Margaret Thatcher 1925-2013

Left: Former British Prime Minister, Baroness Margaret Thatcher, looks on during the announcement of the naming of the new Margaret Thatcher Infirmary, at the Royal Chelsea Hospital on February 14, 2008 in London, England.

Margaret Thatcher died Monday, April 8, 2013, of a stroke. She was 87. The Iron Lady who ruled for 11 remarkable years imposed her will on a fractious, rundown nation -- breaking unions, triumphing in a far-off war, and selling off state industries at a record pace -- before being ousted from 10 Downing Street.

British Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher, 49, poses in February 1975 in the kitchen of her Chelsea home in London following her February 11, 1975, election at the head of the Tory.

Thatcher was the first - and still only - female prime minister in Britain's history. But she often found feminists tiresome and was not above using her handbag as a prop to underline her swagger and power. A grocer's daughter, she rose to the top of Britain's snobbish hierarchy the hard way, and envisioned a classless society that rewarded hard work and determination.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak shakes hands with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on February 6, 1982 in London during his official visit to England.

For admirers, Thatcher was a savior who rescued Britain from ruin and laid the groundwork for an extraordinary economic renaissance. For critics, she was a heartless tyrant who ushered in an era of greed that kicked the weak out onto the streets and let the rich become filthy rich.

"Let us not kid ourselves, she was a very divisive figure," said Bernard Ingham, Thatcher's press secretary for her entire term. "She was a real toughie. She was a patriot with a great love for this country, and she raised the standing of Britain abroad."

Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Central Advisory Committee, Deng Xiaoping and British Prime Minister Margareth Thatcher are seen September 24, 1982, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during one of their meetings leading up to the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong on September 26, 1984, setting up the territory as a Special Administrative Region of China.

French President Francois Mitterrand (center) welcomes British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on June 4, 1982, at Grand Trianon in Versailles, at the beginning of the 8th Group of Eight (G8) Summit, as Republican Guard stand at attention.

Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher wave after their arrival in Camp David, December 22, 1984, before their meeting.

Like her close friend and political ally Reagan, Thatcher seemed motivated by an unshakable belief that free markets would build a better country than reliance on a strong, central government. Another thing she shared with the American president: a tendency to reduce problems to their basics, choose a path, and follow it to the end, no matter what the opposition.

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dances with U.S. President Ronald Reagan November 16, 1988, following a state dinner given in her honor at the White House.

Thatcher formed a deep attachment to the man she called "Ronnie" - some spoke of it as a schoolgirl crush. Still, she would not back down when she disagreed with him on important matters, even though the United States was the richer and vastly stronger partner in the so-called "special relationship."

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher meets personnel aboard the HMS Antrim January 8, 1983 during her five-day visit to the Falkland Islands.

French minister for European Affairs Roland Dumas meets with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, on May 4, 1984 at the Elysee Palace, in Paris.

French President Francois Mitterrand and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher attend a press conference after the Franco-British summit, on November 18, 1985 in London.

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher strokes a Belgian Blue bull as she visits a Shropshire agricultural college on June 7, 1989 in Newport. Margaret Thatcher was on her first tour for the Euro-Election campaign.

President Ronald Reagan and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as they pose for photographers on the patio outside the Oval Office, Washington, D.C., July 17, 1987.

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher looks on as she chairs the EEC Economic Summit held in London's Queen Elisabeth Conference Hall, December 5, 1986.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher delivers a press conference in Beverly Hill, on February 7, 1991.

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher votes October 10, 1989 to adopt the agenda during the opening of the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher shakes hands with American Scott O'Grady as she accepts a flag from him at a celebration of her 70th birthday October 23, 1995 in Washington. Thatcher celebrated in Washington at a black-tie event with guests Nancy Reagan, Charlton Heston and Barbara Walters. O'Grady was the U.S. pilot shot down over Bosnia June 2, 1995.

Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi shown in a picture dated January 4, 1988 in Nairobi as he shows the way to the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at Jomo Kenyatta Airport.

Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev (R) with his hair swept by the wind delivers a farewell speech before leaving Great Britain at the end of a two-day official visit as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher looks on at London airport on April 7, 1989.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher poses in front of the Place de la Concorde at the hotel Crillon balcony in Paris on June 22, 1995, where she is presenting the second tome of her memoirs.

British former Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher protests against having her picture taken as she walks alongside Sheikh Faysal Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, chairman of the new free trade zone in Ras Al Khaimah emirate, March 24, 1998. Al-Qasimi danced a traditional Bedouin dance with the former British Prime Minister, who is in the emirate for the opening of an exhibition for British companies.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher poses with former First Lady Nancy Reagan after receiving the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., October 27, 1998. The award is offered by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, a non-profit organization that operates the Ronald Reagan Center for Public Affairs.

Baroness Margaret Thatcher departs the QE2 Embarkation building at Southhampton Docks on June 2, 2008 in Southhampton, England. The historic cruise liner, named after Queen Elizabeth II, was visited by the Queen before the ship is due to be retired in Dubai as a floating hotel.

Baroness Margaret Thatcher sits on Centre Court on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 5, 2008 in London, England.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher listens to a speaker during a defense session on the second day of the Conservative Party Conference in the Bournemouth International Centre, in October 2000.

Suzanne Plunkett - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron inside Number 10 Downing Street on June 8, 2010 in London, England. Baroness Thatcher served as Prime Minister of the UK from 1979 to 1990.

Baroness Margaret Thatcher arrives at the UK Commemorative Service for Northern Ireland Operations at St Paul's Catherderal on September 10, 2008 in London, England.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher waves to the press at her home, after leaving Cromwell Hospital on November 1, 2010 in London, England. Baroness Thatcher was admitted to hospital 12 days ago after contracting flu, missing a party at Downing Street on October 14, 2010 to celebrate her 85th birthday because of her illness.

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