Home > War in the Persian Gulf > Margaret Thatcher Biography

Born October 13, 1925

Grantham, England

Prime minister of Great Britain when Iraq staged 1990 Invasion of Kuwait

"Aggression must be stopped. That is the lesson of this century."

Margaret Thatcher as quoted on "Frontline."

The first female prime minister of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher was an early supporter of using military force against Iraq after it seized control of Kuwait. She firmly believed that Iraq and its president, Saddam Hussein, needed to be harshly punished for invading Kuwait. As the Persian Gulf crisis unfolded, she worked closely with U.S. President George H. W. Bush (see entry) to establish a military force capable of defending other vulnerable Middle Eastern nations from Hussein. In addition, Thatcher helped build international support for a military assault on Iraqi forces in Kuwait and Iraq.