Margaret Thatcher: The Authorised Biography, Volume 2: At Her Zenith: In London, Washington and Moscow

Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized Biography #2

by Charles Moore

In June 1983 Margaret Thatcher won the biggest increase in a government s parliamentary majority in British electoral history. Over the next four years, as Charles Moore relates in this central volume of his uniquely authoritative biography, Britain s first woman prime minister changed the course of her country s history and that of the world, often by sheer force of will.

The book reveals as never before how Mrs. Thatcher transformed relations with Europe, privatized the commanding heights of British industry and continued the reinvigoration of the British economy. It describes her role on the world stage with dramatic immediacy, identifying Mikhail Gorbachev as a man to do business with before he became leader of the Soviet Union, and then persistently pushing him and Ronald Reagan, her great ideological soul mate, to order world affairs according to her vision. For the only time since Churchill, she ensured that Britain had a central place in dealings between the superpowers.

But even at her zenith she was beset by difficulties. Reagan would deceive her during the U.S. invasion of Grenada. She lost the minister to whom she was personally closest to scandal and faced calls for her resignation. She found herself isolated within her own government. She was at odds with the Queen over the Commonwealth and South Africa. She bullied senior colleagues and she set in motion the poll tax. Both these last would later return to wound her, fatally.

Charles Moore has had unprecedented access to all of Mrs. Thatcher s private and government papers. The participants in the events described have been so frank in interviews that we feel we are eavesdropping on their conversations as they pass. We look over Mrs. Thatcher s shoulder as she vigorously annotates documents and as she articulates her views in detail, and we understand for the first time how closely she relied on a handful of trusted advisers to carry out her will. We see her as a public performer, an often anxious mother, a workaholic and the first woman in Western democratic history who truly came to dominate her country in her time.
In the early hours of October 12, 1984, during the Conservative party conference in Brighton, the IRA attempted to assassinate her. She carried on within hours to give her leader s speech at the conference. One of her many left-wing critics, watching her that day, said, I don t approve of her as Prime Minister, but by God she s a great tank commander. This titanic figure, with all her capabilities and her flaws, storms from these pages as from no other book.

Genres: Biography, Politics, History, Nonfiction, British Literature, European History, Biography Memoir

912 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2015

About the author

Charles Hilary Moore is an English journalist and a former editor of The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and The Spectator. He still writes for the first and last of these publications.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...

Librarian Note
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fighting on all Fronts

You often get out what you put in and this couldn’t be truer than Charles Moore’s biography of Margaret Thatcher. This three volumed series is excellent but also heavy. You have to be up to the challenge, but if you are, it is one of the greatest political biographies written. It is not just the story of Thatcher herself, but of UK and wider politics of the 1980s. All written with political insight and critical. This books is Moore’s second volume, titled Everything She Wants and covers the years from the aftermath of Thatcher’s Falklands triumph in 1982 through her sweeping re-election in 1983, and into the height of her power in the mid-1980s. Where the first book depicted the making of a political force, this one shows us the Iron Lady in full command. A strong leader, a visionary, unyielding and yet increasingly isolated.

Moore writes with both access and detachment, granted rare insights through his status as Thatcher’s official biographer but never lapsing into hagiography. His portrait of Thatcher is detailed and rich with primary sources, yet not afraid to expose contradictions: her moral certainty versus political calculation, her loyalty to certain colleagues versus her readiness to discard others, and her intense work ethic tempered by a stubborn refusal to listen to dissent.

Everything She Wants centres on a leader at the apex of her power, pressing forward with privatisation, battling the trade unions, and reshaping Britain’s economy. The Westland Affair, the miners’ strike, and her contentious dealings with figures like Geoffrey Howe and Michael Heseltine are not merely recounted, they’re dissected, providing insight into Thatcher’s psychology and her political instincts. Moore illustrates how her strength: uncompromising conviction also became her greatest vulnerability. There are others around her, who of course were allies in the true sense, for example Nigel Lawson (until their fallout in 1989), Norman Tebbit, Sir Keith Joseph and Douglas Hurd. Abroad statesmen such as US President Ronald Reagan had a very close relationship with her, General Secretary of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev became an effective interlocutor and Brian Mulroney the Prime Minister of Canada admired her and her leadership.

A great part of Moore’s work is his refusal to resolve Thatcher into a single, simplistic character. He neither condemns nor sanctifies her. Instead, we are presented with a figure of immense determination and contradiction; a woman who believed herself right, not merely politically, but morally and historically. As I started this review I explained that this book and the series as a whole is best. The level of detail can feel exhaustive, and casual readers may find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume of political minutiae. But I never felt bogged down in anyway by this or the first book (something the third occasionally did to me). As a result, anyone seriously interested in British political history or in understanding the legacy of Thatcherism, this truly is an indispensable work.

In Everything She Wants, Moore shows us a Thatcher who is not just doing what she can, but what she believes she must. Whether that belief was a gift to the nation or a burden is left, with subtlety, to the reader to decide. What is truly astonishing is the sheer volume of work she had to do, the multifaceted tasks she had to take on and for the most part delivered exceptionally well. The strength of character and conviction, along with a clear sight of the strategy and the tactics needed to deliver it are astounding. Moore’s writing style is easy to follow and is never convoluted or confused, which helps when tackling a complex topic such as this. A real tour de force.

[Julian Douglass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than the first installment of this trilogy. This one is more fast paced, less about her personally and more about her as the Prime Minister, and it also showcases more of the working relationships she had with the world and her supporting cast of cabinet ministers and other governmental officers. It starts off a little slow, but it picks up the pace by the time the miners’ strike happens. Great book, excited for the third.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always find it interesting to read history that I have lived through and remember as it presents it from a different perspective. At this time, Maggie Thatcher seemed all powerful and there forever but you can see the cracks starting to appear especially with her marginalising of poor Geoffrey Howe who never got to do his dream job of Foreign Secretary properly.

It is striking how much stronger Britain’s role in the world was then compared to now when she had such influence over both Reagan and Gorbachev.

Looking forward to reading the third and final volume about all the intrigue that surrounded her ultimate demise.

[Mike Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wham bam! Well, Charles Moore did subtitle this second volume of Thatcherography after a George Michael composition, and although on p638, he displays some impressive research skills in the pop culture of the times (even diehard punks may struggle to remember The Exploited’s ditty Maggie - sample lyric “Maggie, Maggie, you cunt / Maggie, Maggie, Maggie you fucking cunt”) it’s one of the few laughs in this otherwise very serious work. Yes, Andrew, it’s another foot thick book about Thatcher.

Journalist, commentator and lifelong worshipper at the shrine of the Blessed Margaret, Moore knows how to put a strong narrative together that holds the reader’s interest over 700 or so pages. Key events in the second term of the presidency, sorry premiership, are organised into themed chapters and Moore allows himself at least a little more fun with the chapter headings. One, entitled ‘Glasnost in the Chilterns’ is subheaded ‘For heaven’s sake, someone find me a young Russian’, and who among us hasn’t shrieked that at least once in a lifetime?

The problem really with this authorised biography is not that it’s badly written (it isn’t - for the most part it’s crisp, well-organised and informative), nor that it’s lacking in detail or insight (it provides plenty of both as the wealth of sources, eyewitness accounts and commentary demonstrate); it’s that it’s fan fiction, the story told from the point of view of a devout believer. That he also happens to be a journo compounds this for whilst it’s a story well told, there is little deconstruction or criticism - and what there is is so muted (see for instance the meltdown during the 1987 election campaign in the final chapter) as to almost be humblebrag.

At various points - on her approach to unemployment, the poll tax (the Scots were apparently begging for it), her divisions with Reagan on nuclear weapons (she didn’t say “every home should have one!” but I almost wish she had), and her treatment of her cabinet ministers, Moore takes us to the top of the hill and leads us back down. He observes but does not criticise, comments but fails to analyse.

Taken on the level of readability, digestibility and enjoyment, it’s a good book. As a historical document, it works. But if you want analysis, you might do worse than Hugo Young’s One Of Us, ancient scrolls though it may be. Skip this and you’ll miss what she thought of SPADs and what she bought Denis in the duty free, which would be a shame though. Everything she wants, but only some of mine.

[Indraroop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a good detailed read, though I’d have much preferred a continuous narrative over the compartmentalized chapters. IMO, Thatcher cuts an unsympathetic figure and the compartmentalized chapters makes it hard to understand the depth of her challenges at any specific point in time.

[Philipp Hartmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

In two or three years time, you will have completed the most sweeping change this country has seen in decades and your place in history will be rivalled in this century only by Churchill.
Thus writes Charles Powell, Thatcher's private secretary after her third election victory in June 1987, a feat which, to this day, no other British Prime Minister has accomplished.

The second volume of Margaret Thatcher's biography covers the period of 1982 - right after her triumphant defeat of the Argentine invasion of the British overseas territory of the Falklands - to June 1987, when she won her third term as PM.

Charles Moore opted for a topic-oriented structure to this volume, more so than in the first one. Therefore, the reader may encounter quite some overlaps while reading; however, at least in my humble opinion, this makes the book more compelling, as one is not overwhelmed by the various concomitant events in the PM's life.

The sheer level of detail is simply staggering; in a way, one can really feel as if projected into the atmosphere of the events depicted in this book.

Against the backdrop of the then ever-present, latent threat of the Soviet Union, I found the section about Thatcher's dealing with the Soviet Union and its leader, Michail Gorbachev, particularly captivating. So were the descriptions of her encounters with then US president Ronald Reagan, both decisive in bringing the Cold War to an end. In this volume, however, the author manages to convey points of friction between the two, namely when it came to nuclear disarmament. Whereas Reagan held the belief, perhaps naive, that a world free of nuclear weapons was feasable, Mrs Thatcher was an intransigent supporter of nuclear deterrence.
Other topics include Mrs Thatcher's dealings with the European Community, resulting in the British rebate at Fontainebleau in 1984, her stance on Middle East matters and the Gaddafi regime in Libya and the fallout with her then defense minister Michael Heseltine, which would eventually contribute to her fall.
The Brighton bomb in 1984 is also described in detail, embedded in the larger context of Anglo-Irish relations. Although not particularly interested or versed in matters concerning Ireland, she managed to carry things forward quite substantially, resulting in the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985, regarded as a cornerstone in the process of pacification of Ireland (and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1997).
Another large section is dedicated to the struggle with the unions, which at the time held the British population hostage. With great perspicacy and determination, she succeeded in bringing down the National Union of Minors (NMU), headed by Thatcher's arch-enemy at the time, Arthur Scargill.

Even though quite a lengthy piece of work, I enjoyed the read very much. I particularly admire the author's capacity to reconstruct Mrs Thatcher's thoughts and states of mind during the unfolding events by drawing on multiple accounts and sources. All in all an amazing read!

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acclaimed Profile of the Woman who Transformed the British Political Landscape

“Margaret Thatcher: At Her Zenith” is the second volume of what is a planned three-volume biography by Charles Moore, who has devoted more than 20 years, so far, to this major project. This volume covers Thatcher’s commanding win in the 1983 general election, following her political popularity in the aftermath of the Falklands War, through to her unprecedented re-election for a third time in June 1987.

Moore has received critical acclaim for weaving history, politics, psychology and sociology together in this biography of Margaret Thatcher. It is an “authorized biography” in the sense that Thatcher granted a number of interviews to the author, encouraged others to talk to him, and made available her private papers. But she never reviewed the book’s manuscript and stipulated that the biography was to be published only after her death.

Britain’s economy was moribund and uncompetitive when Thatcher became prime minister, struggling under years of post-war socialist policies. Income tax rates were prohibitively high at 83% for the highest income levels (thus lyrics of the Beetles’ song, Tax Man — “there’s one for you, 19 for me” — was only a slight exaggeration). Unions had enormous power and engaged in crippling strikes. Many ambitious and highly educated British people emigrated, seeking better opportunity abroad.

This second volume of Moore’s biography builds upon the first volume, which chronicled Thatcher’s rise to be Prime Minister and her first four years holding office. We now have a description of the additional steps taken from mid-1982 to mid-1987 to achieve a remarkable transformation of the British economy. Unions had a stranglehold on many industries, especially coal which powered Britain’s electric utilities. The Heath government had been brought down by Arthur Scargill of the miner’s union when a strike led to widespread blackouts and shutdown of British industry. Thatcher prepared for a showdown with Scargill, in large part by stockpiling coal so as to outlast the union. She prevailed and thus broke the back of a powerful opponent. She moved quickly to privatize numerous inefficient nationalized or subsidized industries such as vehicle manufacturer British Leyland, as well as British Airways, British Gas, Rolls-Royce, and British Telecom.

Moore is an admirer of Thatcher, but recognizes her weaknesses as well as her strengths. She exemplified the leader who is “often right, never in doubt”. Not only did she dominate meetings with her cabinet and advisors, but she also frequently did most of the talking when she met with world leaders such as Reagan, Gorbachev, Kohl and Mitterrand. In such settings she could be both remarkably inspiring and infuriating.

With regard to her cabinet and advisors, according to one observer, “She never saw herself as the captain of the team, but as the coachman flogging the horses”.

As memos crossed her desk, Thatcher would underline items with which she agreed, and put a wiggly line under those proposals with which she disagreed. Moore is able to use that annotation to great effect to explain what excited or annoyed her as she addressed specific problems and policy issues.

Moore provides a fascinating analysis of Thatcher’s relationship with Reagan. There is evidence that she didn’t really respect the President and didn’t think he was all that bright. But they shared broad philosophical and political goals. Britain was the junior partner in the alliance and Thatcher was careful to avoid anger or rudeness in talking to the President, a constraint that she rarely felt she needed to employ when dealing with others. She went out of her way to flatter and charm the President in order to bend him to her will. In turn, Reagan’s aides learned that the best way to persuade their boss of a proposal was to say that, “Margaret thinks it is a good idea.”

Thatcher had the perspicacity to identify Gorbachev as the likely “new generation” leader to succeed an aging Soviet leadership, and she met with him before he became President of the Soviet Union. She shaped the American administration’s view of Gorbachev, urging constructive dialogue to promote reform in the USSR, but soon was pushed aside as Reagan and Gorbachev met directly as the world’s two superpowers.

The Prime Minister’s husband, Denis Thatcher, was portrayed in the satirical press at the time as a gin-soaked, half-witted layabout, whose sole activity was to try to escape the wrath of "the Boss”. In fact, Moore points out that Denis had been a successful businessman and investor, continued to serve on a number of corporate boards, and was able to provide discreet but useful advice, particularly in the financial sector. Denis, suggests Moore, may have encouraged the portrayal of himself as a harmlessly incompetent buffoon, in order to deflect any claims that he was manipulating government from "behind the throne”.

During the five years covered by this volume, Thatcher had to deal with an extraordinary number of major issues, including restructuring the tax system, scandal involving a British helicopter company, negotiating with the Chinese over Hong Kong, resisting calls by Kohl and Mitterrand for concessions to European Community bureaucrats, and struggling with the issue of Ireland (even as five were killed and Thatcher narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when the IRA planted a bomb at her hotel at the time of the Conservative Party Congress in Brighton).

For the American reader, some of these descriptions, such as the helicopter scandal, may be too detailed. A huge cast of British politicians are introduced, and the footnotes explaining their education and peerages seem relevant only for British readers.

But overall, Moore’s brilliant narration of the drama and controversy of the Thatcher years, and her polarizing force in British politics, makes this book a delight to read.

She was not beloved by the intelligentsia and was very hurt by the decision of her alma mater, Oxford, to first offer and then not to grant her an honorary degree as a result of a protest campaign. Consequently, she left her papers to Cambridge.

Reflecting language which the British seem uniquely able to pen, Moore quotes one intellectual as describing Thatcher’s England as “A squalid, intolerant, racist, homophobic, narrow-minded, authoritarian rat-hole run by vicious, suburban-minded materialistic philistines.”

A fellow member of the Conservative Party, frustrated by her unwillingness to listen to opponents during a policy debate, said, “I don’t approve of her as Prime Minister, but by God she’s a great tank commander.”

She was also widely admired. Perhaps the most trenchant tribute to her legacy is that, in Moore’s words, Margaret Thatcher became “the patron saint of taxi drivers and all those who sought to better themselves.” In that way, she changed the British political landscape and helped ensure that in recent decades Britain has had one of the strongest economies in Europe.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week
In the aftermath of the Falklands victory, Margaret Thatcher's stock was rising. This period of almost five years, up to the 1987 election, could be described as her golden years. With a decisive majority and a pre-eminent place on the world stage she could truly begin to make her mark.

Charles Moore was authorised by Margaret Thatcher to write her biography on the condition that it was published after her death. She also encouraged her former staff and colleagues to readily offer their recollections, diaries and memoirs of their time working with and for her.

This abridgement for Radio 4 of his second volume offers a series of windows onto the key events of her second term - a term that was packed with challenges and drama.

Episode 1:
Margaret Thatcher tackles the problem of Hong Kong.

Episode 2:
A momentous lunch at Chequers turns into a meeting with 'a man we can do business with'.

Episode 3:
Arthur Scargill vs Margaret Thatcher.

Episode 4:
The Iron Lady and the Queen.

Episode 5:
What was she really like?

Music :
The music used to frame this series reflects the title of the book. As the author writes, "I have called this book Everything She Wants - the title of a song of the time by Wham! - because it expresses Mrs Thatcher's appetite for achievement and change and the degree to which she was the commanding personality of the era; but, hard as she fought for everything she wanted, this was not always what she got."
Track: 'Everything She Wants' from the Wham! album Make it Big, 1984

Read by Nicholas Farrell
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06fkd1l

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant, I found the first volume in the trilogy heavy going but the second volume demonstrates Moore's skill in balancing both the genius and the hubris of Mrs Thatcher at the apogee of her power. Fascinating insights into the complexity of her relationship with Ronald Reagan, her central role in Gorbachev's emergence as an agent for change in the moribund Soviet empire and the vast network of influence she built with a range of world leaders based on her extraordinary personality and charisma. South African president P.W. Botha's intransigence despite her considerable effort to encourage him towards genuine dialogue and reform are also well documented. The visceral hatred that she evinced from Britain's cultural and academic elites is explored in detail, her characterisation as a 'philistine' with 'suburban' instincts and the special role the BBC played in her demonisation in the literature and the arts all make fascinating reading. The relevance of this to the current disconnect between the same elites in British society and popular opinion was striking. Then as now, a contempt for the views of 'ordinary' people, led the finest minds in contemporary society to repeatedly get it wrong in polls and surveys of popular opinion. Moore's exploration of the deep seated resentment within the establishment of Thatcher's leadership as a woman as well as their thinly veiled anti-semitism directed at the Jewish component of her government makes very interesting reading. I thoroughly look forward to volume three!

[Hubert Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to the first volume, this was organised much more thematically which made it somewhat less enjoyable. Vol 1 was a real thriller, encapsulating to a large degree the juggling act that modern British PMs have to perform while in office. Perhaps as a result of Vol 2 covering all of four years, the author seemed to lose any semblance of a chronological record. In particular, Thatcher's week in HK/Moscow/DC was mentioned at disparate parts of the book, in respective relation to the Cold War, the 'Special Relationship', the return of HK to China, the poll tax, and the Northern Irish troubles. There was also too much cross-chapter referencing (i.e. 'See Chapter X').

Nevertheless, this is an excellently researched and impeccably referenced work which portrays the PM as a person - going beneath the media expressions, politicking and outward stoicism to present the inner thoughts, conflicts, and principles which guided her to make the decisions she did.

[Joe Basile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second volume of Moore's biography of Margaret Thatcher, and I found it even more interesting than the first volume. I'd give this a 4.5 if that rating were available. The book is well written and engaging. I always find it interesting to get a non-U.S. perspective on the United States, so I found especially interesting the description that Moore provides of the Thatcher-Reagan relationship from a UK point of view. The book does provide quite a bit of "inside the locker room" commentary on UK politics that I'm sure an English reader would find easier to follow that I did. This volume refers to a forthcoming third volume in the series, which I have not yet seen but hope to read when it is published.

[Oonagh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Charles Moore, in every chapter, seeks to present Margaret Thatcher in a positive light which is absolutely fine but quite explicit and not very objective. I want a biography that is more objective - otherwise I would have read the autobiography!

[Volbet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume in Charles Moore’s biography on the UK’s longest serving and most controversial prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. This time around Moore takes on a trip not through time, but through the politics and political issues that Thatcher dealt with throughout her tenure as the highest elected official in the United Kingdom.

We’ll be lead through a tour of everything from the Troubles in Northern Ireland, to tax reforms and Thatcher’s evolving relationships with Ronald Reagan. As was the case with the first volume of the biography, Moore doesn’t get into critiques or criticisms of Thatcher’s politics. Although, I don’t think Moore can hide behind being an objective observer or reporter, as Moore also often goes out of his way to create a discourse, wherein Thatcher is always the hero. Her ideological opponents are often painted as radicals, extremists or downright stupid by Moore. The people that oppose Thatcher rare if ever have a good or sound reason to be against the policies laid out by the Thatcher government. The one exception to this is whether the opposition comes from the Tories themselves or from Enoch Powell.
Now, Moore has teased that a discussion of Thatcher’s politics will come in the third volume, but as of this volume, Thatcher can stand very much alone in being right about everything in British politics in the 80’s.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few years back, after watching the cartoonishly stupid portrayal of Margaret Thatcher on The Crown, I decided I needed to read a solid biography of her to help me understand the real story of who this memorable leader worthy of further study was who still causes polarizing views in Brits and the world over. I quickly discovered Charles Moore's 3 part Robert Caro-esque authorized biography and read the first volume, which is a sort of "Path to Power" volume of her birth until the end of the Falklands War just before her second election. I found it to be incredibly readable and could not put it down. I said it was the best book on a foreign leader I have ever read.

I meant to get to volume 2 immediately but I guess i got sidetracked/was not quite ready to get back to that era etc. I finally read it now and again was transfixed. I got the American version of book which shows its universal praise by all critics here in the US (NY Times, Wash Post, WSJ etc) which is well deserved. This volume basically covers Thatcher's 2nd government from about 1983 to 1987. Moore wisely proceeds thematically rather than chronologically covering Thatcher's fiscal monetarism, privatization, Trade Union battles, IRA negotiations (and attempted assassination of her), the poll tax (which will eventually bring her premiership to an end in volume 3) and of course of most interest to we Americans, Cold War dealings with Reagan and Gorbachev with each of these topics getting its own chapter(s). In addition there is plenty of palace intrigue (no pun intended) regarding the Westland Affair which almost ended her premiership and her conflicts with the Commonwealth Nations regarding the treatment of South Africa (depicted in The Crown though of course the real story is more nuanced).

Whatever you think of Thatcher, she was a fascinating, influential leader who was probably the most significant PM of post war Britain. As Tony Blair regularly said when she died in 2013, she "fundamentally changed the country" and like FDR in the US, her policies were mostly built upon rather than reversed when the opposite party eventually returned to power (in her case, Blair, in FDR's case, Eisenhower). For example, the industries she privatized have not been renationalized and the Trade Unions no longer have the grip on government they did when she came in. These policies obviously and understandably still generate strong emotions both ways but interestingly, the Wikipedia catalog of Prime Ministerial rankings by academics, members of Parliament, journalists and the public list her as the #1, 2 or 3 greatest British PM, no doubt as a result of her political success, including being the only PM since the early 1800s to win 3 elections (at the time, Blair would later duplicate this though only go for 10 years instead of Thatcher's 11.5).

Moore's arrangement when Thatcher chose him as her Authorized Biographer was that she would never inquire about the writing and the books would not be published until her death. Therefore, unlike some "Authorized' biographies where the subject controls the narrative, Thatcher had no part, other than to give Moore access and (literally) a signed permission slip to talk to every important person of her time at home and abroad. So Moore spoke to everyone alive from her government and after including subsequent PMs like Blair, along with US officials (including important principals from Reagan's cabinet and Presidents like George HW Bush). Moore is a conservative like Thatcher so I'm sure that influences some of the reviews on here, but I found he presented all of her policies in a relatively objective manner while noting places where she made major mistakes. The Washington Post said he was "sympathetic and balanced" which I think is accurate. This accounts for the universal praise from critics, at least here in the US.

As I said about Volume 2 after I briefly reviewed Volume 1, I cannot wait to read Volume 3 which will cover her final term, the internal coup that brought her down and her life out of power until her death. This time I won't wait a few years to do it.

[BrianC75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book which filled in the long cold afternoons and nights over the Christmas holidays. Again LONNNNG but as satisfying as Volume 1. It sets the atmosphere of politics at that time really well and pulls you along through the book very successfully. I found the section dealing with Scargill and the miners' strike fascinating and enlightening. The background facts relating to these big historic events can be so vital. Her shortcomings are not omitted and her treatment of many of her colleagues could hardly be called sympathetic.
However, Charles Moore has created something quite special here and has managed to create a body of work which informs and illuminates one of the great individuals of the last century.

[Jim Milway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 of the authorized biography. This one covers the period between her second and third successful elections. A very busy time. We hear about her battle with Commonwealth leaders on the best way to battle apartheid in South Africa, Ireland, the Westland Affair, her encounters with Gorbachev, her continuing relationship with Reagan, the poll tax, the EU, the Euro, and, my personal favourite, the defeat of Scargill.

This is not a fawning biography, but rather a review of her complexity. She really could to work with people and this foreshadows her downfall in Volume 3. I'm not looking forward to it - but I will have to read it.

A good read if you want to relive the 1980s with the best PM since Churchill.

[Grace Hoffmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the first book slightly better but this is one is also excellent. Definitive. So well and beautifully written. Super super interesting on her interactions with Gorbachev and also insightful and complete account of her various conflicts with her various ministers. How personality seeped into policy and government. Great discussion toward the end why people on the left hated her SO MUCH. I spent the school year of 1991-92 at the LSE and the faculty would hardly speak her name. But my Republican aunts from Northern Wisconsin thought she was the greatest political figure of their lifetimes. So great to read such a complete account of her amazing life. Taking a short break, but on to volume 3. Bravo Charles Moore.

[David Robert Bloomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

You really need to read this as part of the 3 volumes. As it builds on what has already been built up in volume 1 and will conclude in volume 3.
This covers Margaret Thatcher's premiership from 1983 until 1987. It has a timeline in the front of the book as to when events happened. This is because during the book, each chapter sticks to that theme. So the miners strike is written about from beginning to conclusion, as are other events. There's no bit about it and then skipping to something else; it sticks to one topic and may reference other events but doesn't veer of the topic.
I really enjoy reading these books about Mrs Thatcher. Gives a lot of information and detail which is new to me.

[Jonny · Rating 4 out of 5]

700 pages covering a single Parliamentary term is arguably too detailed (and frankly at times it is - particularly on how various Budgets unfolded), but the narrative arc of this volume is greater than the sum of its parts. On the privatisations, Westland and - particularly - relations with US and Russia, the impression you strongly get is of a Prime Minister who is continually isolated within her own Cabinet while still being at the peak of her powers. Like the best biographies, you come away learning a lot more than you’d have thought going in about both the politics and culture of the time.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding biography. The second of three volumes and covering the middle years of the Thatcher premiership, it is weighty, balanced and beautifully written. Although the author is a prominent Conservative journalist of great distinction, the book is no hagiography. Rather it offers a balanced and judicious assessment of Mrs T's strengths and weaknesses. With its access to and use of a vast amount of primary material, it is masterly piece of political biography. Very highly recommended.

[Ramona · Rating 2 out of 5]

In terms of prose, Moore certainly writes compellingly. However, reader be warned: Moore's ideological cant dusts over every episode, so that the reader finds themself reading about the defeat of the miners' union in glowing terms, rather than as a the tragedy it is. Going into it with unblinkered eyes, I found this book as compelling as the first, though Thatcher's "achievements" much more stomach-turning. I look forward to finishing out the trio, then perhaps finding more clear-eyed fare about the Iron Lady, that isn't so conservatively turned.

[Albert Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

In offering "something for everyone," the writer did not edit back enough to keep the energy of the book up. An extremely detailed and impressive account that unfortunately lagged due to too much content. It was, simply, too long and too detailed — too much micro info and not enough synthesis.

However, you cannot help but be awed by Thatcher's titanic personality and energy.

First volume was incredible as well.

[Samuel Winkler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent follow up to volume one. In my opinion, it was solidly better than the first one. I thought the descriptions and explanations of all of the political issues were very fascinating and well written. My only complaint about the book is that it feels like it was possibly a little bit too long. If it was maybe 1/8 shorter it might have been easier to digest. But overall it was a very satisfying read, and I am looking forward to finishing the series with volume three.

[Matthew Gilmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would get more stars if Charles Moore wasn't so bitchy about Denis Thatcher. Moore has some very snide footnotes and anecdotes which are just out of place/out of context. Otherwise Denis is invisible. Unfair. Moore also seems to side _with_ some of his sources, such as Douglas Hurd, rather than handle them a bit more even-handedly. Always be checking the footnotes,

[Anne Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous volume about one of my personal heroines by the very talented Charles Moore. This one was even more enjoyable than the first as it takes us through the years I can remember myself, so it brought back many memories. Yes, it's an intense and very fact-packed read and takes quite a time to get through, but it's oh so worth it.

Can't wait to start Volume Three.

[Stephen King · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 700 page magnum opus of Margaret Thatcher’s middle years’ - mainly covering her second term and with a greater emphasis on her international role - with Reagan, Gorbachev and her euro sceptic role in the EU. When I look back with hindsight- and, admittedly through Charles Moore’s rose tinted glasses, her leadership skills and integrity are far greater than today’s Tory leaders.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Margaret Thatcher being such a polarising figure, I wanted to know more about her, so this book appealed to me. It is quite informative, with the chapter on her depictions in popular culture being of particular interest to me. However, the author's opinion of her felt biased toward her at times, so there isn't too much overt criticism of her time.

Still, interesting book.

[Daniel Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

In large swathes of the book it's far more readable than the first - and far more interesting as a piece of political history - but the chapter that bascially cries about how unfair the arts were to her for 50 pages is ridiculous. It drags what is usually a somewhat biased but fairly balanced biography into the realm of hagiography.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book of the period with lots of new source material that illuminates what was seen publicly at the time. Occasionally sycophantic, but not generally so. The only letdown was a 40 page whine on how the liberals art elite didn’t like her. Other than that a good history book.

[Tony Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent evaluation of Margaret Thatcher when she was Prime Minister of the UK between 1979 and 1987.
The book shows her major influence on the international stage as well.
Excellent read.