Margaret Thatcher

About Margaret Thatcher

The first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the longest serving of the 20th century. Thatcher transformed the British economy through privatization, deregulation, and anti union policies known as Thatcherism. She fought the Falklands War in 1982 and won reelection. Thatchers close relationship with Ronald Reagan defined the 1980s conservative movement. She was called the Iron Lady by a Soviet journalist, a nickname she embraced. Her policies were controversial, devastating industrial communities while modernizing the economy. She was forced from power by her own party in 1990 over the unpopular poll tax.