This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/world/europe/tributes-pour-in-for-margaret-thatcher.html
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Tributes Pour in for Margaret Thatcher | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — Margaret Thatcher, a towering, divisive and yet revered figure in British politics, who left an enduring and contentious impact on British life and society, died on Monday of a stroke, her family said. Politicians feted her influence on her country’s destiny as among the greatest since Winston Churchill and the authorities said she would be buried with military honors. | |
| “It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother, Baroness Thatcher, died peacefully following a stroke this morning,” a statement from her spokesman, Lord Tim Bell, said. | “It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother, Baroness Thatcher, died peacefully following a stroke this morning,” a statement from her spokesman, Lord Tim Bell, said. |
| Lady Thatcher, 87, Britain’s first female prime minister, had been in poor health for months. She served as prime minister for 11 years, beginning in 1979. She was known variously as the Iron Lady, a stern Conservative who transformed Britain’s way of thinking about its economic and political life, broke union power and opened the way to far greater private ownership. | Lady Thatcher, 87, Britain’s first female prime minister, had been in poor health for months. She served as prime minister for 11 years, beginning in 1979. She was known variously as the Iron Lady, a stern Conservative who transformed Britain’s way of thinking about its economic and political life, broke union power and opened the way to far greater private ownership. |
| The daughter of a grocer, she was leader of Britain through its 1982 war in the Falklands and stamped her skepticism about European integration onto her country’s political landscape for decades. | The daughter of a grocer, she was leader of Britain through its 1982 war in the Falklands and stamped her skepticism about European integration onto her country’s political landscape for decades. |
| Though long anticipated, Lady Thatcher’s death overwhelmed many. Within moments of the announcement by Lord Bell, Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister David Cameron offered tributes to what Mr. Cameron called “a great leader, a great prime minister, a great Briton.” | Though long anticipated, Lady Thatcher’s death overwhelmed many. Within moments of the announcement by Lord Bell, Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister David Cameron offered tributes to what Mr. Cameron called “a great leader, a great prime minister, a great Briton.” |
| On Monday, Mr. Cameron cut short a visit to Spain and France — billed as the beginning of an effort to resolve his own troubled relationship with much of continental Europe — to return to Britain following Mrs. Thatcher’s death. | |
| Mr. Cameron’s office said that, in line with her family’s wishes, Mrs. Thatcher would not be accorded a full state funeral. “We can announce that, with the Queen’s consent, Lady Thatcher will receive a ceremonial funeral with military honors. The service will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral. A wide and diverse range of people and groups with connections to Lady Thatcher will be invited,” a statement from 10 Downing Street said. | |
| “The service will be followed by a private cremation. All the arrangements being put in place are in line with wishes of Lady Thatcher’s family.” | |
| Buckingham Palace said the Queen was “sad to hear the news” and would be sending a private message of sympathy to the family. | Buckingham Palace said the Queen was “sad to hear the news” and would be sending a private message of sympathy to the family. |
| Lawmakers said Lady Thatcher had retired from public life about two years ago. Her career in active politics came to an end in 1990 when her own Conservative Party forced her from office and replaced her with John Major. | Lawmakers said Lady Thatcher had retired from public life about two years ago. Her career in active politics came to an end in 1990 when her own Conservative Party forced her from office and replaced her with John Major. |
| “She was the most extraordinary person,” Lord Bell said. “She transformed people’s lives.” | “She was the most extraordinary person,” Lord Bell said. “She transformed people’s lives.” |
| He added: “She made a great difference in the way we lead our lives.” | He added: “She made a great difference in the way we lead our lives.” |
| An assessment in the conservative Daily Telegraph said: “She will go down in history not only as Britain’s first female prime minister, but as the woman who transformed Britain’s economy in addition to being a formidable rival on the international stage.” | An assessment in the conservative Daily Telegraph said: “She will go down in history not only as Britain’s first female prime minister, but as the woman who transformed Britain’s economy in addition to being a formidable rival on the international stage.” |
| “Lady Thatcher was the only British prime minister to leave behind a set of ideas about the role of the state which other leaders and nations strove to copy and apply,” the newspaper said. | “Lady Thatcher was the only British prime minister to leave behind a set of ideas about the role of the state which other leaders and nations strove to copy and apply,” the newspaper said. |
| Speaking to the BBC, Henry A. Kissinger, the former United States Secretary of State, said Mrs. Thatcher was a “great leader” and a “good friend of the United States.” She was known particularly for her close working alliance with President Ronald Reagan, with whom she shared a profound ideological rejection of cold war communism. | Speaking to the BBC, Henry A. Kissinger, the former United States Secretary of State, said Mrs. Thatcher was a “great leader” and a “good friend of the United States.” She was known particularly for her close working alliance with President Ronald Reagan, with whom she shared a profound ideological rejection of cold war communism. |
| But even in death, the harsh ideological divisiveness of her legacy in office spilled over. | |
| Paul Kenny, a labor union leader, said Mrs. Thatcher would be “remembered by many for the destructive and divisive policies she reigned over.” And Lindsey German, a peace campaigner who opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan long after Mrs. Thatcher’s formal political eclipse, said she “laid the basis for policies which wrecked the lives of millions in Britain. But she should also be remembered as a warmonger.” | |
| “She led alongside Ronald Reagan the escalation of the cold war. She introduced cruise missiles to Britain and fought the Falklands war,” Ms. German said. | |
| Outside Mrs. Thatcher’s elegant London home, well-wishes left flowers at her door. But British news reports said she had been living for much of this year at the upscale Ritz Hotel in central London as the guest of its owners. |