John Blundell is Director-General of London's Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), which was recently described by the BBC's Andrew Marr as "undoubtedly the most influential think tank in modern British history".

He has known Margaret Thatcher since 1970 and has met her in every post she has had since then (and many times since she resigned from public office).

Educated in the UK, he spent over a decade working in the United States and has homes in London and the Allegheny Mountains. He is on the Board of Directors of three major US conservative groups.

When Margaret Thatcher donated $3m to the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, to establish the Thatcher Center, it was John Blundell who proposed the toast to her in front of the 500+ audience assembled to mark the occasion. This book is his...

When Margaret Thatcher donated $3m to the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, to establish the Thatcher Center, it was John Blundell who proposed the toast to her in front of the 500+ audience assembled to mark the occasion. This book is his personal portrait of Margaret Thatcher, the woman who was the pivotal point of the rescue of a country, a woman who woke up her nation and made it once again a world leader. It is not only the story of her life but also an examination of the ideas, interests, and circumstances surrounding key events.

The author illustrates Thatcher's decisive style in handling potentially explosive issues, her sang-froid, and her charm through numerous vignettes and quotes. He relates the facts of Margaret Thatcher's terms in power and explains how policy reforms and political perspectives that are now taken for granted in Britain had to be fought for.

The transformation she brought to the United Kingdom was stunning on many fronts. Pre-Thatcher, Blundell says, a sclerotic union-dominated economy was typified by surly service, poor products and a "craven" business class. Post-Thatcher even the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), an exemplar of what Americans call the "liberal media," extended its coverage of the private business sector quite considerably, such is the emphasis on the values of capitalism in today's society. Service and product quality have been improved many times over. The choice and level of quality and service that had so impressed the author on his first visits to the U.S. in 1974 was becoming commonplace in the UK by the end of her terms as Prime Minister.

Part I : THE ROAD TO DOWNING STREET

1. Childhood

2. University

3. Starting Out

4. Elected

5. Opposition

6. Education

7. Reflection

8. Becoming Leader

9. Leading the Opposition

10. Winning Power

Part II : GETTING THE JOB DONE

11. Liberating The Economy

12. Privatizing The Commanding Heights

13. Selling Off Public Housing

14. Going To War

15. Beating The Miners

16. Reforming The Unions

17. Battling The IRA

18. Friendship with America

19. Kicking Down The Wall

20. Dealing With Brussels

21. Resignation

22. In Retirement

23. Family: Denis, Carol, Mark

24. Men: Alf, Keith, Ronald, Alfred, Alan, Ralph

25. Ten Lessons

26. Margaret In Interview

I. Timeline including all of MargaretÂ’s elections

II. British General Elections 1945 – 2005

III. Sources and Further Reading