Former British PM Margaret Thatcher dead at 87

Today marks the passing of a true titan of the West, as former PM Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain has passed away at the age of 87. Having begun her life as the daughter of a grocer, by the time of her death, her force of personality, loyalty to the free-market and democratic principles and unbreakable resolve had made the co-called Iron Lady an icon the world over, scorned by many, revered by many more, an indisputably leaving an impact on Britain and the world. She began her life as the daughter of a man who owned two groceries in Lincolnshire, and after showing a habit for stern resolve and smart solutions as a student and a chemist, before getting elected to Parliament in 1959. It would be here in the House of Commons where she would be one of several vocal voices among the Conservative Party who reformed it from ‘an Old Boy’s Club’ to its modern shape of the party of the British middle-class, entrepreneurs and industrialists, as well as being a vocal voice against leftism. Under Prime Minister Edward Heath, she would be appointed head of the Ministry of Education, where she would both expand and reform the education system of the British Isles, while cutting costs throughout. Following Heath’s loss in 1974, whereupon her return to the House of Commons, she would be elected leader of the Opposition. Following a series of strikes in the late 1970s, and a vote of no confidence resulting in a conservative majority, Margaret Thatcher would be elected Prime Minister, making her the first non-royal woman to lead Britain, and with the exception of Israel’s Golda Meir, the first woman to lead a western nation. Her reign as Prime Minister would be marked domestically by her brand of ideology known as Thatcherism, which despite a rough start, would begin a number of needed reforms across Britain, dismantling the nanny state that had left Britain that had crippled to the degree that it was known as ‘The Sick Man of Europe’, as well as privatizing many nationalized industries, weakening the trade-unions, and supporting free market reforms and improvements to both infrastructure and education. Though there was much opposition, by the time she’d left office, Britain’s economy and national outlook were the best they’d been in decades, and the thriving economy the nation now hosts is largely thanks to Thatcher, whose ideology has for the most part become a keystone of British policy that Peter Mandelson, a high-ranking member of the Labour Party, would declare ‘We are all Thatcherites now’.

Of course, she would leave just as big a mark on the world at large. This was most notable in her successful efforts to reverse the retreat of Great Britain as a global power, most notably in opposing Argentine irredentism in the Falklands. In addition, along with President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, she was a vocal opponent of both Communism and authoritarianism, and was quickly dubbed ‘The Iron Lady’ by the Soviets – she would prove her mettle was stronger than even the Iron Curtain, supporting anti Communist measures ranging from the Polish Solidarity movement to placing American missiles in Great Britain would in time force the Soviet Union to crumple, something that has made her a hero to both Eastern Europe and anti-Communists the world over since her tenure.

Following much controversy over her moves to work with European integration, she would resign as Prime Minister in 1990, and would spend the next decade or so as a public speaker and political thinker, before generally receding from public life following a series of strokes in 2002 – her last major public appearance would be at the funeral of her close friend and ideological partner, President Ronald Reagan, where she was one of the speakers. Even today, her supporters and detractors are divided over their opinions over her legacy – a debate that most recently popped up last year concerning a film biopic, the aptly named Iron Lady, which sparked controversy over Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Thatcher as a frail forgetful old woman, which many detractors – myself included – lambasted for misplaying a woman who should best be remembered for her strength. Regardless, many on both sides agree she was a fine stateswoman and a courageous leader who stood up for what she felt was right, fought for reform that she felt necessary, and offered uncompromising leadership in the proud tradition of Briton’s from Elizabeth I to Winston Churchill, and made Britain and the world better for it.

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