
• Chief opposition spokesman on education (1969-70)
• Secretary of State for Education and Science (1970-74)

In addition, she became a member of the Shadow Cabinet. All of this helped her gain experience to later become the first female PM of the UK, making it important for this Margaret Thatcher biography of the Iron Lady.

When, in 1970, Thatcher took charge of the education and science department. Her controversial moves there gave her the nickname “Thatcher, the milk snatcher” since she abolished free milk for school children.

She became known for being courageous, and always saying what she thought, regardless of what others might think of her.

In 1975, the Conservative Party took a negative turn, looking weak in the public eye and many people started to doubt them. Margaret Thatcher Iron Lady came across as the best replacement as leader at this time.

Why was Margaret Thatcher the Iron Lady?

She was well-known for having strong leadership skills. That is a big reason why she rose to be the main challenger and elected as the new head of her party.

She was anti-communism and pro-free capitalism. The Soviet press gave her the nickname “The Iron Lady” after a 1976 speech she gave against communism.

Then, in 1979. the Conservative Party won the general election and she became the first female prime minister of the UK.

READ ABOUT JACINDA ARDERN, another inspiring woman in politics

Margaret Thatcher biography of the Iron Lady: Her work as prime minister

During her years as PM of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher had challenges to face and battles to fight.

She fought against rising unemployment and tried to lower inflation by raising interest rates. She also fought for the independence of the individual from the state and wanted to reduce government interference with the economy as part of her policies.

Still, the tensions were rising during her first term and the inability to fight the statistics and stop the rising unemployment made her very unpopular.

What saved her and helped her to win a second term in 1983 was the war she led against Argentina to free the British territory of the Falkland Islands. She won the war and gained public sympathy again.

Then, Thatcher was re-elected for a third term. But, she resigned in 1990. The main reason for her stepping down was due to a very unpopular fixed tax that she tried to introduce and the resignation of her Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe.

She left 10 Downing Street in December of 1990.

Margaret Thatcher, Iron Lady: The legacy she leaves

After her resignation, Thatcher wrote several memoirs and gave public appearances. Her biography became a jajor motion picture in 2011, with Meryl Streep playing the role of the Iron Lady.

She died in 2013, at the age of 87, after suffering a stroke. Thatcher’s legacy is as UK’s first female prime minister and a great leader of Britain during a difficult time.

To conclude this Margaret Thatcher biography, she is one of the strongest female public figures in history. She is an inspiration to many women.  She’s often mentioned in essays about female power and independence.

About today’s writer

Angela Baker is a self-driven specialist who is currently working as a freelance writer at Studicus writing services and is trying to improve herself and her blogging career. She continually looks for new ways to grow, personally and professionally.

That’s why Angela develops and improves her skills throughout the writing process to help to inspire people. Also, she writes for LiveInspiredMagazine, rounding out her professional writing career.

 

Top photo: Margaret Thatcher at Camp David, 1984. Courtesy of PawelMM, public domain, via Wikipedia.