Margaret Thatcher: Biography of the Iron Lady
- jessicadawnruiz
- Jun 25, 2015
- 5 min read

Jessica Ruiz
03/23/2013
LDSP 600-01
Every great nation is founded on the leadership and guidance of strong individuals given positions of power, and, on October 13, 1925, one such leader was born in the small town of Grantham in Lincolnshire, England. Margaret Hilda Roberts, later becoming Margaret Thatcher, was Britain's first female prime minister, and she paved the way in the 20th century for future female leaders around the world. Her accomplishments were vast, and it is because of her hard work and determination in regards to every project on which she embarked that allowed her nickname, the Iron Lady, to stand the test of time.
Thatcher was raised in a modest home. Her father and mother were grocers, and they instilled into young Thatcher the importance of maintaining religion in life as they were devout Methodists. Aside from learning the disciplines of running a business, she also was regularly receiving early exposure to the nature of leadership. Her father, Alfred Roberts, played a political role in their community as a town council member for a period of 16 years. He later went on to become an alderman. His methods were influential, and from 1945-1946, he even served as mayor of Grantham. This gave young Margaret Thatcher continual exposure to effective leadership style and execution.
Like many of us, Thatcher was unsure of what she really planned to do with the rest of her life when she was of college age. When she enrolled at Oxford University in 1943, she studied chemistry, and, following graduation, she found valuable work in research chemistry. However, like her father, she found ways to offer her guidance during her college career, and she served as president of the Oxford Union Conservative Association in 1946. While her role as a chemist was a lucrative one, she felt an internal pull toward politics, and she made various efforts to put herself in this arena.
Her first attempt was made in 1950. She ran for parliament of Dartford with the catchy slogan of “Vote Right to Keep What's Left.” Although she did not win that year or the following year when she again ran, we can already see that she possessed the tenacity necessary to stay on the path she wanted to follow, another quality necessary for a viable leader.
Driven by her emerging desire to enter and serve in the political arena, Thatcher decided to further her education as she began preparing for the bar exams, and she succeeded in passing in 1954. This allowed her to gain experience as an attorney, a career blossomed in over the next couple of years.
During this time, Thatcher was also making developments in her personal life. She met a high-class businessman, Denis Thatcher, and the two married in December of 1951. The couple welcomed twins into the world shortly thereafter when she gave birth to Mark and Carol. Here, we get a peek at Thather's ability to balance her personal and professional life as she was able to take care of two young children and devote herself to her marriage all while engaging in the extensive study necessary to pass her bar exam and begin a whole new career path.
After gaining some experience in law, Thatcher decided to try once again at parliament in 1959, this time in Finchley. She was successful, winning the race by a landslide. Thatcher quickly took her first step in actively leading by introducing a bill that, as a broadcasting major, I can appreciate. It was in regards to the media's right to cover governmental meetings, and this type of coverage is very important. While many politicians try to discourage various forms of coverage, she had the good sense to invite public knowledge into the inner workings of the government under which they are directed. Furthermore, she used a unique method to drive her point. Rather than focusing on freedom of speech, she highlighted the benefits of better managing the way the government handles money. This topic remained a common focus throughout her career, further portraying her consistent leadership style.
Not all of Thatcher's pursuits were so widely accepted, and this can be exemplified in her decision in 1971. At this time, she had further advanced as the secretary of state for education and science, and she eliminated the free milk program in schools. For this, she was highly ridiculed, even being dubbed “Thatcher the Milk Snatcher.” Despite this ridicule, she remained consistent and continued to pursue new heights in her career, and, by 1975, she ran for prime minister and won.
During the beginning of her servitude as prime minister, Thatcher took a brave stance by rebuking the popular view on the economy introduced by John Maynard Keynes and instead promoted the alternate views of Milton Friedman, an economist from the United States. She strongly supported a person's right to work and spend money as they saw fit and rely on the government as a servant, not a master. To further her courageous method of challenging popular beliefs, she spoke out publicly about the Soviet Union, accusing them of being “bent on world dominance.” It was for this statement that a Soviet newspaper dubbed her The Iron Lady, and this name stuck. I found this inspirational as just years earlier, she had a very negative nickname. Once again, Thatcher's determination allowed her to prevail.
During the 1979 election, an increase in union strikes was sweeping the country, and Thatcher had a lot of work to do to prove to the people she could stand up to the test. In response to the growing economic problems, she put into action a number of proactive measures including the selling of public housing, lowering direct taxes, and raising taxes on spending. Even though approval ratings began to decline due to unemployment, she was able to maintain her position as prime minister. Her efforts proved worthwhile, and she was voted in for a second term in 1983 resultant of the positive effects her decisions had on the economy.
Thatcher maintained the support of her people, and, during the general election of 1987, she began her third term as prime minister. However, it was during this term that things would begin to make a downward spiral for The Iron Lady. Well known for her history of sticking to her beliefs, she bumped heads with former Defense Minister Michael Heseltine. He had publicly challenged her leadership style as the two had varied beliefs in regards to the European Union and a more progressive integration with Europe. Furthermore, her government introduced the highly controversial poll tax, a form of taxation that charged a flat rate on all citizens regardless of their income. Other such policies met the public with strong disapproval. Because of these decisions, she made the choice to resign on November 28, 1990, just two weeks after Heseltine made his initial comment. Although sticking to her beliefs had been partially the cause of her eventual downfall, I still admire that she remained so consistent during her years in office.
As a female, I am always inspired when I see a woman succeed in displaying the ability to take the reins and show people how to succeed through personal examples and the correct attitudes and state-of-mind. When it comes to Thatcher, I admire the way she never gave up when it came to running for parliament. While initial defeat is enough to discourage many, she proved the adage “third time's a charm.” Furthermore, I admire the way she stuck to her guns on controversial decisions she made. Overall, Margaret Thatcher epitomizes what I find to be a successful leadership style, and her life story keeps me motivated to follow in her footsteps and pursue my dreams no matter how out-of-reach they may seem.
Works Cited
History.com Staff. “Margaret Thatcher.” March 23, 2015 http://www.history.com/to…/british-history/margaret-thatcher
BBC History. “Margaret Thatcher.” 2015.
Libcom.org. “1989-1990: Opposition to the Poll Taxs.” May 2009.
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