Whenever one has to name the women that made the most difference in the history of the world, Margaret Thatcher will inevitably get her mentioning; of all female characters that had an impact on the course of historic events, she is the most memorable character for a number of reasons.
Despite the fact that in the XX century, it was quite hard for a woman to take the leadership position and have an influence on the state affairs, Margaret Thatcher managed to fight the gender stereotypes of the time, thus, becoming a household name in the history of feminism and politics.
It is rather peculiar that Margaret Thatcher’s first speech, which also happened to be the one that brought her the widest recognition and made her famous all over the country within the several minutes that the speech delivery took, rendered the media as one of the most powerful bases of power in the XX century.
According to the existing evidence, Thatcher’s report was impressive in its thoroughness, a great amount of details, sufficient statistical data and the fact that Ms. Thatcher barely consulted her notes when delivering the speech – Thatcher was practically engaging the opponents into a talk.
The given approach was bound to become Thatcher’s trademark since then; as the recorded data shows, Thatcher adopted a very specific manner of exercising her influence on the public and the UK government. Unlike the rest of politicians of the time, who resorted to various strategies to remain in the spotlight, she put the emphasis on her hard work and the fact that she was striving for the greater good in general and the nation’s benefit in particular.
The given approach was where Thatcher’s credibility stemmed from. Despite the fact that the radical manner in which she voiced her opinion, as well as the fact that she was the head of the right wing, did not add credibility to her position, Margaret Thatcher managed to win people’s appreciation by being unbelievably devoted to the political ideas that she supported and so incredibly passionate about her viewpoint.
The case study offered by the Harvard Business School (1998) gives much food for thoughts. While the given work does not try to portray Thatcher as a role model for women in politics, it offers a very honest and, therefore, undeniably attractive description of Thatcher as a person and as a politician.
Allowing the readers to give credit to Thatcher’s unique personality and great efforts, the given study is a perfect way to learn about the ideas that Thatcher was trying to promote.
The study raises several questions that have been topical since the “Thatcher era.” To start with, the article makes one think what it takes a woman to influence the political affairs of the state. Second, the paper debates whether personality is as important as a person’s standpoint in political arguments. Finally, the question concerning what makes a strong leader is asked in the paper.
It is hard to answer the questions above; however, analyzing the case, one must admit that any politician has strengths and weaknesses, and Thatcher was no exception. She was driven, witty and strong-willed; still, she rarely tried pushing the envelope and using her powers to the full. However, one might argue that being cautious is a great advantage rather than a drawback.
It must be admitted that, like any other person, Margaret Thatcher had her imperfections; her policies might be considered too harsh at times, and her choices did not always return positive results; however, as a leader, Thatcher handled her responsibilities in a truly outstanding way, finding original solutions to complicated political situations and being able to resolve political conflicts.
A woman whose life track was just as inspiring as her career, Margaret Thatcher will remain among best role models for women in politics.
Reference List
Harvard Business School (1998). Margaret Thatcher. Harvard, MA: Harvard Business School Press.