how has history viewed margaret thatcher?
There has bee a spate of tv documeteries and features about Margaret Thatcher in the past few days. I assume this interest by the media is because it is now thirty years since she became the first woman prime minister in 1979. Obv she went on to become the longest serving continous prime minister since the early 19th century.
Margaret Thatcher is the first prime minister i remember, i was 8 when she came to power and in my second uni year at St. Andrews when she was toppled. As a teenager I absolutely hated her, i voted first for the SNP whilst I lived in Scotland, then turned to the Lib Dems when i moved south and have stayed with them since.
Many of my LJ friends prob dont know my first degree was in history, as was my masters at york, it was later i moved to theology. I am startled by how kindly Thatcher has bee viewed by modern historians now and by her reputation improving dramatically in the polls and in the media. Will the same happen to Tony Blair in thirty years time? I suspect not as much but i think it will improve substantially. Didnt Blair once say 'history will be my judge' - i think history will, in spite of Iraq, be remarkably kind to him. Gordon Brown, my guess is, will, be viewed as another John Major.
Why has this happened? Thatcher was a cold hearted bitch who didnt believe in community life, ran roughshod over the poorest in society, created a society of greed and yuppies. - did she have any other choice? Hmmmm, discuss.........
I guess there are 2 reasons why Thatcher has come out well
(i) she was an incredibly gifted politician, she spent 11 years in office and whatever u think of her policies (and I disliked most of them) she got what she believed in. Very few of her predecessors managed this. You have to admire that, it certainly made her be viewed as a world statesmen/stateswoman.
(ii) GB's confidence and world reputation was vastly better in 1990 than in 1979, in general she left Gb in a better place then what she inherited. HIstorians often use this a baraometer on so called great kings or leaders.
Tony Blair certainly comes close on (i) and probably half way on (ii)
Obv these are only two initial thoughts, what do other people think?
PS .....i still dislike Thatcher but I now have some respect for her and am re-evaluing why i was so hostile in the 1980s