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Margaret Thatcher and the Falklands (1982)

Study note

Margaret Thatcher made history when she became the United Kingdom's first female Prime Minister in 1979. She led a Conservative government and went on to become the longest-serving Prime Minister of the 20th century. She is the woman to remember as the first female PM, not Florence Nightingale, Emmeline Pankhurst or Queen Victoria.

A major event during her time in office came in 1982, when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic. Britain responded by sending a naval task force to recover the islands. These were the Falkland Islands, not the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Orkney Islands. So remember two key facts: Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister in 1979, and the Falklands conflict took place in 1982.

Memory tip: Thatcher = first female PM (1979); Falklands conflict 1982.

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Question 1 of 3

Who was the UK's first female Prime Minister?

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Show all questions and answers for Margaret Thatcher and the Falklands (1982)(3 questions with explanations)

Margaret Thatcher and the Falklands (1982): questions, answers and explanations

  1. 1. Who was the UK's first female Prime Minister?

    • Florence Nightingale
    • Queen Victoria
    • Margaret Thatcher
    • Emmeline Pankhurst

    Correct answer: Margaret Thatcher

    Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister in 1979.

  2. 2. What was the surname of Margaret, the UK's first female Prime Minister, who took office in 1979?

    • Thatcher
    • Beveridge
    • Nightingale
    • Pankhurst

    Correct answer: Thatcher

    Margaret Thatcher became the UK's first female Prime Minister in 1979.

  3. 3. Which islands did Argentina invade in 1982?

    • The Falkland Islands
    • The Channel Islands
    • The Orkney Islands
    • The Isle of Man

    Correct answer: The Falkland Islands

    Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982.

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