A Woman of Courage...and Hard Work

So it's been a day since we learned of the passing of what I believe to one of the greatest leaders of the twentieth century...if not all time.  Margaret Thatcher quite simply changed the world and saved Britain.  Her legacy will live for generations.  Of course there of been a ton of tributes but I think one the best is here.  It's a bit of a long read, but Paul Johnson has done a great job of describing some of the key facets of her life.  He starts the article with this incredibly strong and inspiring passage:

"Margaret Thatcher had more impact on the world than any woman ruler since Catherine the Great of Russia. Not only did she turn around—decisively—the British economy in the 1980s, she also saw her methods copied in more than 50 countries. "Thatcherism" was the most popular and successful way of running a country in the last quarter of the 20th century and into the 21st."

Her life story is daunting to the average person.  The story of her domestic successes are impressive enough.  But check out this potion of the article that describes her victory in the Falklands:

"Once Reagan was installed in the White House, the pair immediately reinvigorated the "special relationship." It was just as well. Some foreigners did not appreciate the force of what the Kremlin was beginning to call the Iron Lady. In 1982, the military dictatorship in Argentina, misled by the British Foreign Offices's apathetic responses to threats, took the hazardous step of invading and occupying the British Falkland Islands. This unprovoked act of aggression caught Thatcher unprepared, and for 36 hours she was nonplused and uncertain: The military and logistical objections to launching a combined-forces counterattack from 8,000 miles away were formidable. 

But reassured by her service chiefs that, given resolution, the thing could be done, she made up her mind: It would be done, and thereafter her will to victory and her disregard of losses and risks never wavered. She was also assured by her friend Reagan that, short of sending forces, America would do all in its considerable power to help—a promise kept. Thus began one of the most notable campaigns in modern military and moral history, brought to a splendid conclusion by the unconditional surrender of all the Argentine forces on the islands, followed shortly by the collapse of the military dictatorship in Buenos Aires."

Johnson perfectly captures her most important characteristics in the following:

 "Thatcher's strongest characteristic was her courage, both physical and moral. She displayed this again and again, notably when the IRA tried to murder her during the Tory Party Conference in 1984, and nearly succeeded, blowing up her hotel in the middle of the night. She insisted on opening the next morning's session right on time and in grand style. Immediately after courage came industry. She must have been the hardest-working prime minister in history, often working a 16-hour day and sitting up all night to write a speech. Her much-tried husband once complained, "You're not writing the Bible, you know."

Margaret Thatcher was a great and inspiring leader.  Her legacy will be felt for a very long time.  And we will likely not see a leader of her character, courage, and vision for a very long time.