One woman who I have always wanted to study and research is Margaret Thatcher. To be totally honest I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps because she is such an iconic woman in British Politics, earning herself the title 'Iron Lady.' But yet, I have never really come across her in any history module through GCSE, A level or University. For my 5,000 word piece of coursework at A level I really wanted to write about her. However, because she was active through the 1970s and 80s, not enough time had passed for any significant amount of historiography to have happened. Because of this, I was told that I could not choose her as a topic. So, because I have a blog and because I have completed a sufficient amount of work today I decided I would do my own little bit of research on Margaret Thatcher and create a blog. Two preconceptions I have of Margaret Thatcher is that she:-
- Caused the miner's strike (I learnt this from Billy Elliott)
- and ended free milk in schools for children over the age of seven (I learnt this from the bitter people I know over the age of around 40).
Thatcher was born in October 1925 and is the longest serving British Prime Minister, serving from 1979 to 1990. She became a member of parliament for Finchley in the 1959 general election and in 1970, Edward Heath appointed her Secretary of State for Education and Science. After winning the 1979 general election Thatcher became Prime Minister. What appeals to me about the study of Thatcher is how perceptions of her are so divided among people.When the time comes, Thatcher will receive a state funeral which is a rare honour. For some, her death will be an occasion of great joy, however, for others it will be a time of grief.
Even in 1978, one year before Thatcher became Prime Minister, Denis Healey, a British Labour politician and Chancellor of the Exchequer began to impose tight monetary controls and deep cuts were made in public spending on education and health. These public spending cuts led to a wave of strikes and the Labour Party were defeated by the Conservatives in the 1979 general election. In Thatchers first year as Prime Minister inflation was reduced, but unemployment doubled and in 1981, Sir Geoffrey Howe, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced further spending cuts. At this time, opinion polls declared Thatcher as being the most unpopular prime minister in British History.
Thatcher would become even more unpopular with those who worked as a miner in the mid 1980s. At this time it was announced by the Conservative government that they intended to close 20 coal mines. 20,000 jobs would be lost and communities in the north of England, Scotland and Wales would lose their primary source of employment. As a result of this, miners in various coal fields began strike action. The strike lasted almost a year but was unsuccessful and as a result Thatcher had managed to destroy the strength of the Trade Unions.
I have come across Thatcher briefly in my own dissertation. Due to there being no censorship over journalism in the Vietnam War and America suffering a severe defeat, Thatcher was adamant to handle things differently during the Falklands War. The Falklands War represented a sharp shift in media restrictions during a military conflict. Thatcher's triumph in handling the press and liberating the Falkland Islands in 1982 set the seal on Britain reclaiming its status as a major world power. Argentine dictator General Leopoldo Galtieri ordered forces to invade the islands believing that Britain did not have the strength to defend the interests of a remote collection of small islands. Dictator Galtieri could not have been more wrong.
Thatcher on a tank. I chose this, because it's awesome.
Photo credit: google.com/images
