Margaret Thatcher

British Prime Minister · 1925–2013

Who is Margaret Thatcher?

Margaret Thatcher was the Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, the first woman to hold the office and one of the dominant political figures of twentieth-century Britain. A trained chemist and barrister before entering politics, she rose through the Conservative Party to lead a government that pursued sweeping economic reform, earning her the nickname "the Iron Lady". Her premiership was defined in April 1982 by the Falklands War, when Argentina invaded the British overseas territory; Thatcher ordered a naval task force to sail some 8,000 miles to retake the islands, a campaign that ended in British victory on 14 June 1982 after seventy-four days of conflict. Her handling of the war, including her famously terse public reaction to the recapture of South Georgia, cemented her reputation for resolve and significantly boosted her domestic standing ahead of the 1983 general election. She went on to serve three consecutive terms as Prime Minister before resigning in 1990.

Sources: Margaret Thatcher, Wikipedia · Rejoice (Margaret Thatcher), Wikipedia · Margaret Thatcher Foundation, speeches and statements archive

Quotes by Margaret Thatcher

“Just rejoice at that news and congratulate our forces and the Marines.”

Thatcher's spontaneous remark to reporters outside 10 Downing Street on the recapture of South Georgia became the defining sound bite of Britain's mood at the start of the Falklands War.

Margaret Thatcher

Source: Margaret Thatcher, remarks to journalists outside 10 Downing Street, 25 April 1982, following the recapture of South Georgia; widely documented, including in the Margaret Thatcher Foundation archive and BBC News.