As the "Iron Lady," British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1925 - 2013) was known far beyond the borders of her country. The first woman to hold the highest government office in a European state attracted international attention upon her election; subsequently, the confrontational style of her politics earned her both admiration and disdain long after her term ended. Thatcher presented herself as a fighter against the economic and moral decline of her country, which she attributed to the effects of expansive welfare state policies and the political influence of trade unions. In contrast, she proposed a national regeneration program aimed at stimulating economic growth and personal initiative through privatizations and monetarist control of the money supply.