Presentation about Margaret Thatcher

three consecutive terms in office. She is one of the

dominant political figures of 20th century Britain, and Thatcherism continues to have a huge influence.

Grantham, Lincolnshire, the daughter of a grocer. She went to

Oxford University and then became a research chemist, retraining to become a barrister in 1954. In 1951, she married a wealthy businessman, Denis Thatcher, with whom she had two children.

London in 1959, serving as its MP until 1992. Her

first parliamentary post was junior minister for pensions in Harold Macmillan's government. From 1964 to 1970, when Labour were in power, she served in a number of positions in Edward Heath's shadow cabinet. Heath became prime minister in 1970 and Thatcher was appointed secretary for education.

for the leadership of the party and, to the surprise

of many, won. In the 1979 general election, the Conservatives came to power and Thatcher became prime minister.

of the trade unions, the lowering of taxes and reduced

social expenditure across the board, Thatcher's policies succeeded in reducing inflation, but unemployment dramatically increased.

opposition helped Thatcher win a landslide victory in the 1983

general election. In 1984, she narrowly escaped death when the IRA planted a bomb at the Conservative party conference in Brighton.

relationship with US president Ronald Reagan, based on a common

mistrust of communism, combined with free-market economic ideology. Thatcher was nicknamed the 'Iron Lady' by the Soviets. She warmly welcomed the rise of reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

term in office. But controversial policies, including the poll tax

and her opposition to any closer integration with Europe, produced divisions within the Conservative Party which led to a leadership challenge. In November 1990, she agreed to resign and was succeeded as party leader and prime minister by John Major.

House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven.