Margaret Thatcher biography, cause and age of death, career timeline, family, husband

Biography of Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher (née Roberts) was the most authoritative British political leader since Winston Churchill. She served as Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, longer than anyone in modern Europe. From 1975 to 1990, she led the Conservative Party, and in 1992 she received the noble title of Baroness.

She broke barriers as the UK's first female Prime Minister, Europe's first female head of government, and the only British PM in the 20th century to win three consecutive elections. She ranked 16th in the BBC's poll of the "100 Greatest Britons" among the country's residents.

She earned her place in world history as the "Iron Lady" – brave, sometimes unbearable, and unwavering in her political decisions despite massive public protests. She championed fierce anti-communist and neoconservative views, implementing policies dubbed "Thatcherism" – the belief that individuals should solve their own problems without depending on the state. According to some politicians, such as former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, she played a significant role in ending the Cold War.

Childhood and Youth

Margaret Hilda Roberts was born on October 13, 1925, in Grantham, a small Lincolnshire town in eastern England that also gave the world Isaac Newton. Her father, Alfred Roberts, owned a grocery and tobacco shop while also serving as a Methodist Church preacher and town council member – eventually becoming mayor from 1945 to 1946. Her mother, Beatrice Ethel, née Stephenson, was a professional seamstress. They also had an older daughter, Muriel.

Margaret Thatcher with her sister as a child

Margaret was always "daddy's girl." Her father greatly influenced her views and life. He encouraged her curiosity, developed her ability to firmly and reasonably defend her point of view, and instilled in her a sense of duty and the importance of new knowledge. Together they read books, attended lectures on history and culture, and listened to political broadcasts on the radio. She often accompanied her father to council meetings.

From 1930 to 1936, she attended Huntingtower Road Primary School, then won a scholarship to study at Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School. Thanks to her father's lessons about independence from public opinion, classmates found her conceited and nicknamed her "the Toothpick."

Margaret Thatcher with her parents and sister

Young Roberts devoted much time to her studies but also participated in poetry evenings, played the piano, and worked hard in sports sections. At one school awards ceremony, 9-year-old Maggie boldly declared, "No, I wasn't lucky. I earned it." Years later, biographers noted that while she lacked exceptional natural talents, her diligence, hard work, and discipline made her the top student. The most powerful woman in Britain loved to be first in everything since childhood.

In 1943, she entered the prestigious Somerville College, Oxford, where she began studying chemistry. Remaining true to her father's teachings and still passionate about politics, she joined the Conservative Association of the traditionally liberal university and became its chairperson a few years later (the first woman to hold this position).

Career Development

In 1947, Margaret graduated with a Bachelor of Science, earning second-class honors. She initially worked in Colchester, Essex, where she actively participated in the local Conservative Party. Later, she moved to Dartford, Kent, where at just 24, she made her first bid for Parliament.

She lost the 1950 election—the town's residents backed Labour. But she caught media attention as both the only woman and youngest candidate in the race.

Margaret Thatcher at the beginning of her political career (1950s)

In 1953, Thatcher became a barrister, specializing in tax law until 1961. She lost again in 1955 but finally won a parliamentary seat in 1959.

Early Margaret Thatcher Interview at Start of Political Career (1960)

In the Conservative government, she served as a junior minister. After the Tories lost in 1964, she joined the Shadow Cabinet, handling land and housing issues. She hammered Labour over high taxes and championed Britons' right to buy their own homes.

In 1967, the U.S. Embassy in London chose Margaret as a rising leader for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). For six weeks, she toured the United States, studying American society and institutions. She later said the American way of life left an "indelible impression" on her.

Margaret Thatcher interviews 1971-1979

In 1970, the Conservatives returned to power, and Margaret—now a seasoned politician—headed the Ministry of Education as the government's only woman. To cut costs, she ended state-funded free milk for schoolchildren aged 7 to 11. The move sparked fierce criticism from Labour, who branded her the "milk snatcher." She later reflected that she'd learned a harsh lesson—she "provoked maximum political hatred for minimum political gain."

Protests against the abolition of free milk for schoolchildren

In 1975, the Conservatives lost power, but Thatcher kept her ministerial role even under the Liberal government. More importantly, she won the party leadership race, becoming the first woman in UK history to lead a major political party. She would soon show the qualities that made her a truly historic figure.

As Prime Minister

First Term

In 1979, the Conservative victory in the House of Commons elections made Margaret Thatcher the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She secured this position by just one vote, launching what would become her 11-year reign.

The primary task of her government was to combat inflation. The Prime Minister worked aggressively to fix the financial system, implementing a series of tough economic reforms, reducing the role of the state in the market and slashing government spending. At the same time, she pushed through anti-union legislation to tackle the constant strikes that were crippling the economy.

Margaret Thatcher arrives at the party headquarters after election day

The controversial leadership methods of the "Iron Lady" caused dissatisfaction among opposition members and some within her own party. Sometimes, riots broke out in urban neighborhoods. However, the Prime Minister remained steadfast and true to what she believed was right.

By the end of 1981, her approval rating fell to 25 percent, the lowest in British history. But by early 1982, Margaret's efforts finally paid off: the economy started bouncing back, and her popularity with voters began climbing again.

The Prime Minister held weekly meetings with Queen Elizabeth to discuss and exchange opinions. Thatcher later wrote in her memoirs that these weren't just ceremonial meetings—they actually influenced major decisions.

The peak of the Prime Minister's popularity came in April 1982, when she responded decisively to Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands by dispatching a naval task force to reclaim the territory. In June, British control over the islands was restored.

Thatcher announces the Falklands invasion to the House of Commons

The victory was a genuine triumph that restored national pride across Britain. As a result, she was re-elected for a second term in the 1983 parliamentary elections.

Second Term

During her tenure, Thatcher achieved stable economic growth. Council house tenants were given the right to buy their homes. State enterprises, including the gas giant British Gas, the airline British Airways, and the telecommunications company British Telecom, were privatized, turning ordinary Britons into shareholders while cutting unemployment. Her policies transformed London's City into the financial capital of the world.

Margaret Thatcher at the Downing Street residence

In 1984, in response to the closure of several mines, the National Union of Mineworkers declared a nationwide strike. Violent clashes between protesters and police occurred during the strike. Margaret refused to back down and won the standoff with the miners, but lost their support forever.

During that period, she survived an assassination attempt: the IRA bombed the Brighton hotel where the Conservative Party conference was being held. Five people died in the attack. Thatcher was unharmed and opened the party conference the next day, which boosted her popularity.

Her foreign policy aimed to strengthen Britain's role on the world stage. The "Iron Lady" built close relations with Ronald Reagan and surprisingly forged an alliance with Mikhail Gorbachev, recognizing his reformist instincts. She played a key role in the dramatic thaw between East and West.

Third Term

In 1987, Thatcher won the parliamentary elections for the third consecutive time, something unprecedented in British politics. Immediately afterward, she introduced new unpopular measures (cutting subsidies to state enterprises and aid to depressed regions, reducing social spending) and taxes, sparking the most violent street protests in modern British history. Around 70,000 Londoners participated in the demonstrations, which escalated into riots in Trafalgar Square, injuring 113 people.

Two years later, the "Iron Lady" faced a challenge to her party leadership. However, in November 1990, almost the entire cabinet opposed her leadership, defying both public protests and her own party colleagues, and she announced her resignation. In 1992, after the Conservatives lost power, she also resigned from her parliamentary duties.

Life After Politics

After leaving Downing Street, Thatcher remained active in public life in the United Kingdom. She criticized the Maastricht Treaty, which led to the creation of the European Union, condemned ethnic cleansing during the Bosnian War, publicly supported the US missile defense program, and wrote books and memoirs.

In 1992, she received the title of Baroness, and two years later, a life peerage, joining the House of Lords. In 1995, she was awarded the title of Lady of the Order of the Garter, the highest order of knighthood in the country. In 2001, she was awarded the "Golden Medal of Chiswick" for outstanding achievements.

The Queen personally visited Thatcher during the celebrations of her 70th and 80th birthdays.

Margaret Thatcher's Personal Life

Long before she became one of the 20th century's most talked-about political figures, she met her first love during her college years. The young man happened to be the son of an earl. His parents refused to let him get involved with a greengrocer's daughter, and he complied, breaking young Roberts' heart.

Her next suitor was a farmer from Scotland, but their relationship also did not go far. Intimidated by her career ambitions and worldly outlook, he turned his attention to her sister, Muriel, instead.

Margaret married a divorced, wealthy industrialist and staunch conservative, Denis Thatcher, who was 10 years older. They met in 1948 at a party conference where Maggie's parliamentary candidacy was approved.

He fell for the intelligent, strong-willed young woman at first sight, courted her with style, and they married in 1951. Gossips claimed Thatcher married for convenience—she needed his money for law school and to fund her political ambitions. But those close to the couple insisted their relationship was the real deal. The couple stayed together for 52 years, with her husband serving as Margaret's unwavering support throughout.

In 1953, she gave birth to twins, Carol and Mark. Despite her hectic schedule, the politician still cooked for her husband personally while a nanny looked after the children. Margaret always dedicated weekends to her family. Her children, however, never forgave her for putting the country's needs above everything else.

From childhood, Mark showed neither exceptional intelligence nor exemplary behavior. He never found great success in auto racing or business, but he did land himself in a major international scandal, earning a four-year suspended sentence and hefty fine. In his first marriage to American Diane Burgdorf, he had two children—Michael and Amanda. In 2008, he didn't even invite his mother to his wedding to second wife Sarah-Jane Russell, daughter of a prominent London developer.

But Margaret felt even more wounded by her daughter Carol, who published the tell-all book "Swimming with Goldfish." The book detailed how the 82-year-old former prime minister was losing her mental sharpness—forgetting what she'd eaten for breakfast, that her husband had died in 2003, and more. The public received this work very coldly.

When Margaret Thatcher's final moments came, none of her close family were by her side—her children and grandchildren all lived abroad.

Death

As the new millennium began, Thatcher's health took a sharp turn for the worse. In 2002, Baroness Thatcher suffered a minor stroke, and in 2005, she was diagnosed with dementia. In 2012, she underwent surgery to remove a bladder tumor. On April 8, 2013, the Iron Lady died. The official cause of death was a stroke.

The farewell ceremony for the former Prime Minister took place at St. Paul's Cathedral. She received full military honors. Queen Elizabeth II attended the funeral, honoring the leader who steered Britain through one of its most turbulent eras. Before this, only one British Prime Minister had received such an honor – Winston Churchill. Following her final wishes, she was laid to rest at the Royal Hospital Chelsea alongside her husband.

Her death sparked the same polarized reactions that defined her career: admirers mourned the end of an era while critics literally turned their backs on her funeral procession, celebrating with songs like "The Witch is Dead." Rarely has a political figure commanded such power in office or inspired such fierce devotion and hatred in equal measure.

Interesting Facts

In 2007, she became the first living former Prime Minister in UK history to be honored with a statue inside Parliament. The statue stands in the lobby of the House of Commons, opposite the statue of her political idol, Winston Churchill.

She personally scripted her own funeral down to the last detail. Media outlets hailed the ceremony as uniquely grand, rivaling Princess Diana's funeral in scale and spectacle.

Her life has inspired countless books, plays, and films. The most famous film, "The Iron Lady," was released in 2011. Meryl Streep played the main role and won an Oscar for it. Thatcher herself, however, wasn't impressed with the portrayal.

Important Life Events

1943-1947 – Studied at Somerville College, Oxford.
1950 – First attempt to be elected to Parliament.
1951 – Marriage.
1953 – Birth of children Mark and Carol.
1959-1992 – Member of the House of Commons.
1967 – Visited the USA as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
1970-1974 – Minister of Education and Science.
1975-1990 – Leader of the Conservative Party.
1979-1990 – Prime Minister.
1982 – Victory in the Falklands.
1984 – IRA assassination attempt on her and her cabinet.
1992 – Title of Baroness.
1994 – Received a life peerage and joined the House of Lords.
1995 – Awarded the Order of the Garter, Britain's highest order of knighthood.
2001 – Received the Chesney Gold Medal.
2007 – Became the first Prime Minister to have a statue erected in the Parliament building during their lifetime.
April 8, 2013 – Date of death.

Photos: Margaret Thatcher