Margaret Thatcher dies peacefully, surrounded by family after more than a decade of seclusion and deteriorating health
AP Photo
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in London during a pre-election news conference on June 9, 1983
by, ArturTofan
Current Affairs Editor
Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first and only female prime minister, died on Monday, April 8, 2013, at age 87, at the Ritz Hotel in Central London, after a series of recent strokes and years of declining health due to progressing dementia.
She was one of the most controversial political figures of the 20th century, loved and admired by many and despised by many others. She began a series of painful reforms as soon as she moved into the official residence of the British prime minister on 10 Downing Street, in 1979. She won three consecutive successive elections.
Thatcher came to power at a time of turmoil, high unemployment, and inflation, campaigning under the slogan “Labour Isn’t Working” and is often described as the one who changed and saved Britain. Determined to turn around the country’s crumbling economy, she reduced the government’s role in the state, implemented a series of radical budget spending cuts, and pushed a series of bills to privatize state-owned industries.
Her no-compromise, take-no-prisoners attitude often caused controversies and hot debates even within her own Conservative party. However, under her rule, Thatcher set Britain on the course for prosperity, and her drastic conservative measures contributed to Britain’s reemergence on the international arena as a strong political and economic power.
The “Iron Lady” nickname penned by a soviet newspaper was meant to insult Thatcher’s conservative views; instead she wore the name as a badge of honor. “I stand before you tonight in my Red Star chiffon evening gown, my face softly made up, and my hair gently waved, the ‘Iron Lady’ of the Western world,” responded Thatcher at a Conservative Party conference, in 1976.
She made a reference to her famous nickname once again in February, 2007, at the unveiling of her bronze statue in the House of Parliament saying, “I might have preferred iron – but bronze will do. It won’t rust.” Her statue stands opposite another central British political figure, Winston Churchill.
U.S. President Barack Obama has released a statement saying that, “with the passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend.” British Prime Minister David Cameron’s statement described Lady Thatcher as “a great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton who has saved her country.”
She developed close friendships with American President Ronald Reagan and the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. “I like Mr. Gorbachev. We can do business together,” declared Thatcher famously after meeting him for the first time, in 1984, at the Kremlin.
The funeral of Baroness Thatcher will be held on April 17 in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, following an elaborate procession at Westminster and will be given full military honors. Britain’s Iron Lady had reportedly refused a state funeral, considering it “a waste of money.”
Queen Elisabeth II, her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, and high profile leaders from around the world are expected to attend the ceremonial service.