A BRIEF HISTORY
On May 4, 1979, Margaret Thatcher, the leader of the Conservative Party, was sworn in as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first woman to lead a major Western Power in the era of elected leaders. Known as “The Iron Lady,” a name bestowed upon her by Soviets, Thatcher served from 1979 to 1990, resigning in 1990 after maintaining only a slim majority of support of her own party.
DIGGING DEEPER
Thatcher, born Margaret Hilda Roberts in 1925, was Oxford educated in Chemistry went on to work as a chemist before studying the law and becoming a barrister (lawyer). By 1950 Margaret was already partaking of the political world, running for office and marrying Denis Thatcher in 1951. Thatcher became a Member of Parliament in 1959 and served in the House of Commons until 1992 when she was granted a peerage, then serving in the House of Lords for the remainder of her life. Margaret served as the Education and Science Secretary from 1970 to 1974 and then as Opposition Leader from 1975 to 1979 when the Conservatives took power and Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the UK and the first elected leader of a major Western country in the era of elected leaders. During her time as Prime Minister Thatcher was widely regarded as the most powerful woman in the world.
Thatcher meeting Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the Niavaran Complex, 30 April 1978
Much more so than being proud of being the first woman to become Prime Minister, Thatcher was proud to be the first scientist (chemist) elected as Prime Minister of the UK. (Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany since 2005, also proudly wears the distinction of having a scientific background.)
Merkel with Vladimir Putin, 2002
During her tenure as Prime Minister, Thatcher espoused typical conservative values, such as maximum privatization (privatisation in the UK) and tax policies that favored business and industry. A Cold Warrior, she was seen as a key ally to US President Ronald Reagan against Soviet hegemony. Her decisive stance against the Argentine seizing of the Falkland Islands and the taking back of those islands by force cemented her legacy as “The Iron Lady.”
Map outlining the British recapture of the islands
After leaving office, Thatcher remained active in the political world, never hesitating to voice her opinions, such as advocating for NATO intervention in Yugoslavia in the 1990’s and criticism of Britain’s ready inclusion in the decision to invade Iraq in 2003, although she did profess a desire to topple Saddam Hussein. By 2005 family members reported Thatcher was suffering from dementia. Failing health in her later years did not completely stop her from attending ceremonial events, and she died of a stroke in 2013 at the age of 87. Thatcher had been given numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from US President George W. Bush and is the author of 3 books. She was named a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter in 1995. Her husband, Denis Thatcher, died in 2003, but was awarded a hereditary title in 1990, the last person outside of the Royal Family so honored.
Thatcher in 1984
Since the elevation of Margaret Thatcher to power in the UK, Canada and Germany have had women elected as leaders of the country, but not Spain, France, Italy or the United States. The US came closest to electing a female leader when Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in the 2016 Presidential election but lost the Electoral College vote to Donald Trump. When will other major Western Powers elect female leaders? It does seem inevitable, but how long must women wait?
Please feel free to give us your predictions on when the US and other countries will finally elect a woman as leader of the country. Any predictions as to the first female US President? (Who and when?)
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Campbell, John. The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, from Grocer’s Daughter to Prime Minister. Penguin Books, 2011.
Thatcher, Margaret. Margaret Thatcher: The Autobiography. Harper Perennial, 2013.
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Major Dan
MAJOR DAN
Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.
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