Margaret Thatcher - Britain's First Female Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher was one of the most influential figures in British and world politics. She was Prime Minister for 11 years and defined the politics of Great Britain during this time. Margaret Thatcher was born on October 13, 1925 in Lincolnshire as the daughter of a grocer. Her father was a preacher and influenced her political opinion. She studied chemistry at Oxford and then started work for a plastics company in Colchester, where she attended meetings of the local Conservative Party. In 1951 she married businessman Denis Thatcher. After fighting unsuccessfully for a seat in parliament in the 1950s she became a Conservative MP for Finchley in 1959. When Edward Heath became Prime Minister in 1970 Margaret Thatcher was named education secretary. In the following years Thatcher became unsatisfied with Heaths policies. After the Conservatives lost the election to Labor in 1974 Thatcher stood up against in Heath and became Conservative Party leader in 1975. In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister in Great Britain. During the energy crisis of the late 70s she worked hard to bring the countrys economy back on track. She introduced radical spending and tax cuts. Unpopular measures did not make her a popular leader. Her approval rating sank to 30% by the early 80s. In 1982 Thatcher gained approval by sending a naval force to fight Argentina in the Falklands War. It ensuredher a victory in the 1983 general election. During 1984 and 1985 Thatcher broke the power and influence of the miners union by resisting a year-long strike. In 1984 she barely escaped an IRA bomb attack at a Conservative Party conference in Brighton. Abroad she found a friend and ally in Americas president Ronald Reagan. He also adopted a policy of tax cuts,reduced government spending and was a hardliner against Communism. In 1987 Thatcher won her third general election. After a leadership struggle in 1990 John Major took over the Conservative Party. Thatcher finally stood down as an MP in 1992. She was made baroness in 1995 and remained active in politics, campaigning against atrocities in the Balkans. In the last ten years her health started to deteriorate. A series of strokes and dementia led to her death on April 8, 2013. Not very many politicians showed such influence and strength as Margaret Thatcher. She made herself unpopular among European Union leaders when she demanded Britain get a substantial refund of the countrys membership fee. Her hard stance and stubbornness gave her the nickname The Iron Lady.

Words
abroad = in other countries adopt = accept, take on ally = here: political and military friend approval rating = the percentage of people who like someone and think they are doing a good job atrocity = cruel and violent action, especially during a war attend = go to, visit back on track = back to a good situation barely = hardly baroness = woman who is a member of the nobility campaign = fight for something define = set the standard demand = to ask for something in a very hard way dementia = illness that affects your brain and memory, and slowly makes you lose the ability to think
and behave normally

 deteriorate = become worse education secretary = minister in charge of schools and universities election = when you vote for a person in a high position energy crisis = time during the 1970s when oil became very expensive and there was not enough of it;
many countries of the western world suffered from a deep economic crisis

ensure = make sure, guarantee gain = get general election = when all the people of a country vote for a president or a new government grocer = person who sells food hardliner = person who wants to deal with something in a strong and extreme way influential = powerful introduce = bring in, begin, set up local = from the town measures = activities membership fee = what a country must pay every year to be a member of a group or club MP = member of parliament naval force = ships that belong to a country and fight for it opinion = what somebody thinks about a subject policy = the way of doing something or dealing with a situation politics = activities and ideas about governing a country or a state preacher = someone who talks about religion in church reduce = lower remain = stay resist = fight back, to be against stance = attitude, standpoint stand down = resign , give up stand up = be against someone strength = being strong stroke = when a blood vessel suddenly breaks or gets blocked struggle = fight stubbornness = when you do not change your mind even if other people think you are wrong substantial refund = money that you get back because you think you have paid too much tax cut = to reduce the money people have to pay to the government union = organization formed by workers to protect their rights unpopular = not liked unsatisfied = not glad, unhappy unsuccessfully = without success victory = win

1. Put the events in order: Margaret Thatcher became Conservative Party leader She campaigned for a seat in parliament but lost Thatcher broke the power and influence of the miner's unionThatcher was made baroness and fought against cruelties in the Balkan War. Thatcher became a Conservative MP for Finchley Margaret Thatcher studied chemistry at Oxford. She became the first female Prime Minister. After a leadership struggle John Major took over the party. Thatcher was appointed education secretary in Edward Heath's cabinet.

2. Match the definitions on the right to the words on the left. There are TWO extra definitions you will not need ! deteriorate stroke preacher politics illness that affects your brain person who sells food person who wants to deal with something in a strong way illness in which a blood vessel breaks or gets blocked political and military friend when all the people in a country vote for a president money that you get back because you have paid too much ideas and activities about ruling a country when something becomes worse someone who talks about religion in church 3. Fill in all the gaps, There are TWO words that you will not need !
baroness election unpopular cabinet campaigns faced fee health violence Communism conservative dementia diminished economy influential measures political politics secretary union

refund ally grocer dementia

Margaret Thatcher was one of the most.personalities of the 20th century. She ruled Great Britain with an iron fist and took a hard line against .and the European Union. After studying chemistry at Oxford Thatcher became interested in Conservative Party . Her first two .for parliament were unsuccessful, but in 1959 she became MP for Finchley. After serving as education ..in Edward Heath's .she took over the Conservative Party in 1975 and won the general in 1979. She proposed a series of harshduring the economic crisis of the 1970s and 80s. After losing popularity on the home front her ratings rose when she sent a British navy to fight against Argentina, after the South American country had invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982. Thatcher had many .enemies at home, including the leaders of the coal miner's . Miners across Britain went on strike after Thatcher announced the closing of 20 coal mines. She became a close friend of American President Ronald Reagan , who had similar ideas and ..the same problems. She was very among EU leaders because she wanted a lower membership for Great Britain. In 1990 Thatcher's influence in the party slowly .and she had to step down. John Major became Prime Minister. Margaret Thatcher became a .and stayed on the political scene ,where she spent most of her time campaigning against in the Balkans. Thatcher died after .and a series of strokes weakened her .

4. Match the sentence parts. There are two parts you will not need. Thatcher was at the height of her popularity when While working for a plastics company in Colchester She became a friend of the United States because In her first years as Prime Minister During a party conference at Brighton After she had lost a leadership fight in 1990 Thatcher made herself unpopular in the EU because Margaret Thatcher broke the influence of the miner's union when Thatcher became education secretary when John Major took over the Conservative Party she resisted a strike for over a year. Ronald Reagan had the same economic problems. she became unsatisfied with Edward Heath she almost got killed in a terror attack. IRA terrorists were released from prison Edward Heath became Prime Minister in 1970 she attended meetings of the Conservative Party she was unpopular because she introduced harsh measures to the population. she wanted some of Britain's money back she sent a naval force to fight Argentina