That’s what the principal of Somerville College,
Oxford said to the students who arrived there in 1944. That statement made a
lasting impression on Margaret Roberts, who would become Great Britain’s only
female prime minister and rank among Britain’s greatest leaders.
Margaret Thatcher was a major historical figure at a
unique time in world history. It was unique because three major world leaders
were on the world stage at the same time. Pope John Paul II, President Ronald
Reagan and Lady Thatcher shared a common vision for defeating communism and
bringing freedom to all of Europe. Interestingly, all three came from
relatively humble upbringings. Thatcher was the daughter of a grocer… and all
three were guided by a strong faith that informed and supported their view of
the world.
From World War II until the destruction of the
Berlin Wall in 1989, world politics were defined by the contest between the
West and the Soviet Union. Prior to the election of Reagan and Thatcher, the
policy of the United States and its Western allies toward the Soviets was a
policy of containment. Reagan and Thatcher changed that to a policy of
engagement that ultimately led to freedom for millions of Europeans living
under the “iron fist” rule of the Communists.
Reagan and Thatcher shared the same view of what the
Cold War was really about and together they were determined to win it. The
respect and warm friendship between them were very evident. In fact, President
Reagan referred to her as “the other woman in my life.”
Like President Reagan, Lady Thatcher believed in
free enterprise, private property and the rule of law as the basis for human
flourishing. People must be secure in what they own, free to pursue their own
interests and protected by laws that are neither arbitrary nor unequally
applied.
Ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, in a
speech in Prague, Lady Thatcher articulated precisely what she and President
Reagan were fighting for: “Belief in the unique dignity of the human person, in
the need for the state to serve and not to dominate, in the right to ownership
of property and so independence – these things were what the West upheld, and
what we fought for in the long twilight struggle that we call the Cold War.”
Thatcher later wrote that in that speech she wanted
to remind the politicians present at that conference in Prague “…that the Cold
War was a war for freedom, truth and justice.”
The partnership in this effort between Britain and
the United States was possible because Lady Thatcher understood Reagan and she
understood what America represents. In a lecture she gave at University of
London she said, “The modern world began in earnest on July 4th 1776.”
She said that the moment the colonists put pen to
parchment and pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to the
idea that “…all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable rights… and that to secure these rights governments
are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,”
patriotism ceased to be simple loyalty to the homeland. It became “…a
dedication to principles held to be both universal and permanent.”
Lady Thatcher understood that national character
matters and she did not divorce morality from faith.
Speaking to the General Assembly of the Church of
Scotland, Lady Thatcher said the Judaic-Christian tradition is important not
just because she believed that it is true, but because it provides the moral
impulse that is necessary for the well-being of the nation. She said, “There is
little hope for democracy if the hearts of men and women in democratic
societies cannot be touched by a call to something greater than themselves.”
Later, in a speech at Hillsdale College in April
2001, she said, “History has taught us that freedom cannot long survive unless
it is based on moral foundations.”
Margaret Thatcher took office when it appeared that
Great Britain was virtually on the ash heap of history. Through her leadership
and her iron-willed determination, she brought her nation back from the brink.
At the time of her election, it appeared to be an impossible task. But she
accepted the challenge and saved her nation.
At this point in America’s history when so many
conservatives are discouraged by the course we are on, Lady Thatcher’s success
in turning her nation around should inspire hope and encourage us to not give
up because, with the right leadership, regardless of race or gender, there are
no obstacles or challenges that cannot be overcome. Margaret Thatcher was that
kind of leader. God rest her soul.
About the author: Gary Palmer is president of the
Alabama Policy Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit research and education
organization dedicated to the preservation of free markets, limited government
and strong families, which are indispensable to a prosperous society.
This article was published by the Alabama Policy
Institute.
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