Thatcher's impact on the British economy was dramatic as she pursued her monetarist policies. These policies resulted in a two-fold increase in the number of unemployed people between 1979 and 1980 and criticism of her leadership. In 1982 opinion polls showed her popularity was lower than that of the other parties. One month later Britain was involved in a military campaign in the Falklands which Thatcher fought with fierce determination. The Falklands victory led to a massive increase in her popularity and she called an early election the following year. Her latest biographer, John Campbell believes this victory was very important for her career.

"It transformed her position entirely. It put her on a pedestal where she stayed for the next six years until she began to weaken towards the end. She was very unpopular before the war - I mean the war could have ruined her if it had gone wrong. It was a great risk to take, but since she succeeded it transformed her position entirely and she'd been called the Iron lady but this was really acting on it and just transformed the way everyone in Britain and around the world saw her."