A Communication Perspective on Margaret Thatcher: Stateswoman of the Twentieth Century

A Communication Perspective on Margaret Thatcher: Stateswoman of the Twentieth Century represents broad analysis of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's communicative appeals, rhetorical efforts, and campaign and media strategies--viewed within an historical context--as symbolic acts intended to induce and enact political, social, and economic change in the United Kingdom during the latter quarter of the twentieth century. Janet Fallon focuses on the aggregate of Thatcher's life experiences including family background, education, years in the House of Commons, and other key biographical and historical influences that informed her world of ideas and her articulation of words, and marked her ascent both to premiership as Britain's first Madam Prime Minister in 1979 and further to her international status as a stateswoman. Margaret Thatcher's voice from the mid-1970s into the early 1990s and even beyond was the primary voice communicating a vision of a new reality and a new order for Britain.

Janet Fallon is professor of communication and media design at Marymount University.