Who was the greatest Prime Minister?

Margaret Thatcher – the Iron LadyAim: To judge the success of

Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister

My job is to stop Britain going red.

Pennies don't fall from heaven, they have to be earned

here on earth.

Defeat—I do not recognise the

meaning of the word!

Oh, but you know, you do not achieve anything without

trouble, ever.

Unemployed people stand around as

“moaning minnies”

Background• She was first elected as an

MP in 1959• Between 1970-1974 she was

Education Secretary• In 1975 she became leader

of the Conservative party Margaret Thatcher

Milk -Snatcher

1979 Election

• In 1979 she defeated Labour Leader James Callaghan in the general election and became Prime Minister

• She was Britain’s first female Prime Minister

Economy

• Poll Tax– New tax for the number of people in a household– Families with lots of children paid more than

families with few children

• Privatisation– Parts of the country ran by the Government were

changed to run by private companies– For example the trains

Class vote:Success or Failure?

The Falklands War

• The Falklands are a small group of islands just south of Argentina

• They were claimed by Britain during the 1700’s when European countries were ruling other lands

• Argentina invaded to reclaim ‘Las Malvinas’ from Britain in 1982

• Despite the vast distance, a task force mainly of marines and Paratroops was sent and the Falklands were reclaimed

Class vote:Success or Failure?

Arthur Scargill

Miner’s Strike

• 1984 the government wanted to close mines and cut 20,000 jobs

• 2/3 of the country’s miners led by Arthur Scargill went on strike

• The strike lasted for a year costing the government at least £1.5 billion

Class vote:Success or Failure?

True or False1. The Miner’s were striking as

they wanted higher wages2. Arthur Scargill led the Miner’s

strike3. The Falklands War was won by

the British4. The Falklands Islands belonged

to Argentina5. Margaret Thatcher was the

first female Prime Minister

True False

F

T

T

F

T

True False

Brighton bombing

• In 1984 Thatcher was at the Conservative party conference in a hotel in Brighton

• The hotel was attacked by the Irish Republican Army (IRA)

• Several people were killed but Thatcher survived

• She refused to let the bombing stop her and carried on as normal

• This contributed to the legend of her toughness

Class vote:Success or Failure?

The Trade Unions

• A trade union is group within a company which protects the rights of the workers

• If a trade union is angry with its company or the government it may tell the workers to go on strike

• In the 1970’s and mid 1980’s and Britain was becoming paralysed by strikes

• Thatcher reduced the power of the trade unions, allowing the country to run properly

Class vote:Success or Failure?

Which events were a success for Margaret Thatcher?

Success? Failure?

Falklands WarMiner’s Strike

Brighton bombingPrivatisation

Poll TaxTrade Unions

What did people think of Thatcher?

Who?1. Coal miner

2. Police officer

3. British soldier

4. IRA member

What did they say?a. I respect Thatcher, she was

prepared to fight for British landb. We hate Thatcher and the British,

if only our bomb had killed her!c. Thatcher was terrible for Britain,

she put many of my friends out of work

d. Thatcher did well letting us use force to stop those striking miners

Downfall

Downfall• Thatcher had the second-

lowest popularity rating of any post-war Prime Minister.

• On 1 November 1990 her deputy-prime minister resigned

• The next day a candidate challenged Margaret Thatcher for leadership

• She was forced to resign

Legacy

• Margaret Thatcher was not only the first female Prime Minister

• She was also the first Prime Minister since the early 19th Century to serve 3 parliamentary terms in a row

• She was nicknamed the ‘Iron Lady’ and led Britain through a difficult time

Margaret Thatcher in the Media

• Spitting Image

How do you rate Margaret Thatcher as PM?

• What do you think?• On a scale of 1 – 10

1 = terrible10 = excellent

• Give reasons why you gave Margaret Thatcher your score.

• “I think as a Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher scores ….. because ….”

Extension

1. Describe what you have learnt today in 5 words

2. After, describe what you have learnt today in 3 words

3. Finally, describe what you have learnt today in 1 word!