This course examines British politics since 1945 through the lens of ideological change and electoral competition.  Contemporary British politics will be examined in light of changes to parties and the electorate since the Second World War.  Students completing this course will have a comprehension of the ideological shifts affected by the Conservative and Labour parties as well as the rise of “third parties” such as the Liberal Democrats, the challenge to the integrity of the United Kingdom posed by separatist nationalist parties in Scotland and Northern Ireland and the UK’s ongoing relationship with the European Union.

•  Knowledge - you will be able to list the major political parties of the United Kingdom and identify the political ideologies which guide their collective decisions and actions;

• Comprehension and Application - you should be able to predict future decision-making or courses of action based on your interpretation of these ideologies;

• Analysis - you will be able to analyse political discourses in order to reveal hidden or taken-for-granted assumptions;

• Synthesis - you will be able to integrate ideology and evidence from different sources in order to generalize from given facts;

• Evaluation - you will be able to assess the value of general descriptions of ideologies in explaining political actions and change.

One short essay of 1500 words (40%) and one research essay of 2500 words (60%)

Two lectures and one tutorial per week.

Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.

From Socialism to Thatcherism HIST2103