For 11 years she was prime minister of Britain, and in that time, and in the mold of the cast-iron lady, she created a name for an economic movement that has changed our world. It is Thatcherism.
For 11 years after retirement, she was the uncomfortable conscience of the Conservative Party in Britain, damning moves towards Europe and castigating her successors. And now she is silent.
A series of small strokes has ended Margaret Thatcher's public speaking career. The news is greeted with some relief in Britain, where raising the legacy of Thatcher triggers heated debate over her role in bringing back social inequity on one hand, and clearing the way for dynamic free enterprise on the other.
