FORMER UK PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER DIES AT 87

FORMER UK PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER

Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" who dominated British politics for two decades, died on Monday following a stroke, a spokesman for her family said. She was 87.
Britain's only woman prime minister, the tough, outspoken Thatcher, led the Conservatives to three election victories, governing from 1979 to 1990, the longest continuous period in office by a British prime minister since the early 19th century.
"It was with great sadness that I learned of Lady Thatcher's death," Prime Minister David Cameron said. "We've lost a great leader, a great Prime Minister and a great Briton."

Thatcher died peacefully on Monday morning, said Lord Tim Bell, a spokesman for the Thatcher family.


"It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning," Bell said.
Queen Elizabeth said she was sad to hear the news of Thatcher's death and sent a message of sympathy to her family.
Thatcher, the "Iron Lady", was a towering figure in British 20th century politics, a grocer's daughter with a steely resolve who was loved and loathed in equal measure as she crushed the unions and privatised vast swathes of industry.
She died on Monday, aged 87, after suffering a stroke. During her life in politics some worshipped her as a moderniser who transformed the country, others bitterly accused her of entrenching the divide between the rich and the poor.
The abiding images of her premiership will remain those of conflict: huge police confrontations with the miners' union, her riding a tank in a white headscarf, and flames rising above Trafalgar Square in the riots over an unpopular local tax which ultimately led to her downfall.
To those who opposed her she was blunt to a degree - "the lady's not for turning", she once famously informed members of her own Conservative Party who were urging her to moderate her policies.
Others who crossed her path, particularly in Europe, were subjected to withering diatribes often referred to as "handbaggings", named after the black leather bag she invariably carried.
Britain's only woman prime minister, the tough, outspoken Thatcher led the Conservatives to three election victories, governing from 1979 to 1990, the longest continuous period in office by a British prime minister since the early 19th century.
With President Ronald Reagan, she formed a strong alliance against communism and was rewarded by seeing the Berlin Wall torn down in 1989 though she worried a unified Germany would dominate Europe.

Milestones in the life of Margaret Thatcher

» Oct. 13, 1925: Born at Grantham, central England.
» June 1947: Graduates from Oxford with a chemistry degree.
» Dec. 13, 1951: Marries Denis Thatcher, a wealthy oil executive.
» Aug. 15, 1953: Gives birth to twins, Mark and Carol.
» June 1, 1954: Qualifies as a lawyer.
» Oct. 8, 1959: Elected to Parliament.
» June 20, 1970: Becomes education secretary.
» Feb. 11, 1975: Elected leader of the Conservative Party.
» May 3, 1979: Wins national elections, becomes prime minister.
» June 9, 1983: Wins second term.
» June 11, 1987: Wins third term.
» Jan. 3, 1988: Becomes Britain's longest continuously serving prime minister of 20th century.
» Nov. 22, 1990: Announces resignation after party revolt.
» Nov. 28, 1990: John Major succeeds her as prime minister.
» June 26, 1992: Becomes Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, a member of the unelected House of Lords with a lifetime title.
» March 22, 2002: Ends public speaking after suffering a series of small strokes.
» June 26, 2003: Her husband, Sir Denis Thatcher, dies.
» April 8, 2013: Dies of stroke.