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Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) is a real historical figure and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, during which she implemented policies that emphasized individualism, nationalism, and fiscal conservatism. Her style of rule marked an extreme shift in the style of governance which had become the norm in the U.K. in the decades after World War II. In history and in the novel’s alternate history, she began to see declining support due to inflation and higher unemployment rates. In actual history, she saw renewed support following British victory in the 1982 Falklands War. In the novel’s alternate timeline, however, Thatcher’s popularity takes a massive hit following Britain’s loss of that war, and she is ousted from power when she loses the 1983 election to Labour Party politician Tony Benn.
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Margaret Thatcher Character Timeline in Machines Like Me
The timeline below shows where the character Margaret Thatcher appears in Machines Like Me. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
Charlie recalls watching all this happen and feeling simultaneously “horrified” and “guilty.” A tearful Margaret Thatcher accepted responsibility for the disaster. In Charlie’s own life in the present, rent will soon...
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Chapter 4
...the “troubled little household” continues, set against the backdrop of the ongoing political turmoil. Mrs. Thatcher grows increasingly unpopular. The Leader of the Opposition, the socialist Tony Benn, engages her in...
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Chapter 7
In another lengthy aside, Charlie’s narration describes the ongoing political situation. Margaret Thatcher faces yet more opposition due to the recently passed “poll tax,” which is meant to...
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...political unrest. Charlie, who self-identifies as “a non-dithering centrist” who nevertheless would like to see Thatcher ousted, attends one such rally in Hyde Park Corner. Adam accompanies him. They stand toward...
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Chapter 9
...so-called “Falklands Catastrophe” and widespread disapproval of the poll tax have turned constituents against Margaret Thatcher, whose party loses the election to Tony Benn and the Labour Party. Prime Minister Benn...
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