Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman Prime Minister in 1979 and led the Conservative Party until 1990. Tough and determined, she earned the nickname the "Iron Lady".

Britain in Crisis

Thatcher came to power after a decade of economic trouble. The 1970s had seen high inflation, frequent strikes, and the "Winter of Discontent" of 1978-79 when rubbish piled up and the dead went unburied. Many wanted radical change.

Thatcherism

Her ideas, known as Thatcherism, aimed to "roll back the state". She championed the free market, cut taxes, and sold off nationalised industries in a process called privatisation (British Telecom, British Gas, British Airways). She let millions of council tenants buy their homes through "right to buy", deregulated the City of London (the "Big Bang"), and set out to break the power of the trade unions.

Triumph and Conflict

Victory in the Falklands War (1982) restored national pride and made her hugely popular, helping her win three general elections. Yet her policies came at a cost: unemployment rose above three million, manufacturing declined, and a sharp North-South divide opened up. Her confrontations with the unions - above all the miners - and later the hated poll tax made her one of the most admired and most hated leaders Britain has ever had.

Year 9 Democracy and Dictatorship

Margaret Thatcher and the 1980s