Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister

Historical Context Essay

Tammy Grimshaw (Universidad de Jaen)
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Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister in European history, was both admired and despised by the British public. Some believe that her economic policies saved the United Kingdom from financial ruin and made Britain a major world economic contender. Others insist that she operated a harsh and uncaring regime that divided the nation.

The first British prime minister in the twentieth century to win three consecutive terms and the longest-serving British prime minister since 1827, Thatcher began her political career in 1961 as joint parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance, a post which she held until 1964. She served as a shadow minister in Harold Macmillan's administration from 1964 to 1970, and from 1970 to 1974, she served as Secretary of

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Citation: Grimshaw, Tammy. "Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 August 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1471, accessed 28 March 2024.]

1471 Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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