8 fast facts to help you make your mind up about Margaret Thatcher.

Margaret Thatcher is dead.

The passing of such a momentous figure in British – and indeed, world – history is already inspiring intense debate and discussion.

Thatcher was the first elected female head of the British government and one of the most controversial politicians of the last century. But as the commentators and opinion makers take to the internet, the airwaves, the newspapers and our TV screens to editorialise: how are we supposed to feel about this prolific woman?

Some are genuinely joyous at her passing, particularly those who lived through the tough economic reforms that saw many of her countrymen sink deep into poverty. Others are heralding her as the giant who saved Britain and made it what it is today. For many, her role as a figurehead for women in political life – a role that she herself despised – is the major element of her legacy.

So. We’re going to help you make up your mind about what you think. As well as bringing you opinion about the passing of this formidable woman and the mark she left on the world – we’re giving you 8 fast facts. Some are good, some are bad, some are bold, some are surprising.

Here’s what you need to know.

1. Margaret Thatcher was the first woman in the western world to lead a democracy.

She was Britain’s first – and so far, only – female Prime Minister. Thatcher was elected for three consecutive terms – the only British Prime Minister to do so – and was leader of the conservative party for 11 years.  That makes her the longest serving Prime Minister of the 20th Century.

Thatcher was undoubtedly a polarising figure. But regardless of whether you loved or hated her politics, it should be acknowledged that as the first woman to become Prime Minister, she would have faced a much harder path than her male contemporaries. 

No matter what you think about her, Thatcher’s steely resolve and determination not to be cowed merely because of her gender is impressive. She paved the way for other women in politics, and redefined how it was ‘appropriate’ for a woman to act in the public eye. The Iron Lady was tough and uncompromising.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement after her death, “As our first woman prime minister Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds.”

2. Thatcher completely restructured the British economy.

David Cameron commented recently that Thatcher “didn’t just lead our country, she saved our country, and I believe she’ll go down as the greatest British peacetime prime minister.”

Some of Thatcher’s major reforms included deregulating the financial sector, privatising state-owned companies, and challenging the powerful trade unions that were inhibiting British growth.

No other Thatcher policy had as long-lasting an effect as privatisation. National industries were shut down, railways were broken up and sold – and Thatcher saved the British economy in the process, and helped restore Britain to their former power.

Thatcher also instituted other policies (that set her apart, for example, from modern American conservatives) such as increasing taxes, gun control, supporting research into climate change, and socilising medicine.

Thatcher’s economic reforms also led to a significant rise in unemployment and Thatcher oversaw cuts in government spending and support services. This in turn led to protests and riots in the city, which marked a turbulent beginning to Thatcher’s leadership.

The people her reforms hit the hardest were those least able to afford it. Thatcher became the poster girl for anti-working class and despite her financially humble roots as a store-keepers daughter, her reforms saw thousands of British citizens lose their jobs and become unable to feed their families.

When Thatcher took on the unions, not all were willing to go down without a fight. The National Union of Mine Workers didn’t want to be sidelined, and went on strike – but their strike turned into a showdown. While striking, there was rioting, police brutality, and Britain’s manufacturing base was shut down. Protest signs included slogans such as, “Thatcher pays police to starve kids”.

4. One of the most controversial aspects of her leadership, was Thatcher’s ongoing conflict with the IRA. 

In 1981, IRA and Irish National Libertarian Army prisoners in Northern Ireland’s ‘Long Kesh’ prison went on a hunger strike to regain the status of political prisoners. Their political prisoner status had been revoked five years earlier, under a Labour government.

Thatcher, however, refused to reinstate their political prisoner status, famously declaring, “Crime is crime is crime. It is not political.” The IRA held Thatcher responsible for the deaths of the prisoners – and she became one of their most-hated adversaries.

Three years after the deaths of the prisoners, in October 1984, the IRA made an attempt on Thatcher’s life with the Brighton bomb, which was disarmed at the Grand Hotel in Brighton during a Conservative Party conference.  Thatcher was unharmed, but five people died and many others were seriously injured.

After the failed assassination attempt, the IRA announced, “Today we were unlucky, but remember we only have to be lucky once – you will have to be lucky always.”

5. Thatcher took decisive action during the Falklands War. 

In 1982, an Argentinean military group invaded the Falkland Islands. The Falkland Islands were an overseas ‘British’ territory, which Argentina had claimed after an 1810 dispute with Britain.

The very next day, Thatcher sent a naval presence to support diplomatic efforts. Although ostensibly the hope was that a military presence would cow the opposition into compliance, Thatcher was more than prepared to use force.

The conflict quickly escalated – and war started. The battle went for 74 days, and nearly a thousand people were killed. Argentinean forces surrendered on June 14. There had been 258 British casualties.

The war actually secured Thatcher’s popularity, and many of her contemporaries and British citizens believed it was a necessary step at the time.  70% of people supported military action in the Falklands, and the public were impressed by Thatcher’s decisiveness.

Throughout the Cold War, Thatcher supported US President Ronald Reagan – who was similarly conservative – and his policies of deterrence against the Soviet Union.  ‘Deterrence’ meant that the Western forces were willing to use the threat of force to keep Russia ‘in line’. Thatcher allowed US forces to position nuclear cruise missiles at British bases.

However, later, she was also the first Western leader to embrace reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, saying that he was “a man [Britain] can do business with”. She met Gorbachev three months before he came to power, and Britain engaged in a period of détente (easing of strained relations). Thatcher is now credited with playing a role in ending the Cold War – both using both the deterrence and détente tactics.

7. Thatcher showed strong early support for gay rights but was less than impressive later in her career.

Thatcher was a member of Parliament in the 1960s, and was one of the few conservative MPs to vote for the decriminalisation of homosexuality.  It was a brave move for Thatcher – as one of the few women in Parliament, and thus already open to greater criticism from her conservative male contemporaries – to commit to.

However, while Thatcher was Prime Minister she also gave her support to ‘Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988’. This legislation prohibited schools from teaching that “the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”.

8. Thatcher didn’t called herself a ‘feminist’. But can we call her one? 

Whether or not Thatcher could be considered a feminist, or a feminist icon, will undoubtedly dominate debate over the next few days – just as people debate the successes and failures of her leadership. Margaret Thatcher reportedly once told adviser Paul Johnson, “I hate feminism. It is poison.”

Indeed, despite the difficulties that she herself faced as a female leader, she did not focus on women’s rights. Thatcher once said, “The battle for women’s rights has largely been won. The days when they were demanded and discussed in strident tones should be gone forever. I hate those strident tones we hear from some Women’s Libbers.”

But, whether or not she wanted to be viewed as a feminist, she was still trailblazing female leader. One can respect how difficult it must have been, to be in her position, without glorifying her politics. Ultimately, she paved the way for other female leaders. She showed what was possible.

When Thatcher became Prime Minister, there were only 27 female MPs. By the time she left the position, there were 43. She was a controversial leader, who will now be judged on her own merits and flaws. Not because she was a woman. Going forward, that is what we can hope from all our female leaders: that they will be judged for the job they do, not for their gender.

Do you think Margaret Thatcher could be considered a feminist icon?