Category: 20th century history

Contemporary History, 20th century history, Elections, Electoral Reform, Modern, Oral history, Women and Parliament

All-Women Shortlists: 30 Years On

During the 1993 Labour Party Conference, all-women shortlists were endorsed by the party. In the following general election in 1997, the number of women MPs doubled. In this blog, Alfie Steer explores our oral history archive and discusses the controversy of AWS and its impact on Parliament. This year marks thirty years since the Labour Party first introduced all-women’s shortlists (AWS) for parliamentary selections. Its … Continue reading All-Women Shortlists: 30 Years On

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Modern, 20th century history, Elections, Factions, Irish History, Parties

Sinn Féin: A 20th Century History of Party Splits

During the 20th century, Sinn Féin officially split three times and from these splits emerged some of the most central parties in Irish politics. In this second blog of a two-blog series, our Public Engagement Assistant, Kirsty O’Rourke, discusses the reasons behind the party splits. As discussed in an earlier blog, Sinn Féin (translated as we ourselves) garnered popularity following the 1916 Easter Rising and became … Continue reading Sinn Féin: A 20th Century History of Party Splits

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Modern, 20th century history, Elections, Factions, Irish History, Parties

The origins of Sinn Féin

In a series of two blogs, our Public Engagement Assistant, Kirsty O’Rourke, will discuss the 20th century history of Sinn Féin. In this first blog, Kirsty looks at the origins of the party and its founder, Arthur Griffith. Throughout the 20th century, the Sinn Féin party (translated as we ourselves) underwent multiple changes and divisions. Between its formal founding of 1905 (Sinn Féin was not … Continue reading The origins of Sinn Féin

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Health and Medicine, Modern, Social history

75 Years of the NHS – reform, reorganisation and restructure

Fittingly, the NHS celebrated its 75th anniversary in the wake of a major reform. Such ‘once in a lifetime’ reorganisations have been a feature since its creation. In this guest blog, Dr Michael Lambert, an NHS historian and Research Fellow at Lancaster Medical School, discusses how successive politicians have used restructuring to try and overcome recurrent crises in the health service. The NHS which Labour’s … Continue reading 75 Years of the NHS – reform, reorganisation and restructure

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Health and Medicine, Modern, Social history

The National Health Service’s Anniversaries as a Political Tradition

To mark the National Health Service’s (NHS) seventy-fifth anniversary, guest blogger Dr Andrew Seaton discusses his new book, Our NHS: A History of Britain’s Best-Loved Institution (Yale University Press, 2023) and its links to parliamentary history through the lens of its anniversaries. In my new book, Our NHS: A History of Britain’s Best-Loved Institution, I try and answer two questions. First, why did the National … Continue reading The National Health Service’s Anniversaries as a Political Tradition

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Elections, Health and Medicine, Modern, Oral history, Social history, Women and Parliament

75 Years of the NHS – on the campaign trail

Last month, the NHS celebrated its 75th anniversary. Since its formation, the NHS has played a key role in politics. Here, Dr Emma Peplow, Head of Oral History, explores how important the NHS was to voters and politicians on the campaign trail. This summer we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the NHS. Alongside the tributes to those who work so hard to keep it running, there … Continue reading 75 Years of the NHS – on the campaign trail

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Victorian Commons, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Modern, Victorian

Roundtable on Henry J. Miller, A Nation of Petitioners: Petitions and Petitioning in the United Kingdom, 1780-1918 (Cambridge, 2023)

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People roundtable seminar, we hear from Dr Henry Miller of the University of Durham. On 27 June between 5.30 p.m. and 7.00 p.m., Henry will discuss his book A Nation of Petitioners with Prof. Katrina Navickas (University of Hertfordshire), Dr. Diego Palacios Cerezales (Complutense University of Madrid), Dr. Kathryn Rix (History of Parliament Trust) and Prof. Miles Taylor (Humboldt University … Continue reading Roundtable on Henry J. Miller, A Nation of Petitioners: Petitions and Petitioning in the United Kingdom, 1780-1918 (Cambridge, 2023)

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Modern, 20th century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Social history, Women and Parliament

The reinvention of the political wife in the age of suffrage

Ahead of next Tuesday’s hybrid Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Ellie Lowe of Selwyn College, Cambridge. On 13 June, between 5.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m., Ellie will discuss the reinvention of the political wife in the age of suffrage. The seminar takes place on 13 June 2023, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person … Continue reading The reinvention of the political wife in the age of suffrage

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Modern, 20th century history, David Lloyd George, Military history, Welsh History

A War for ‘Small Nations’: Wales and Empire from the Boer War to the Great War, 1899-1918

In today’s blog we hear from Robert Crosby, formerly of the London School of Economics, winner of the History of Parliament Undergraduate Dissertation Competition 2022. Here Robert has adapted his winning essay, exploring how those in Wales viewed themselves and their position in the British Empire during the early 20th century. The History of Parliament’s 2023 Undergraduate Dissertation Competition is open for entries until 29 September. Find all the … Continue reading A War for ‘Small Nations’: Wales and Empire from the Boer War to the Great War, 1899-1918

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Modern, 20th century history, Andrew Bonar Law, George V, Stanley Baldwin

The king’s dilemma: how it fell to George V to choose a new prime minister

In May 1923, Andrew Bonar Law handed in his resignation letter and it fell to King George V to select a new prime minister. Lord Lexden, trustee of the History of Parliament, reflects on the process behind George V’s decision. One hundred years ago this month, King George V had to find a new prime minister very quickly. The incumbent, the Conservative Andrew Bonar Law, … Continue reading The king’s dilemma: how it fell to George V to choose a new prime minister

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