This Month in History, May: The Short Parliament, Margaret Thatcher, and other political anniversaries
This Month in History, May: The Short Parliament, Margaret Thatcher, and other political anniversaries
Learn more about political events that happened during the month of May.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Transcript
This Month in History
May: Politics
March 3, 1979
Margaret Thatcher is elected as Great Britain’s first female prime minister.
The Conservative Party leader served as prime minister until 1990. May 4, 1919 Chinese students protest Japanese control over parts of China’s Shandong province.
This began the May Fourth Movement, whose young participants hoped to achieve a fully independent China and increased freedoms for individuals. May 5, 1640 King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
The Short Parliament lasted only from April 13 to May 5—less than a month. Charles’s refusal to work with Parliament would eventually lead to his execution for high treason. May 10, 1994 Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as president of South Africa.
Mandela’s resistance to South African apartheid had resulted in his imprisonment from 1962 to 1990. Upon his inauguration, he became president of the country’s first multiethnic government. May 21, 1991 Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated.
The Indian politician, who had served as prime minister from 1984 to 1989, was killed alongside 16 others in a suicide bombing attack planned by a Tamil separatist group.
The Conservative Party leader served as prime minister until 1990. May 4, 1919 Chinese students protest Japanese control over parts of China’s Shandong province.
This began the May Fourth Movement, whose young participants hoped to achieve a fully independent China and increased freedoms for individuals. May 5, 1640 King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
The Short Parliament lasted only from April 13 to May 5—less than a month. Charles’s refusal to work with Parliament would eventually lead to his execution for high treason. May 10, 1994 Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as president of South Africa.
Mandela’s resistance to South African apartheid had resulted in his imprisonment from 1962 to 1990. Upon his inauguration, he became president of the country’s first multiethnic government. May 21, 1991 Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated.
The Indian politician, who had served as prime minister from 1984 to 1989, was killed alongside 16 others in a suicide bombing attack planned by a Tamil separatist group.