Margaret Thatcher

Thatcher led the Conservative Party to victory in the general election, becoming Britain's first female prime minister. Her government pursued a radical agenda of economic liberalization, privatization, and reduction of trade union power.

Thatcher ordered a military task force to retake the Falkland Islands after Argentina invaded. The British forces succeeded after a 10-week conflict. The victory boosted Thatcher's popularity and her government's standing, leading to her re-election in 1983.

Thatcher's government sold off major state-owned enterprises, including British Telecom, British Gas, and British Airways, to private investors. This program of privatization was a central part of her economic policy, aimed at increasing efficiency and reducing public debt.

Thatcher's government faced a year-long strike by the National Union of Mineworkers led by Arthur Scargill. The government stockpiled coal and used police to prevent picketing. The strike collapsed, weakening trade union power and enabling further pit closures.

Thatcher signed the Single European Act, which reformed the European Economic Community and set the goal of a single market by 1992. Despite her Eurosceptic views, she supported this act, which expanded qualified majority voting and European integration.