She became Conservative Party leader in 1975 and in 1979 was elected the country’s first woman Prime Minister; she went on to become the longest‐serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century, winning further election victories in 1983 and 1987. Her period in office was marked by an emphasis on monetarist policies and free enterprise, privatization of nationalized industries, and legislation to restrict the powers of trade unions. In international affairs she was a strong supporter of the policies of President Reagan. She was well known for determination and resolve (she had been dubbed ‘the Iron Lady’ as early as 1976), especially in her handling of the Falklands War of 1982. She resigned after a leadership challenge and was created a life peer in 1992.