The end of the twentieth century was a time of unprecedented strengthening of 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 that time the years of Anthony Blair's reign fell. He became the youngest leader of the Labor Party, the youngest Prime Minister of Great Britain. Having managed to win the election for three consecutive terms, Anthony Blair, whose brief biography will be described below, became one of the long-term leaders of the country. For his political vitality, he was nicknamed "Teflon Tony."
School and student years. Anthony Blair, biography
The year 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 Scottish Edinburgh. Tony Blair's parents were real respectable British. Leo's father, Charles Linton Blair, was a lawyer, also involved in politics and even put forward his candidacy for parliament. However, he was suddenly struck by an apoplexy blow, and his son had to realize political ambitions.
Tony Blair received a privileged education, first at a private singing 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 school uniforms, disrupted classes. Being a fan of Mick Jager, he loved rock music, played in an amateur group.
The son of a respectable conservative and lawyer, of course, could not help but continue the work of his father. The next step in the education of Blair was the University of Oxford. However, before that, he went to London and tried his luck as a rock musician.
After receiving a law degree at St. John's College, Oxford, Anthony Blair simultaneously performed in the rock band Ugly Rumours. Having studied far from brilliantly, in 1975 he still received a second degree diploma and became a lawyer.
The beginning of a political career
After graduating from Oxford, Anthony Blair began his career not quite standardly. Interesting facts, though not entirely confirmed, suggest that he did not work long in one of the bars in Paris. Then, after all, the rebel devoted himself to a legal career. In 1975, he taught law, in 1976 he joined the college of lawyers and got a job in the office of Dani Irving, a close friend of John Smith, who was the leader of the Labor Party in those years.
This acquaintance predetermined the political sympathies of Blair, who joined the ranks of the party of British socialists. The young lawyer began to actively participate 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 a year later he ran for another time, this time from the newly created Sedgefield County.
Despite the conservative father and appropriate upbringing, the politician in his young years professed pronounced leftist views. During the election campaign, he preached nuclear disarmament, Britain's exit from the European economic space.
Nevertheless, once in parliament, Anthony Blair tempered his ardor and joined the right-wing Labor bloc. He conducted active political activity, held posts in shadow cabinets, and led his column in The Times.
Leader and Executioner of British Socialism
In 1989, Anthony Blair, whose policy began to win the sympathy of an increasing number of voters, became a member of the national executive committee of the Labor Party. He is increasingly moving closer to leader John Smith and will soon receive the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs in the shadow cabinet.
Anthony Blair considered one of the most important issues to be a change in the party's course to a less radical one. He campaigned for weakening ties with trade unions, removing the most odious leftist slogans from the party’s program.
In 1994, John Smith overtook an unexpected death. Despite the fact that Gordon Brown was considered the probable successor, however, he withdrew from the struggle for leadership. By a majority vote, Anthony Blair was elected head of the Labor Party.
Having become the head of the party, he began to realize his ideas about reform within the organization. He created a tough centralized structure, ending the existence of fractions and divisions within. At the same time, he tried to make the ideas of the party more attractive to the bulk of voters, more and more evading leftist ideas.
A striking example of this was the exclusion of the odious left-wing point of the British Socialist program, which proclaimed collective ownership of the means of production and distribution.
First Election as Prime Minister
Ending the “shameful remnants of Marxism” in his party, Anthony Blair became one of the most popular politicians in the country, skillfully tacking between adherents of conservatism and supporters of liberal ideas. Labor won the 1997 election with an overwhelming advantage. The 73rd Prime Minister of Great Britain became the youngest leader in the history of the country.
Having become the head of state, the politician began to realize campaign promises.
He continued the previous government's policy of cutting costs. Cool changing his views over many years in politics, Anthony Blair began to advocate a closer rapprochement with the European Union.
He also kept his promise to proponents of the autonomy of Scotland and Wales, and held referendums in these parts of the United Kingdom for greater decentralization and increased influence of local parliaments.
Foreign policy under Tony Blair was a time of loss of the last vestiges of independence and independence of the United Kingdom. Britain automatically supports any US initiative, becoming a faithful ally of an overseas power. For example, during the conflict in Kosovo in 1999, Tony Blair instantly authorized the sending of several thousand British soldiers to the former Yugoslavia.
New Labor
Having finally dealt with all sorts of remnants of socialism within the party, the Prime Minister proclaimed the policy of “new Labor”. 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 Minister of Finance Gordon Brown. In particular, much attention was paid to the problems of equality between men and women. The Labor Party set as its task the equalization of wages and the reduction of bias towards the male part of the population.
After the signing of the social charter of the European Union, a three-week paid vacation for workers was introduced in the UK, and soon a four-week one.
Anthony Blair did not leave out of his attention and universal education. The reforms included a reorientation of schools to the future vocational training of students, focusing on the individual abilities of students.
Peacekeeping
The main pain point and threat to the country's integrity for Britain has always been Northern Ireland. Anthony Blair became active on this front.
In 1997, he met several times with Jerry Adams, who represented the political forces of the irreconcilable Irish Republican Army. The result of the negotiations was the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998. According to him, the National Assembly of Northern Ireland was created, which was supposed to take on significant functions of the central government.
Using its traditional influence on the Irish, the United States actively participated in these initiatives. Thus, they further strengthened Britain's dependence on the White House.
The second term "Teflon Tony"
The end of the nineties and the beginning of the two thousandth years was the heyday of the economy of the entire Western world, including Great Britain. In the wake of general welfare, the Laborites won the 2001 election without any problems, and Anthony Blair went on his second term as head of state.
This period was a serious test for the unsinkable politician. In 2001, Blair unconditionally supported the US military operation against the Taliban in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks. In aid of the ally, the forces of the Navy and ground units of the United Kingdom were given.
A year later, Anthony Blair began to actively persuade parliament to approve the military operation against Iraq. If the operation against explicit terrorists in Afghanistan 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 sharply lose the popularity of 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 for evidence of the existence of Saddam Hussein's numerous stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.
Parliament managed to persuade, and 45 thousand British soldiers were sent to help the US military.
A huge scandal erupted after the publication of the revelatory investigation of BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan, which alleged that intelligence information about the presence of caches with WMDs in Hussein was falsified.
By initiating an investigation, Anthony Blair obtained an acquittal of a special commission led by Lord Butler. However, the politician’s reputation was greatly tarnished, he looked more and more in the eyes of people the meek puppet of the White House.
Recent years as prime minister
The Laborites won the 2005 elections with great difficulty, having left at their traditional points - health, social policy, and education. Very bloody war came to Tony Blair in Iraq, which led to anarchy and civil confrontation in this Arab state.
Nevertheless, the Prime Minister was in a belligerent mood and did not intend to give up, saying that he would resign only at the end of his term.
Passions were in full swing, lost solidity and unity among the Labor themselves. More and more party supporters complained of Blair and demanded the appointment of Gordon Brown. Numerous anti-corruption revelations among the Labor leadership added fuel to the fire. It came to the point that Anthony Blair himself was under the thunderstorm of the trial.
Unable to withstand harsh 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 a 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 Nursultan Nazarbayev on the issues of economic reform in Kazakhstan.
Family Politician
Tony Blair married in 1980 a Labor colleague and colleague Sherry Booth. Out of love for his wife, he even changed his religion, and from an Englishman turned 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, who became a father as head of state.
Teflon Tony has become one of Britain’s most enduring leaders. Over the course of ten years, many areas of UK life have been reformed. He aroused love and hatred with contempt equally, but the fact remains that Blair became one of the last prominent politicians in the European arena.