Who is Margaret Thatcher? 1979/90 - The Impact of Thatcher 1979 - 1990

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Her first priority was the economy – began with cutting supply of money in circulation to reduce inflation (monetarism). She aimed to reduce government interference with the economy and used the law to smash the power of trade unions. Her initial economic policies were unsuccessful with 3.6 million out of work however her success in the Falklands war in 1982 saw Thatcher re-elected in 1983.

During her second term she had the confidence to expand privatisation of state owned assets and began to centralise more power in Whitehall at the expense of local authorities. She faced a number of problems such as the miner’s strike, IRA and Soviet Union – stand offs made her popular with the people who saw her as a Churchill-like patriot.

1987 she was re-elected for a third term and introduced the ‘poll tax’ 1989-1990 which was very unpopular and resigned in November 1990.

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