Discontent," Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party won a landslide

victory. The Iron Lady took the helm of a fading Britain,

the sick man of Europe as it had come to be known, but she refused to accept that

decay was inevitable and that the job of the British government was to manage

decline.

Britain, should believed, could do better.

THATCHER: "Some socialists seem to be

believe people should be numbers in a state computer.

We believe they should be individuals.

We're all unequal.

No one, thank heavens, is quite like anyone else, however much the socialists

may pretend otherwise.

And we believe that everyone has the right to be unequal.

But to us

every human being

is equally important."

NARRATOR: And while she had no shortage of critics,

SILLARS: "The Prime Minister is aware that I detest every single one of her domestic

policies, and I have never hidden

that fact."

THATCHER: "I think the Honorable Gentleman knows

that I have the same contempt for his socialist policies of that the the people

of east Europe, who have experienced them, have for theirs."

NARRATOR: She was secure in her faith that her conservative vision was right.

THATCHER: "One of the great

debates of our time

is about how much of your money should be spent by the state,

and how much you should keep to spend on your family.

If the state wishes to spend more,

it can do so only by borrowing your

savings, or by taxing you more.

And it's no good thinking someone else will pay.

That someone else is you."

NARRATOR: She knew what Ronald Reagan knew.

That free markets and a free people are the best defense against tyranny

and that peace comes through strength,

not accommodation.

THATCHER: "Mr. Speaker,

wars are not

caused by the

build-up of weapons.

They are caused when an aggressor

believes he can achieve his

objectives at an acceptable price."

NARRATOR: America now stands at a crossroads

One path leads to deficits, decreasing influence and decline.

The other

a renewed American dream

we all want.

THATCHER: "Mr. Chairman,

people want to live in peace,

real lasting peace.

The peace that comes

from independence of the state

and being able to run your own life,

spend your own money,

and make your own choices.

And, above all,

the peace of a country

which is properly defended

against any potential adversary."

NARRATOR: As we take stock of our choices, the legacy of Britain's Iron Lady

remains a steadfast guide.