7 Margaret Thatcher 7given the Labour Party’s repudiation of Britain’s tradi-
tional nuclear and defense policies. In Africa, Thatcher
presided over the orderly establishment of an indepen-
dent Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) in 1980, after 15 years
of illegal separation from British colonial rule under a
white minority. However, she encountered considerable
criticism both at home and abroad for her opposition to
international sanctions against the apartheid regime of
South Africa. The second half of Thatcher’s tenure was
marked by an inextinguishable controversy over Britain’s
relationship with the European Community (EC).
Spurred by public disapproval of the poll tax imple-
mented in 1989 —which produced outbreaks of street
violence—and Thatcher’s increasingly strident tone,
Conservative members of Parliament moved against her
in November 1990. Although she defeated her most senior
opponent, former defense minister Michael Heseltine, by
204 votes to Heseltine’s 152, her total fell four votes short
of the necessary majority plus 15 percent, and she decided
not to contest the election in a second ballot. On November
22 she announced her resignation as Conservative Party
leader and prime minister, paving the way for her replace-
ment by John Major six days later.
Later Years
In retirement, Margaret Thatcher remained a political
force. She continued to influence internal Conservative
Party politics (often to the dismay of Major), and
Thatcherism shaped the priorities of the Labour Party,
which she had kept out of office for more than a decade.
She remained a member of Parliament until the 1992 elec-
tion and was subsequently elevated, as a peeress for life, to
the House of Lords. She continued to speak and lecture,
notably in the United States and Asia, and established the