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Golda Meir
Historical figureIsrael1898-1978

Golda Meir

4th Prime Minister of Israel (1969-1974) · Foreign Minister of Israel (1956-1966)

Israel's first woman prime minister. A Labor Zionist, she helped build the country's social insurance and led it when war broke out in October 1973.

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Profile on 12 axes10 of 12 documented
ECONOMYSTATESOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Where they stood

Golda Meir, axis by axis

  1. 01Ownership-35
    PublicPrivate
  2. 02Markets-45
    PlannedFree
  3. 03Welfare-50
    SharedSelf-reliant

    At the labor ministry she helped shape Israel's national insurance, covering pensions, maternity and workplace accidents. Leans toward shared provision.

  4. 04Authority-10
    DemocraticStrong leader
  5. 05Security+55
    LibertyOrder
  6. 06Structure+50
    LocalCentral
  7. 07Morality0
    ProgressiveTraditional
  8. 08Religion0
    SecularReligious

    Not religious herself. She led a coalition including the National Religious Party and kept the existing arrangements between state and faith. At the midpoint.

  9. 09TechnologyNo clear record
    EmbraceCaution

    Nothing separates her view on science and technology from her party's, so no score.

  10. 10Culture+55
    MulticulturalNational identity

    Pushed hard for Jewish immigration and a common national identity, and waved away the idea of a separate Palestinian one. Leans toward national identity.

  11. 11TradeNo clear record
    GlobalProtected
  12. 12Foreign policy+55
    CooperationStrength

    Took a tough line on defense and terrorism after the 1967 war and the Munich attack, but did accept a US ceasefire plan in 1970. Leans toward strength.

2 axes have no clear record, so matching leaves them out.

Who was Golda Meir?

Meir was born in Kyiv in 1898, then part of the Russian Empire, with the family name Mabovitch. Her teenage years in Milwaukee drew her to Labor Zionism. She settled in Mandatory Palestine in 1921, spent time on a kibbutz and climbed the ranks of the Histadrut. In 1948 she put her name to Israel's declaration of independence, and the new state sent her to Moscow as envoy. She later held the labor and foreign ministries, and in 1969 she became prime minister. The Yom Kippur War ended her career in office in 1974. She died four years later.

Political views

  • Gave her working life to the labor camp of Zionism and spent many years with the Histadrut trade union body.Source: news.bbc.co.uk
  • At the labor ministry she worked on social security, maternity benefits, insurance for injured workers and aid for widows and orphans.Source: en.wikipedia.org
  • Her ministry put up transit camps and then permanent housing for the mass immigration of the early 1950s.Source: en.wikipedia.org
  • As foreign minister, she ran a program helping newly independent African states, based on Israel's experience building a nation, and drew Washington closer.Source: jewishvirtuallibrary.org
  • Once Israel felt safe after 1967, she saw no reason to bargain with the Palestinians and denied they were a distinct people.Source: news.bbc.co.uk
  • Said yes in 1970 to a US plan to stop the War of Attrition with Egypt. The hard-right Gahal bloc then walked out of her cabinet.Source: en.wikipedia.org
  • Told Mossad to find suspected Black September leaders and operatives after the Munich Olympics killings in 1972.Source: en.wikipedia.org

Legacy

Fans see Meir as a tough, direct leader who stood for Israel's founders. She was only the third woman in the world to lead a government. Historians often judge her labor minister years more kindly than her time as prime minister. Her cabinet faced harsh blame for being surprised by the Egyptian and Syrian assault in October 1973. The Agranat Commission did not find her directly at fault, yet she left office within months. Critics add that she dismissed Egyptian peace signals before the war. Her refusal to accept a Palestinian people is a standard example of Israeli denial of Palestinian nationhood.

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Golda Meir: questions

Was Golda Meir a socialist?

She was a Labor Zionist, a movement that mixed Jewish nationalism with socialist ideas. She backed trade unions and social insurance, though on defense and the Arab-Israeli conflict she took a hawkish line.

What did Golda Meir believe about the Palestinians?

After 1967 she thought Israel had little need to compromise and said that no Palestinian people existed. Critics often cite this view, while supporters stress her concern for Israel's security.

Why did Golda Meir resign?

Many Israelis were angry that the country was unprepared for the 1973 Yom Kippur War. She stepped down in 1974, though her party had just won the election that followed the war.

Sources