Margaret Thatcher: The Autobiography

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The union’s leader, a Marxist called Arthur Scargill, declared war on the government. It wasn’t the first time he’d done that – Scargill was on the frontlines of the strikes which toppled Heath in ’74.

A masterpiece of clear and intelligent writing… Margaret Thatcher: From Grantham to the Falklandsis already one of the great classic political biographies.”–John O’Sullivan, The Weekly StandardThatcher had eighteen months to write the book covering her premiership. She hired a previous director of the Conservative Research Department, Robin Harris, to do most of the writing, the Oxford academic Christopher Collins to do the research and O'Sullivan to help polish the drafts. Just like with her speeches, Thatcher would "edit, criticise and exhaustively rewrite the drafts" until she was happy. [10] Refrigerators, TVs, cars, even holidays – what had once been unaffordable luxuries for most – were commonplace by the ’60s. The “affluent society” had arrived. Now, no one knew better than Margaret that women could get on in British politics. She was a trailblazer, after all. She’d become just the fifth woman to hold a senior government position in 1970. But, she did wonder if women like her could rise to the very top. When a journalist once asked her if she could imagine herself leading the country one day, she responded saying that she didn’t expect to see a woman prime minister in her lifetime – the male population was simply “too prejudiced.” In addition, the book makes it clear that with the defined goals, success is inevitable, and the impossible is in fact possible. Moreover, a woman can be successful at men’s jobs and achieve better outcomes in comparison with males. Politics was the main goal of Margaret Thatcher, and all her life, she aspired to it. As a result, she became the first woman who headed Britain; the first prime minister who won the election three times in a row; and, the first British politician who stayed in power for a record eleven and a half years. Her determination that helped her to fulfill her goals is reflected in her motto that states, “I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end”. In this way, she is similar to another female renowned in the Muslim political history Benazir Bhutto. Bhutto was the first woman Prime Minister in the Muslim world. She was known to be callous to opponents and sympathetic towards animals. The mentioned above two female prime ministers were often compared because their political style was similar. In 1989, Bhutto became the prime minister of Pakistan, and this was a remarkable, ostentatious event as for the first time in a Muslim country, a woman headed the government. Benazir started from full liberalization: in particular, she granted self-government to universities and student organizations, abolished control of the media, and freed political prisoners. Moreover, it should be noted that having received excellent European education and being educated in liberal traditions, Bhutto defended the women’s rights, which was contrary to the traditional culture of Pakistan. For instance, she proclaimed freedom of choice. Women were allowed to choose whether to wear or not to wear a veil. Additionally, they received an opportunity to realize their potential not only as those responsible for keeping of the hearth. During her second term on the position of the prime minister, illiteracy levels among the population decreased by almost a third, many mountain areas were watered, children received free medical care, and the fight against childhood diseases began. Consequently, Bhutto became a popular politician in Pakistan and throughout the Muslim world. Margaret Thatcher was the Iron Lady of England, and Benazir Bhutto was the Iron Lady of the East. The stories of two women prove that there is nothing impossible.

A good insight so far, but quite detailed. Amazing how forward thinking this woman was when we consider the problems we are experiencing just in the last half a decade. Margaret Thatcher first told her husband, Denis, that she was going to run for the leadership of the Conservative party in 1974. He told her that she didn’t stand a chance.The forces of error, Margaret Thatcher believed, were firmly entrenched in Britain. Overcoming them simply wasn’t possible without some measure of discord. The electorate was impressed. Few British or European leaders would have fought for the islands. By doing so, Margaret Thatcher laid the foundation for a much more vigorous and independent British foreign policy during the rest of the 1980s.When the General Election came in June 1983, the government was re-elected with its Parliamentary majority more than trebled (144 seats).