The end of the twentieth century was the time of an unprecedented increase in US influence in world politics, a period of constant local conflicts around the world. The role of the former great European powers was declining, and just at this time, the years of the reign of Anthony Blair fell. He became the youngest leader of the Labor Party, the youngest Prime Minister of Great Britain. Having managed to win elections for three terms in a row, Anthony Blair, whose brief biography will be presented below, has become one of the country's longest-term leaders. His political vitality earned him the nickname "Teflon Tony".
School and student years. Anthony Blair biography
1953 was marked by the birth of one of the most popular and at the same time despised British politicians. The birthplace of the future leader of the country was the Scottish Edinburgh. Tony Blair's parents were real respectable Britons. Leo's father Charles Linton Blair was a lawyer, also engaged inpolitics and even put forward his candidacy for parliament. However, he was suddenly struck by an apoplexy, and his son had to realize his political ambitions.
Tony Blair received a privileged education, first at a private chorister school at Durham Cathedral, then at the prestigious Fettes College in Edinburgh. Interestingly, one of his childhood classmates was Rowan Atkinson, whom most viewers know as Mr. Bean.
Tony Blair was not the most exemplary student, he defiantly ignored the school uniform, disrupted the lessons. As a fan of Mick Jaeger, he loved rock music and played in an amateur band.
The son of a respectable conservative and lawyer, of course, could not help but continue the work of his father. The next step in Blair's education was the University of Oxford. However, before that, he went to London and tried his luck as a rock musician.
While studying law at St. John's College, Oxford, Anthony Blair also performed in the rock band Ugly Rumours. Having studied far from brilliantly, in 1975 he nevertheless received a diploma of the second degree and became a lawyer.
The beginning of a political career
After graduating from Oxford, Anthony Blair began his career not quite standardly. Interesting facts, although not entirely confirmed, indicate that he did not work long in one of the bars in Paris. Then, nevertheless, the rebel devoted himself to a legal career. In 1975 he taught law, in 1976 he joined the bar and took a job in the office of Dani Irving, a close associate offriend of John Smith, who was Labor leader in those years.
This acquaintance predetermined the political sympathies of Blair, who joined the ranks of the British Socialist Party. The young lawyer became actively involved in the activities of the Laborites, and soon put forward his candidacy for parliament.
His first attempt in 1982 ended in failure. However, Anthony Blair did not lose heart and ran again a year later, this time for the newly created Sedgefield district.
Despite his conservative father and upbringing, the politician in his younger years professed pronounced left-wing views. During the election campaign, he preached nuclear disarmament, the withdrawal of Britain from the European economic space.
However, once in Parliament, Anthony Blair tempered his ardor and joined the right-wing Labor bloc. He was active in politics, holding positions in shadow cabinets and writing his column for The Times.
Leader and executioner of British socialism
In 1989, Anthony Blair, whose policies began to win the sympathy of an increasing number of voters, becomes a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labor Party. He becomes closer to the leader John Smith and soon gets the post of foreign secretary in the shadow cabinet.
One of the most important issues, Anthony Blair considered changing the course of the party to a less radical one. He campaigned for the weakening of ties with trade unions, the removal of the most odious left-wing slogans from the party program.
In 1994, John Smith had an unexpected death. Despite the fact that Gordon Brown was considered a likely successor, however, he withdrew from the struggle for leadership. Anthony Blair was elected leader of the Labor Party by a majority vote.
Becoming at the head of the party, he began to implement his ideas of reform within the organization. He created a rigid centralized structure, ending the existence of factions and divisions within. At the same time, he tried to make the ideas of the party more attractive to the mainstream voters, increasingly evading leftist ideas.
A vivid example of this was the exclusion of the odious left-wing radical item in the program of the British socialists, which proclaimed collective ownership of the means of production and distribution.
First election as prime minister
Having done away with the "shameful remnants of Marxism" in his party, Anthony Blair has become one of the most popular politicians in the country, skillfully maneuvering between adherents of conservatism and supporters of liberal ideas. Labor won the 1997 election by a landslide. The 73rd Prime Minister of Great Britain has become the youngest leader in the history of the country.
Becoming the head of state, the politician began to implement his election promises.
He continued the previous government's spending cuts. Having dramatically changed his views over many years in politics, Anthony Blair began to advocate closer rapprochement with the European Union.
He alsokept a promise made to supporters of the autonomy of Scotland and Wales, and held referendums in these parts of the UK on greater decentralization and strengthening the influence of local parliaments.
Foreign policy under Tony Blair has become a time of loss of the last remnants of the independence and independence of the United Kingdom. Great Britain automatically supports any US initiatives, becoming a true ally of the overseas power. For example, during the Kosovo conflict in 1999, Tony Blair promptly authorized the dispatch of several thousand British soldiers to the former Yugoslavia.
New Labor
Finally dealing with any remnants of socialism within the party, the Prime Minister proclaimed the policy of "new laborism". According to him, she had to combine and reconcile the elements of free market capitalism and the ideas of social equality and justice.
The main ideologist and creator of this program was Blair's associate and Treasury Secretary Gordon Brown. In particular, much attention was paid to the problems of equality between men and women. The Laborites set themselves the task of equalizing wages, reducing the bias towards the male part of the population.
After the signing of the social charter of the European Union in the UK, a three-week paid leave for workers was introduced, and soon four weeks.
Did not leave Anthony Blair out of his attention and universal education. The reforms provided for the reorientation of schools towards the future vocational education of schoolchildren, relying on the individual abilities of students.
Peacekeeping
The main pain point and threat to the integrity of the country for Britain has always been Northern Ireland. Anthony Blair has become active on this front.
In 1997, he met several times with Gerry Adams, who represented the political forces of the intransigent Irish Republican Army. The negotiations resulted in the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998. According to it, the National Assembly of Northern Ireland was created, which was supposed to take on significant functions of the central government.
Using its traditional influence with the Irish, the US has been actively involved in these initiatives. In doing so, they further increased Britain's dependence on the White House.
Teflon Tony's second term
The end of the nineties and the beginning of the 2000s was the heyday of the economy of the entire Western world, including the UK. In the wake of the general welfare, Labor won the 2001 elections without any problems, and Anthony Blair went to his second term as head of state.
This period has become a serious test for the unsinkable politician. In 2001, Blair unconditionally supported the US military operation against the Taliban in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks. The navy and ground forces of the United Kingdom were attached to help the ally.
A year later, Anthony Blair began to actively persuade Parliament to approve a military operation against Iraq. If an operation against overt terrorists inAfghanistan was still somehow supported by the population, then the possible participation in the actual occupation of a sovereign state caused a serious split in society. Anthony Blair began to lose popularity with the British.
In response, Anthony Blair began to scare the potential threat of the use of force by Iraq, evidence was presented to the public that Saddam Hussein had numerous stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.
Parliament was persuaded, and 45,000 British soldiers were sent to help the US military.
A huge scandal erupted after the publication of a revealing investigation by BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan, which claimed that intelligence information about Hussein's WMD caches was falsified.
By initiating an investigation, Anthony Blair secured an acquittal from a special commission headed by Lord Butler. However, the reputation of the politician was greatly tarnished, he looked more and more like a resigned puppet of the White House in the eyes of the people.
Last years as prime minister
The Laborites won the 2005 elections with great difficulty, leaving at their traditional points - he alth care, social policy, education. Tony Blair was greatly affected by the bloody war in Iraq, which led to anarchy and civil strife in this Arab state.
Nevertheless, the prime minister was in a combative mood and was not going to give up, stating that he would only resign at the end of his term.
Passion boiled, lost solidity and unity among the Laborites themselves. More and more party supporters expressed their dissatisfaction with Blair and demanded the appointment of Gordon Brown. Numerous anti-corruption revelations among the Labor leadership added fuel to the fire. Things got to the point that Anthony Blair himself was under the threat of litigation.
Unable to withstand the hard pressure, in 2007 "Teflon Tony" resigned, appointing Gordon Brown as his successor.
Further activities
After leaving the post of prime minister, Blair did not finish his political activities. He was appointed special envoy of the group of big powers to resolve the situation in the Middle East.
In addition, he becomes an advisor to numerous corporations and financial groups. Among them are JPMorgan Chase, Zurich Financial.
The former prime minister also noted with his consultations of Nursultan Nazarbayev on the reforms of the economy of Kazakhstan.
Family politics
Tony Blair married in 1980 colleague and Labor Party ally Sherry Booth. Out of love for his wife, he even changed his religion, and turned from an Anglican into a Catholic. During the marriage, the couple raised three children - Ewan, Nikki, Leo.
By the way, Blair became the first British Prime Minister in 150 years to become a father as head of state.
"Teflon Tony" has become one of Britain's most enduring leaders. For ten years, many areas of life in the United Kingdom have been reformed. Heevoked love and hate in equal measure, but the fact remains that Blair has become one of the last flamboyant politicians on the European stage.
