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There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters

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Ms. Berlinski has written an excellent biography of one of the 20th Century's most important and intriguing political figures. She focuses on five main themes: the struggles of Great Britain in the 1970's prior to her election; the Falklands' conflict; Thatcher's relationship with (male) politicians; the miner's strike and her political downfall. The author uses transcripts of interviews she conducted with former cabinet officials, advisors and political adversaries of Mrs. Thatcher. The book is also footnoted, so that the reader can get more information from the sources used.

Not only were there interviews with politicians and government officials, but there were also interviews with people affected by Mrs. Thatcher's policies. For example, the author interviews wealthy Britons in the banking and restaurant businesses who have profited greatly from England's economic resurgence. Moreover, she interviews three former coal miners who lost their job when Thatcher defeated the union and basically ended Britain's inefficient coal industry.

From this biography, I was able to understand why Thatcher matters. She resurrected the pride of Great Britain, which had struggled with socialism, strikes and inefficiency for decades. Britain's economy is now the largest in Europe. Moreover, she restored Britain's standing in the world by reclaiming the Falkland Islands and along with the US, helping to defeat communism.

In this fascinating book, author Dr. Claire Berlinski puts Margaret Thatcher under the microscope. Starting with a quick examination of her youthful experiences, she then moves onto an in-depth study of Mrs. Thatcher as she moved through her political career. The author quotes extensively from people whom she worked with, and against. She explains what Margaret Thatcher did and why, and examined what it tells about Mrs. Thatcher the woman.

I must say that I found this to be an absolutely fascinating look at Mrs. Thatcher. I think that the author did a great job of really giving the reader an understanding of what made the Iron Lady tick - what she thought of women, socialism, supporters and detractors. In many ways this is a biography of the great woman, but it is so much more than that.

So, let me just say that if you want to really understand Margaret Thatcher, then you really must get this excellent book. I highly recommend it!

The title somewhat confused me when the book initially came out in 2008. I failed to sense the impending worldwide crisis now threatening the economies of the Western World. It is now two years later---and Claire Berlinski has turned me into a total convert. Margaret Thatcher clearly understood the benefits of the free market. She realized that any compromise with members of the Labor Party or the squishy moderates within her own party hurts the British citizenry. The woman was not for bending. Thatcher committed herself to achieving her goals regardless of the costs. She would push aside and irritate in countless other ways anyone who got in her way. Thatcher was not known for always being gentle. Winston Churchill was a wartime prime minister. He never got to serve during peacetime. Thatcher is therefore the role model for today's challenges.

The author interviewed individuals who were not hesitant in revealing Thatcher as a strong willed lady that may have even occasionally rubbed them the wrong way. France's Francois Mitterrand even described her as "Brigitte Bardot with Caligula's eyes." She was also born and raised in modest middle class surroundings---and the elites never forgave her. One is also readily reminded of the friction between the American Sarah Palin and her big government Republican detractors. Mrs. Thatcher worked closely together with President Ronald Reagan to defeat the Soviet Union. This same sort of focus and vision is currently needed to combat Islamic extremism. Claire Berlinski has successfully made her case. The title of the book says it all. Margaret Thatcher still matters and there is no alternative. Great Britain is experiencing an existential crisis that may destroy its democratic institutions. Can it find another Thatcher before it is too late?

Berlinski portrays Thatcher as a warrior against socialism who attacked the ideology not because it "doesn't work" but because it is fundamentally immoral.

The book is mostly a collection of interviews with Thatcher's defenders and detractors with the author's commentary interspersed throughout the transcripts. Through these interviews, the reader is given a pretty good idea of why Thatcher is still so intensely loved and hated even now, almost 20 years after she left office.

Berlinski has an amusing, first-person writing style replete with pop culture references that sometimes seem out of place in a biography of a historical figure, but on the whole, makes the work very readable.

Anyone interested in the future of conservatism ought to read this well-written book. Thatcher is both loved and loathed, and both for good reason. Taking power in Britain at a time when the country was an absolute basket case, the grocer's daughter realized that extreme measures were needed in order to pull Britain off the downward path of socialism and liberate the considerable entrepreneurial energies of its people. She ultimately succeeded, but not without causing dislocations and fundamental changes that, by contrast, make Ronald Reagan's strides forward to "morning in America" look like a cakewalk. Her imperious personality only made her drastic policies seem all the more drastic. There is an important lesson to be learned here: any really profound change away from socialism and towards capitalism will make permanent enemies, so any politician who seeks to make such changes must either be able to ignore the critics or transcend them.

Berlinski interviews both allies and adversaries of Thatcher, including an interesting visit with some former miners whose lives were changed forever in the wake of the failed miners' strike of 1984. Berlinski's sympathies obviously lie with Thatcher, but she gives Thatcher's enemies a fair chance to be heard. I happen to agree with Berlinski's summation that while current geopolitical issues (radical Islamic terrorism, which Thatcher frankly failed to recognize as a big threat) may seem to have little to do with the Cold War milieu in which Thatcher operated, the eternal appeal of the secular religion of socialism (especially when it forms an "unholy alliance" of expediency with Islamic enemies of the West, as detailed by David Horowitz and others) will always make Thatcher's ideas and experiences relevant. This is a thought-provoking book with a very important message.

Berlinski does an excellent job of capturing the essence of Thatcher, and how she, with indomitable will, turned around a collapsing country. She stresses that Thatcher emphasized the immorality, actually the evil, of socialism in its debilitating effects on people even more than its economic inefficiency. With amazing guts, and aided by some luck, Thatcher was able to restore Britain's position in the world, bring its economy back from the brink of disaster, and play a substantial role in the collapse of communism. Although thought of as cold and impersonal, Thatcher developed remarkable relationships with Mikhail Gorbachev and especially Ronald Reagan, which greatly enhanced the role she was able to play. While some of the interview material with various Britains is of limited interest, the book offers a real feel for Thatcher while requiring only a modest commitment of time. Overall, well worth reading.

Margaret Thatcher is one of the most iconic political figures of the 20th century. She was the first female head of government, and to this day all strong female politicians inevitably invoke the comparison with her. However, her fame and achievements go well beyond just being a symbolic first in women's ascension in public and professional life. The impact that she had on both the British domestic policy and the international relations at the end of Cold War are monumental and will be hard to eclipse any time soon by a politician of either gender. She continues to inspire all those who are opposed to tyranny in all of its forms and support free exercise of individual capabilities unconstrained by bloated governmental intrusions.

With this in mind, it is not surprising that there are plenty biographies of Madame Thatcher out there. There is enough information on her online to completely satisfy anyone's curiosity. And yet, Claire Berlinski manages to find a unique new angle and write a biography that is original and distinctive. She intersperses the narrative parts of the biography with numerous parts of interview with people who knew Margaret Thatcher well. She even quotes full dialogues from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" in the final chapter on Thatcher's downfall. This comes across a bit overly melodramatic, but nonetheless makes for an interesting read. Berlinski is also unashamed to use personal anecdotes and psychological evaluation of various protagonists of this biography, which can be viewed either as a bit self-indulgent or fresh and original. I tend to be more inclined towards the latter, but this may not sit too well with all readers.

The importance of Margaret Thatcher has only increased over the years. She was one of the main politicians that opposed and fought socialism in all of its forms. After the fall of Communism and more or less general adoption of the main aspects of her policy by most major European parties, it looked like the free-market ideas that she so passionately championed had become completely vindicated once and for all. Unfortunately, in the recent years we have been witnessing the resurgence of those ideas, and it is important now more than ever to be reminded of what sorry life Brittan had led under such policies. This book is a useful reminder of that and an inspiration for everyone for the way out of that predicament.

Thatcher fought against the trade unions that had paralyzed Great Britain in the 1970's. Trade unions sought to get their way through strikes. Garbage remained uncollected, the coal miners attempted to seize control of the coal supply, etc. This book gives details behind this struggle against trade unions, which Thatcher ultimately won. Her victory resurrected the economy of Great Britain. As the US creeps ever closer to the situation that prevailed in 1970's Great Britain, one could do worse than read this book and get some insight into how it can be stopped.

Reading the book, I felt that Mrs. Thatcher had landed in my living room, handbag included. Reading about the Frost interview, her stand towards the unions, or her thumping of the famous bag, I started understanding the Iron Lady's thought process and the roots behind her (admittedly strong) convictions especially on fiscal policy. You may not like Mrs. Thatcher after reading this book, but you will certainly appreciate her leadership.

Margaret Thatcher has long been on my list of historical figures to study. I am so glad that this book was my introduction to her! As a young child during the 80's, I remember her being spoken of fondly by my family. I found the angle of this book favorable, appealing - showing Mrs. Thatcher more deference than a strictly academic review would otherwise have. I almost expected Ms. Berlinski to childishly declare "I want to be like HER when I grow up!" This book is riveting! As the mother of three children under 4, I was glued to it, picking it up whenever I had a moment to myself. Reading this book was like visiting Ms. Berlinski in her living room, pouring over her papers and letting her relay her wealth of information very casually, as if over afternoon tea. Well done, Ms. Berlinski! Thank you!