Margaret Thatcher
Very brief chronologyMargaret Thatcher was the first Female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and served from 1979 to 1990.
1925: Margaret Hilda Roberts was born on 13 October 1925 to Beatrice Stephenson Roberts and Alfred Roberts in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
Her father owned 2 grocery shops. She spent her childhood in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
1936: She went to Kesteven and Grantham’s girl’s school.
1944: She went to Oxford. She studied chemistry there.
1946: She became the president of the Oxford University Conservative Association.
1947: She graduated from Oxford with a degree in Natural sciences.
1950: She fought unsuccessfully as the Tory candidate for Dartford.
1951: She married a wealthy, divorced, businessman Denis Thatcher.
1953: She qualified as a lawyer. Margaret gave birth to twins Carol and Mark.
1954: She was rejected as candidate for Orpington.
1958: She was selected for Finchley in April 1958.
1961: She voted against the Conservative Party’s official position for the restoration of birching (corporal punishment).
1966: She moved to the Shadow Treasury team.
1967: She was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Fuel spokesman.
1968: She voted to decriminalise male homosexuality and legalise abortion.
1970: Conservative Party leader Edward Heath became the Prime Minister of Britain. Margaret became Secretary of State for Education and Science.
1974: After the Conservative Party defeat, Heath appointed her as Shadow Environment Secretary.
1975: She defeated Heath’s successor William Whitelaw and became the leader of the Conservative Party.
1976: She made a speech attacking the Soviet Union. She was dubbed as the "Iron Lady" by the soviet press.
1979: She is elected as Britain’s Prime Minister.
1980: She refused to reverse her economic policy despite rising unemployment and inflation.
1982: The British retook Falkland Islands from Argentina under Thatcher’s leadership.
1983: The Conservative Party won elections. Margaret Thatcher was re-elected Prime Minister.
1984: She narrowly escaped assassination by the IRA at Brighton.
1986: Her government controversially abolished the Greater London Council and six Metropolitan County Councils.
1987: She led her party to victory in the 1987 general election. She became the longest continuously serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since Lord Liverpool.
1988: Margaret made a major speech addressing the issues of acid rain, ozone depletion and global warming.
1989: She was challenged by Sir Anthony Meyer for the leadership of the Conservative Party. She introduced poll tax in Scotland and raised interest rates to curb inflation.
1990: She resigned from the post of Prime Minister following a challenge to her leadership. John Major succeeded her.
1992: She retired from the House of Commons.
2003: She was widowed by the death of Sir Denis Thatcher on 26 June, 2003.
2005: She celebrated her 80th birthday.
Thatcher
OCR A2 coursework option: Britain under Margaret Thatcher 1979-90 (F965)
Many will note that much in this unit guide has elevance to
OCR: F961 Option B: Postwar Britain, 1951-94 and Foreign and Imperial Policy, 1945-90.
Edexcel: Unit 2, Option E1: British political history 1945-90: consensus and conflict.
AQA: HIS3M: The making of modern Britain, 1951-2007
This unit guide was written by Dr Graham Goodlad and Tom Wells
© Sempringham publishing 2009
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