In 1975 Margaret Thatcher became Leader of the Conservative Party and became the first woman to head a major UK political party.
Following the 1979 general election she became Britain's first female Prime Minister.
Her political philosophy and economic policies emphasised deregulation particularly of the financial sector, flexible labour markets,and the sale or closure of state owned companies and withdrawal of subsidies to others.
She survived an assassination attempt in 1984.
She took hard line against trade unions, and her tough rhetoric in opposition to the Soviet Union earned her the nickname of the "Iron Lady".