...The Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher Margaret Thatcher’s political career has been one of the most remarkable of modern times. Born in October 1925 at Grantham, England, she rose to become the first woman to lead a major Western democracy. She won three successive General Elections and served as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. When Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of Great Britain, she was regularly singled out for her leadership. She was described in terms such as confident, iron willed, determined and decisive. Opinions on Margaret Thatcher remain divided after her death, but what is hard to argue with is that she was a great and influential leader. And here are three leadership qualities any leader can learn from Lady Thatcher: Passion, Determination and Confidence. Margaret Thatcher was able to lead the UK as the first, and so far only, female prime minister for 12 years and during that time was able to bring about many significant changes including the sales of council houses that allowed many families to own a house for the first time, privatization of utilities, as well as bringing in the disliked poll tax. She was also able to represent the UK well on a global stage by standing up to Europe and the Soviet Union. It was a Soviet journalist who named her the “Iron Lady” to depict her uncompromising politics and leadership style. She relished the nickname—showing full recognition of her powerful public image and demonstrating the strategic savvy to perpetuate...
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...influential and successful people that changed Britain’s political views for the better and had the greatest impact on modern Britain is Margaret Thatcher. Born in October 1925 at Grantham, Thatcher came from a humble background but was soon to become one of the most remarkable politicians the likes of Britain has never seen. The first and most important impact Margaret Thatcher had on modern Britain was her astonishing and strong leadership. Her transformative governance did not only change the course of Britain but also Europe. She contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall which started a major transformation of central and eastern European economies. Thatcher’s own belief in her skills and goals helped her gain the title of the first (and only) female Prime Minister in which many admired and still do today. Another huge contribution Margaret Thatcher had on modern Britain was how she turned the economy around because of her many valuable ideas. Margaret Thatcher was instrumental in putting a stop to the power of the trade unions. Millions of days a year were being lost through strike action and this was extremely harmful to the British economy. By the end of her leadership these days were down to a fraction of what they had been. Mr Scargill, an influential trade leader, has been used to calling a strike by a mere show of hands but Mrs Thatcher put a stop to this and firm regulations were put in place. She used the press to do this. Her policies regarding the trade unions were...
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...Thatcher diligently and faithfully do her homework under the kitchen table during Nazi raids. This lead to a mistrust in Europe and deepened her disposition towards Britain's ally, the United States, against Nazi Germany. In 1943, Thatcher moved to Oxford to attend an all-woman college. She majored in chemistry. She was not prepared socially to move to Oxford, she did not make any friends there. So in turn, she kept to herself and diligently worked to finish her degree in chemistry and joined the conservative association. She was becoming more focused on politics than before. Thatcher finished her degree in chemistry and then left to chase her dream of becoming a Member of Parliament. In 1947, Thatcher began a career as a research chemist....
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...Margaret Thatcher Margaret Thatcher was a prominent politician, public figure, feminist and advocator during the later twentieth century in Great Britain. She was the first female Prime Minister and changed the way politics were seen by introducing a new right-wing way of thinking; Thatcherism. Thatcherism is based off of laissez-faire economics, and a very popular political term during the twentieth century, individual self-determination. She is still quite the controversial figure to this day. There are those who say she saved Britain economically, and then there are her critics who say she destroyed the livelihoods of millions. Despite her doubters, it is evident the positive impact Margaret Thatcher had on not only the political crowd,...
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...Margaret Thatcher was born on October 13, 1925. Her original name was Margaret Hilda Roberts and she was born in Grantham, England. She was the daughter of a local businessman. Thatcher was educated at Grantham Girls' High School, which was a small and local grammar school. The family lived in an apartment just above the grocery store that her parents ran. She had one sister named Muriel Roberts. Thatcher was first introduced to conservative politics by her father while she was very young. Thatcher’s dad was a member of the council of their town. Only two years after her college Graduation, Thatcher made her very first bid for a public office. She was a conservative candidate for a Dartford parliamentary seat in elections of 1950. From the...
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...Discuss Whether Margaret Thatcher was a Pragmatist or an Ideologist After Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in May 1979, the legislation to implement the ‘Right to Buy’ was passed in the Housing Act 1980 which had a huge impact on Britain's housing market. The high discounts made the offer a fantastic bargain for those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. It meant that there was some real growth in levels of owner occupation and was considered to be great for individuals. Half of the proceeds of the sales were paid to the local authorities, but they were restricted on spending the money (they were made to reduce their debt until it was cleared, rather than being able to spend it on building more homes). The effect was to reduce the council housing stock, especially in areas where property prices were high such as London and the south-east of England. 200,000 council houses were sold to their tenants in 1982, and by 1987, more than 1,000,000 council houses in Britain had been sold to their tenants, although the number of council houses purchased by tenants declined during the 1990s. The ‘Right to Buy’ can be argued to be both ideological and pragmatic. Firstly, it could be said that the reason that Margaret Thatcher followed through with this plan is because it appeases the traditional conservative ideology; that home owners are more likely to care for the society/the wellbeing of the country, including the responsibility of owning a home, if they have...
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...leaders. Hence, how those traits implement to help leaders to lead. As stated by Pierce and Newstrom in Leaders and the Leadership process, traits influence individuals to become or develop themselves as leaders (63). Natural traits, however, have to have bonds with particular situation in order to support one to be a leader (63). These concerns applied to Margaret Thatcher who was Great Britain’s first female prime minister. She had capacity, responsibility, participation, achievement, and status which are considered as the most important traits that influence leaders (Margaret Thatcher). Margaret had “knowledge about the business” that she was an active member of Conservative party from her childhood. This participation and her achievement as a lawyer helped her to become a prime minister, later (Margaret Thatcher). Even though her status was not good among society in her early career as a prime minister, she was visionary enough to understand that her change in traditional industrialization which was massive privatization in both housing and public transportation system would bring her country to development (Margaret Thatcher). As quoted by Gershenoff and Foti explained that one’s gender and...
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...in power: President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Between the two of them, they revived the economies of the United States and Great Britain. They helped reform their countries foreign policy. Together, President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher had become a team that was unmatched, even today. For different reasons, both individuals had turn into victims of assassination attempts and both survived to continue their times in office. Ronald Reagan was born February 6, 1911. He worked his way through college where he had studied economics and sociology. In 1937, he was granted a contract in Hollywood and appeared in 53 films. Reagan had toured the United States and had become a spokesman for conservatism. From the big screen to politics, Reagan had been elected Governor of California in 1966 and then again in 1970. He won the Republican Presidential nomination in 1980 and was called into office January 20, 1981. Margaret Thatcher was born October 13, 1925. During her college years, she studied chemistry. She was politically active in her youth and served as president of the Conservative Association at her university. In 1947, she had earned a degree in chemistry and worked as a research chemist. A couple of years after graduation, she ran as the conservative candidate for a parliamentary seat in the 1950 elections. She had been defeated but remained undaunted. After the defeat, Margaret set time aside to study law and completed her training...
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...How far did ‘luck’ play a part in Margaret Thatcher’s leadership election victory of 1975? As is typical of history, Margaret Thatcher’s leadership election victory of 1975 has produced many differing views from historians on the extent of Margaret Thatcher’s good fortune in her ascent to power within the Conservative Party. The central focus of the debate is whether her election had mainly been due to luck- events that she had no real control over and had ‘fallen her way’, or whether, although some luck may have been involved, it had mainly been Thatcher’s own personal attributes and doing that allowed her to gain an unexpected majority over Ted Heath. Andrew Marr focuses predominately on ideological transitions within the Conservative Party. The general feeling conveyed in his chapter is that it was good fortune that had played the main part in her rise to power. Edward du Cann, and Keith Joseph, in his view, would have been worthier opponents more desirable to the Tory party, and it was their personal failings to stand for election that meant that Thatcher obtained votes ‘by default’; she had been the only reasonable candidate left standing, and thus obtained the votes necessary to win. Marr puts forward the idea that Thatcher essentially ‘adopted’ the Josephite figure and had good fortune as she inherited a policy that he had laboriously created and promoted, and had only received a large amount votes purely due to her association with the increasingly attractive Josephism...
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...Is the UK Prime Minister now effectively a President? (40 marks) The arguments that used to take place among political academics about 'prime ministerial government' have now largely disappeared. Few, if any, now doubt that the office of prime minister dominates the British political system. As long as the holder of that office is not faced by too many limiting factors, such as a small parliamentary majority or a divided party, the British system has moved away from the traditional 'cabinet government' model to a 'prime ministerial' model. But a somewhat different question has emerged concerning the role and importance of the prime minister. This asks whether the system has now become 'presidential'. The prime minister has come to be, effectively though not legally, the head of State, the leader of the nation, irrespective of party allegiance. It should be stressed that this is not the same as national 'popularity'. Rather, it means that in times of difficulty, emergency or crisis such as war or terrorist threats, the country can unite behind its head of government. Nothing new in that, and certainly it has always been true to a great extent. But it can be argued that there has been a long term drift towards seeing the prime minister of the day rather than the monarch as national leader, and thus creates a more presidential 'feel' to the prime minister. The prime minister now has an extensive network of personal advisers, think tanks, policy units and working groups...
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...To What Extent has the Conservative Party Abandoned Thatcherism? Throughout Margaret Thatchers time as Prime Minister (1979-1990), a very aggressive way of governing the country. This style of leadership and the policies associated with it are known as Thatcherism. The main aim of Thatcherism was to create a 'small government' that is one in which the tole of the state is significantly reduced in matters such as public services and the economy, Thatcher desired a free market and a privatised economy. Thatcher was also a firm believer in independence and individualism, this lead to a desire for self-reliant people who provide for their family and are responsible for their own well being. Since this time Conservatism has changed, especially since the appointment of David Cameron MP as their leader and eventually Prime minister. The party has moved away from right wing and is instead now more centred on more liberal policies, This is down to the desire of Cameron for moderation. In this constantly changing society this modernisation is essential for any party that wishes to stay in power. Many policies remain intact from the Thatcher years such as the economy, but many have also changed like foreign policy and socially. Thatcherism demanded a market that was a a free and flexible as possible, a deregulated economy. In 1979 Thatcher shifted the country towards a speculative market economy rather than a manufacturing based economy. An economy in which utilities and industries...
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...to the fact that the Conservatives brought about some extreme changes in relation to their economic policy. One of these extreme changes was Thatcher’s adoption of the monetarism. Sources 7 and 9 take into consideration the view that the Conservatives economic policy was a success in the years 1979 to 1983. Source 7 does so by complimenting the success of Thatcherism in the “expanding towns of southern England and East Anglia”. Source 9, comments on the Conservative’s success in decreasing inflation after coming into office. Source 8 directly conflicts with sources 7 and 9 as it shows figures which suggest that unemployment rates and manufacturing output have seen a rapid decrease from the year 1979 and 1984 which the years in which Margaret Thatcher served her first term as Conservative party leader. “Thatcher’s fundamental philosophy of anti-socialist economics prescribed a number of broad objectives” Her basic ideas were that the government basically had to do less in order for it to gain economic success. The construction industry or “smaller industries” which were thought to be self-sufficient were growing quickly particularly in the south and failed to prosper in the north of England. The reason for this is mainly due to Conservatives economic policy. Although source 7 shows a clear agreement that industries in the south were in fact booming it however fails to recognise the failings in the north of England hence making the source rather subjective. Source 9, states that...
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...The Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher, nicknamed the Iron Lady, was Britain’s first female Prime Minister. Mrs. Thatcher challenged the image of females everywhere, while breaking the “glass ceiling” as the leader of the Conservative Party. This incredible Prime Minister managed to prove that a woman was capable of running an entire country during such a critical time in history. Margaret successfully remained in power for eleven years, from1979 to 1990. Even before serving as the first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher faced various challenges. While working as the Education Secretary, Thatcher was forced to make budget cuts, deeming herself one of the most hated politicians in Great Britain. Margaret’s political position left her feeling...
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...public sector trade unions demanding larger pay rises, following the on-going pay limits of the Labour Party government led by Callaghan against TUC opposition to control inflation, during the coldest winter for 16 years. In source 3, Pugh states that, 'the industrial chaos of the winter of 1978-79 gave Mrs Thatcher her opportunity'. This suggests that industrial chaos of winter of discontent was the reason for Thatcher's victory in the 1979 election. Source 3 therefore strongly agrees with the statement. Pugh also says that if 'Callaghan held an election in the autumn of 1978, he might well have won.' This shows that Callaghan was personally more popular than Margaret Thatcher. Even though this was the case, the Conservatives had a parliamentary majority. This therefore suggest that it was the more short term reasons like the winter of discontent that gave Margaret Thatcher her victory. Additionally, the winter of discontent lead to a number of strikes by public workers who felt that they were being mistreated by the government following the cuts in public expenditure. These strikes lead to industrial chaos which in turn made Callaghan's government lose support which gave Thatcher an advantage. Another result from the industrial chaos was an increase in unemployment. Unemployment rose to more than 1.6 million by 1978. Source 2, a conservative campaign poster displays the mass unemployment. As Conservative is the opposing the party, the source would be biased and therefore would make...
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...Meg Whitman who is currently the president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, eBay former CEO. When she served as president and CEO. Of her successful leadership, eBay has become a global online marketplace for the world's number one consumer e-commerce sites. And she help grasp the direction of the eBay companies in the new economy, and the company has cultivated a truly global market. Also she become the most powerful women in business of U.S. "Fortune" magazine in 2004.The second example is in the politics. She is Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher who was dubbed the "Iron Lady" of the United Kingdom and is the first female leader of the British Conservative Party , is also the first female Prime Minister in British history , create reelection third term of office the 11-year-old record female Prime Minister. Her lead Britain out of the economic difficulties and help to increase the United Kingdom's international status. In 2004, a MORI survey, evaluation of Thatcher in the 20th century, the British Prime Minister was fourth. The tired example is a great women...
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