CBW - Case Study: Margaret Thatcher (Lesson)

Case Study: Margaret Thatcher.

 

 

 

 

Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of England in 1979 and was subsequently re-elected in 1983 and 1987 making her not only the only female Prime Minister in Britain's history, but also the longest serving Prime Minister. She was the creator of many controversial policies which earned her the nickname the "Iron Lady," cut government expenditures and cut inflation, however the unemployment rate grew under her leadership as well.

In 1982, Argentina invaded the British held Falkland Islands, off their coast. The Argentines claimed ownership, and the British responded by sending troops. A 74-day conflict ensued with the Argentinean forces surrendering, which also lead to the overthrow of the ruling military dictatorship. The success of the Falkland Islands campaign helped bolster Thatcher's re-election, though her Tory party was losing support.

In 1984, in the face of proposed layoffs and mine closings, the National Union of Mineworkers, approximately 2/3rds of the country's miners, call for a strike. Thatcher refused their demands and stated:

After a year, the strike ended without any concessions and at an astronomical cost to the government. Twenty-five mines closed; that total eventually spread to 150 by the 1990's and Britain's communities and economy suffered greatly. In addition, the situation in Northern Ireland continued to increase in violence. Hunger strikes were led by IRA prisoners requesting concessions on prison conditions. Thatcher refused, noting:

After 10 deaths, the government eventually granted rights, though not official political recognition of the prisoners. Thatcher, herself, was the subject of an assassination attempt as a bomb was detonated in a hotel she was staying in for a conference. Unscathed, she delivered her speech the following day as scheduled, resulting in soaring popularity levels throughout Britain.

The Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility for the attack noting:

But by 1990, her popularity had waned considerably. Thatcher's 1989 election brought a challenge from within her own party, and though she won overwhelmingly, pressure mounted. In 1990, giving in to that pressure, Thatcher resigned. She had alienated voters and fellow party members by her seeming alliance to the U.S. rather than Europe. Her proposed Poll Tax was also widely disliked. It called for a single rate tax on every citizen rather than the existing land tax and was supposed to take effect in 1991. Instead, when Thatcher resigned, John Major, her replacement cancelled the poll tax. He won his election in 1992 and continued to govern until 1997's unprecedented Labour party win placed Tony Blair as the Prime Minister. His election ended 18 years of conservative rule and brought Thatcher's conservative Tory party their largest defeat since 1832. The Tory Party briefly returned to power with the 2010 election of David Cameron.

 

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PORTRAIT OF MARGARET THATCHER BY ROB BOGAERTS/ANEFO, CCO, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS