Photographs: Central Press/Getty Images
Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher was the country's only female premier. She was a towering figure in post-war British and world politics.
Rediff.com takes a look at the legacy of one of the most influential political figures of the 20th century -- her extraordinary life and career.
British Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher with then Indian premier Indira Gandhi (1917 - 1984), outside 10 Downing Street in this March 1982 pciture.
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
Photographs: Reuters
Thatcher is welcomed at Delhi's International Airport by the then Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi. Also seen in the picture (right) is Sonia Gandhi.
Thatcher's visit to India marked the last leg of her six-nation tour on April 13, 1985.
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
Photographs: Chris Ware/Keystone Features/Getty Images
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
Photographs: Chris Ware/Keystone Features/Getty Images
Margaret Roberts, later Thatcher, the youngest candidate in the Conservative Party, plans her election campaign on January 1, 1950.
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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The Secretary of State for Education and Science Thatcher plays the piano for husband Denis and their seventeen year-old twins children Mark and Carol on September 5, 1970.
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
Photographs: Getty Images
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Thatcher, then Miss Margaret Roberts, attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace, as a Conservative MP.
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Thatcher, accompanied by her husband Denis and children Carol and Mark, on election night when she led the Conservative Party to victory in the British general election.
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Thatcher speaks as Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife Raisa look on at the end of a state visit to Britain on April 7, 1989.
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Left to right (seated): Sir Ian Gilmour, Lord Privy Seal; Lord Soames (1920 - 1987), Lord President of the Council; Sir Keith Joseph, Industry Secretary; Lord Carrington, Foreign Secretary and Overseas Development; William Whitelaw, Home Secretary; Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister; Lord Hailsham, Lord Chancell 8744 Sir Geoffrey Howe, Chancellor of the Exchequer; Francis Pym, Defence Minister; James Prior, Employment Secretary; and Peter Walker, Agriculture Minister.
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
Photographs: David Levenson/Getty Images
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Thatcher, swinging from a hoist during a visit to the Royal Navy on August 16, 1983.
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Thatcher addressing the Conservative Party on May 22, 1985.
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Thatcher served as prime minister of the UK from 1979 to 1990.
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Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures
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Thatcher is helped to her door to greet the press at her home, after leaving Cromwell Hospital on November 1, 2010 in London, England. Thatcher missed a party at Downing Street on October 14, 2010 to celebrate her 85th birthday because of her illness.
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