Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized Biography, Volume Two: Everything She Wants

In June 1983 Margaret Thatcher won the biggest increase in a government's Parliamentary majority in British electoral history. Over the next four years, as Charles Moore relates in this central volume of his uniquely authoritative biography, Britain's first woman prime minister changed the course of her country's history and that of the world, often by sheer force of will. The book reveals as never before how she faced down the Miners' Strike, transformed relations with Europe, privatized the commanding heights of British industry and continued the reinvigoration of the British economy. It describes her role on the world stage with dramatic immediacy, identifying Mikhails Gorbachev as 'a man to do business with' before he became leader of the Soviet Union, and then persistently pushing him and Ronald Reagan, her great ideological soulmate, to order world affairs according to her vision. For the only time since Churchill, she ensured that Britain had a central place in dealings between the superpowers. But even at her zenith she was beset by difficulties. The beloved Reagan two-timed her during the US invasion of Grenada. She lost the minister to whom she was personally closest to scandal and almost had to resign as a result of the Westland affair. She found herself isolated within her own government over Europe. She was at odds with the Queen over the Commonwealth and South Africa. She bullied senior colleagues and she set in motion the poll tax. Both these last would later return to wound her, fatally. In all this, Charles Moore has had unprecedented access to all Mrs Thatcher's private and government papers. The participants in the events described have been so frank in interview that we feel we are eavesdropping on their conversations as they pass. We look over Mrs Thatcher's shoulder as she vigorously annotates documents, so seeing her views on many particular issues in detail, and we understand for the first time how closely she relied on a handful of trusted advisors to help shape her views and carry out her will. We see her as a public performer, an often anxious mother, a workaholic and the first woman in western democratic history who truly came to dominate her country in her time. In the early hours of 12 October 1984, during the Conservative party conference in Brighton, the IRA attempted to assassinate her. She carried on within hours to give her leader's speech at the conference (and later went on to sign the Anglo-Irish agreement). One of her many left-wing critics, watching her that day, said 'I don't approve of her as Prime Minister, but by God she's a great tank commander.' This titanic figure, with all her capacities and all her flaws, storms from these pages as from no other book. Praise for Volume One- Not for Turning 'Moore has produced a biography so masterly that it comes as close as biography can come to being a work of art . . . Ribald insults, gossip, political secrets, private grievances and funny stories - many of them very, very funny - fly off every page. But it is also a triumph of narrative art and human understanding, at its centre a peculiar force of nature, never to be repeated . . . one of the greatest political biographies ever written.' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday 'Moore's great gift is his ability to make Thatcher's story fresh again, and above all to remind us of how odd she was . . . The thoroughness of the research, the hundreds of interviews, and above all the access to her family and friends, have enabled Moore to produce a multifaceted picture of a compelling life . . . Moore's Thatcher will now become the definitive account.' Anne Applebaum, Daily Telegraph 'The scale of his research, the number of his interviews . . . and the depth of his background reading are awe-inspiring . . . The detail is meticulous . . . the commentary gripping . . . his pace, his fascination and his command of detail never slacken. This is a masterly piece of work.' Matthew Parris, The Times 'An immensely impressive achievement and takes its place among the great political biographies of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.' Philip Ziegler, Spectator 'He has brilliant control of his sources. He's spoken to everyone and gives a razor-sharp insight into what politics is really like . . . Riveting.' Jim Naughtie, BBC2, The Culture Show 'More than any other biographer, he has unearthed the woman beneath the sterotype . . . with its elegant prose, dry wit, prodigious research and careful judgments, it is one of the best political biographies I have ever read.' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times 'More than just biography, this is excellent history. If the second volume maintains this quality, it will be a tremendous achievement.' John Campbell, Independent 'It is not just a good book, it is a great one.' A. N. Wilson, Evening Standard