Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first female PM, dead at 87

The life and legacy of the &#39;Iron Lady&#39;
The life and legacy of the 'Iron Lady'


    The life and legacy of the 'Iron Lady'


The life and legacy of the 'Iron Lady' 03:40

Story highlights

  • Thatcher, Britain's "Iron Lady," died after suffering a stroke Monday, her spokeswoman said
  • She retired from public life in 2002 after a stroke
  • As British PM from 1975 to 1990, she played a key role in ending the Cold War
  • But Thatcher opposed reunification of Germany






Margaret Thatcher&#39;s political legacy
Margaret Thatcher's political legacy


    Margaret Thatcher's political legacy


Margaret Thatcher's political legacy 04:55
Kissinger: Thatcher&#39;s strong convictions
Kissinger: Thatcher's strong convictions


    Kissinger: Thatcher's strong convictions


Kissinger: Thatcher's strong convictions 02:09



WORLD REACTION: Tributes paid to 'great leader, great Briton' Thatcher

Thatcher made history

Thatcher won the nation's top job only six years after declaring in a television interview, "I don't think there will be a woman prime minister in my lifetime."

During her time at the helm of the British government, she emphasized moral absolutism, nationalism, and the rights of the individual versus those of the state -- famously declaring "There is no such thing as society" in 1987.

Nicknamed the "Iron Lady" by the Soviet press after a 1976 speech declaring that "the Russians are bent on world dominance," Thatcher later enjoyed a close working relationship with U.S. President Reagan, with whom she shared similar conservative views.


"I like Mr. Gorbachev. We can do business together," she declared in December 1984, three months before he became Soviet leader.



READ: Why Thatcher was both icon and outcast

"East Germany has been under Nazism or Communism since 1930. You are not going to go overnight to democratic structures and a freer market economy," Thatcher insisted in a key interview, arguing that peace, security and stability "can only be achieved through our existing alliances negotiating with others internationally."

2012: Thatcher&#39;s economic legacy
2012: Thatcher's economic legacy


    2012: Thatcher's economic legacy


2012: Thatcher's economic legacy 03:10
Thatcher: I enjoyed company of elders
Thatcher: I enjoyed company of elders


    Thatcher: I enjoyed company of elders


Thatcher: I enjoyed company of elders 00:50
2009: Inside Margaret Thatcher&#39;s papers
2009: Inside Margaret Thatcher's papers


    2009: Inside Margaret Thatcher's papers


2009: Inside Margaret Thatcher's papers 01:25
How Thatcher, Reagan clicked
How Thatcher, Reagan clicked


    How Thatcher, Reagan clicked


How Thatcher, Reagan clicked 04:16

West German leader Helmut Kohl was furious about the interview, seeing Thatcher as a "protector of Gobachev," according to notes made that day by his close aide Horst Teltschik.

The two Germanies reunited by the end of that year.

A grocer's daughter

Thatcher -- born in October 1925 in the small eastern England market town of Grantham -- came from a modest background, taking pride in being known as a grocer's daughter. She studied chemistry at Oxford, but was involved in politics from a young age, giving her first political speech at 20, according to her official biography.



As British leader, Thatcher took a firm stance with the European Community -- the forerunner of the European Union -- demanding a rebate of money London contributed to Brussels.


"To those waiting with bated breath for that favorite media catchphrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say: 'You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning,'" she declared, to cheers from party members.


WATCH: Remembering Margaret Thatcher

Announcing that Britain had recaptured South Georgia Island from Argentina, Thatcher appealed to nationalist sentiments, advising the press: "Just rejoice at the news and congratulate our forces."

A journalist shouted a question at her as she turned to go back into 10 Downing Street: "Are we going to war with Argentina, Mrs. Thatcher?"

She paused for an instant, then offered a single word: "Rejoice."

Controversy over Falklands war

The conflict was not without controversy, even in Britain.

A British submarine sank Argentina's only cruiser, the General Belgrano, in an encounter that left 358 Argentines dead. The sinking took place outside of Britain's declared exclusion zone.






READ: Artistic opposition to the "Iron Lady"

Brought down by the poll tax


The unpopular tax led to rioting in the streets.

She married her husband, Denis Thatcher, a local businessman who ran his family's firm before becoming an executive in the oil industry, in 1951 -- a year after an unsuccessful run for Parliament. The couple had twins, Mark and Carol, in 1953.




Though her doctors advised against public speaking, a frail Thatcher attended Reagan's 2004 funeral, saying in a prerecorded video that Reagan was "a great president, a great American, and a great man."

"And I have lost a dear friend," she said.


WATCH: Kissinger: Thatcher's strong convictions

U.S. political figures react to Lady Thatcher's death