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It is often said that few figures in recent history have proven as “divisive” as Margaret Thatcher. But can a truly political figure — one dedicated to spreading and implementing clearly defined ideas — ever avoid dividing public opinion? In my view, the answer, is negative. On this point, the Iron Lady’s modus operandi was in itself quite clear: compromise — although sometimes inevitable due to objective circumstances — was something to be avoided; her compass was set on persuading others that her vision was right.

From the “Glorious Thirty” to Britain’s Decline

“There is no alternative” (TINA), Thatcher often said. In truth, since politics is always about choice, there were indeed alternatives — and she saw them clearly, for the governments before her had gone in an entirely different direction. During the so-called “glorious thirty” years of Keynesian economic policy (1945–1975), the two major parties — Labour and Conservative — had broadly agreed on the idea of a cautious and moderated market economy, with a prominent role for the State even in sectors that were not strictly ‘strategic’ but large enough to suggest that — also for the purpose of securing political consensus — they should be absorbed into the public sector and managed not necessarily with a view to generating profits, but rather to safeguarding employment levels (at the expense of inflation).

The Values That Lifted Britain Back Up

Then came Thatcher, bringing with her a very simple concept that many had deliberately ignored: “There is no such thing as public money,” she would say, “there is only taxpayers’ money.” Do not waste other people’s money; do not waste yourself and your life. Stand up again after hardship — just as the crisis-stricken United Kingdom had to rise again; always let responsibility prevail over laxity and resignation to decline. Hers was the vision of a “get-up-and-walk” Britain, asking for nothing more than loyalty to the Nation, daily effort, and individual responsibility. A Britain that offered not handouts but the means for self-reliance, so that each person could become — in their own small way — “a capitalist” strengthened by work, patriotism and perhaps faith, by home and share ownership; in short, by a right long suppressed: the right to prosper, not only materially but also socially and culturally (“Let your children grow tall, taller than others if they can”).

Why Remember Her, a Century After Her Birth?

Hence, even many among the Tories considered Thatcher’s ideas absurd and out of step with the times. Yet we celebrate her today — a century after her birth, on October 13, 1925 — because the Iron Lady left an indelible mark, one that continues to acquire new meaning despite the many changes since. She not only influenced her country’s policies up until at least the global financial crisis of 2007–2009; she is also now recognized as one of the most authoritative — if not the most authoritative — leaders of the modern conservative movement, despite the significant differences between its Anglo-Saxon and continental European versions. That alone would be enough to warrant a broad, thoughtful — even celebratory — remembrance, including by those who do not share her idealistic spirit.

The Foresight and Lessons of the Iron Lady

But there is more. Especially in foreign policy, the Iron Lady showed extraordinary foresight — insights that, from the turn of the millennium onward, have sadly proven correct and remain issues the West still confronts today. She set an example: few today would understand the importance of supporting Ukraine against Russia’s full-scale invasion without recalling the determination with which London once sent a task force to restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United Kingdom — threatened not on its mainland but on a small, cold, sparsely populated cluster of islands in the middle of the ocean. Likewise, it would be easy today to imagine Europe and the United States deeply divided by an epochal rift over new trade tariffs if Thatcher had not helped forge the transatlantic special relationship that endures to this day, regardless of changes in leadership. And let us not forget Eastern Europe, which — with the exception of Moscow and its satellites — now enjoys a level of freedom and economic development unimaginable when it was still under communist rule. In short, we owe Thatcher at least part of the world we live in today — a world that would look very different without her reforms and her assertive leadership.

The Economy Matters – But It’s Not Everything

And then, of course, there are the economic questions. Yet it is right that, in celebrating this centenary, the leading role should be given to other themes — not because those critics are right (far from it!) who accuse her of having destroyed local communities through various measures, including the closure of coal mines (in truth, she was among the first genuinely environmentalist leaders!) and what is summarily labeled as “wild liberalism,” allegedly responsible for fueling the bubble that burst overseas in 2008. Rather, it is because Thatcher herself downplayed the importance of her fiscal and monetary measures: “Economics is the method,” she said, “the object is to change the heart and soul.” Freedom, initiative, responsibility, and integrity in managing both family and national finances were not ideas derived from complex economic theories; they were, on the contrary, values she felt instinctively, shaped by her provincial upbringing and by the belief that anyone — even from humble origins, as she herself had — could reach the highest peaks of a free society.

Why Thatcher Changed the World: The Book That Tells Her Legacy

In the concise volume The Woman Who Changed the World: Margaret Thatcher and Her Legacy (Liberilibri), with a preface by Federico Carli, six authors explore the most significant aspects of the Iron Lady’s beliefs and actions: from the cultural climate of her time and her communication skills (Elvira Cerritelli) to the remarkable transformation she brought to the landscape of political ideologies (Domenico Maria Bruni), from the role of religious inspiration in shaping her worldview (Daniele Meloni), to a broad review of her fiscal and monetary policies (Cosimo Magazzino), and innovations in finance and privatization, including in the defense industry (the author himself). The hope, of course, is that it may contribute to an honest, productive, and prejudice-free debate — something that, sadly, recent tragedies have reminded us remains vitally important.

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