Contemporary History
This collection of articles highlights the ongoing research of the Contemporary History section, drawing upon interviews from our Oral History Project to explore various events, themes and issues in British political history since the Second World War.
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The search for good governance: David Hunt
As the History of Parliament Oral History Project continues to go from strength to strength following a two-year hiatus, here…
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Parliaments, Politics and People seminar: ‘That was how politics started for me’: memories on motivations from the History of Parliament Trust’s Sound Archive
Our Parliaments, Politics and People seminar is back for the autumn term! At next week’s seminar our head of Oral…
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‘You just become a tiny little speck of history’: First Impressions of the Palace of Westminster
When newly elected MPs first enter the Palace of Westminster, it is hard to ignore the hundreds of years of…
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The world of parliament extends beyond the Commons and Lords: Michael Morris, Lord Naseby
Since 2012 our team of volunteers have been interviewing former MPs about their lives and careers for the History of…
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‘Always great fun: particularly when there was a row going on’: memories of the 1922 Committee
Once again, the powerful backbench Conservative 1922 committee is back in the headlines. Here Dr Emma Peplow, head of our…
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The Union in Peril: The British Government and the Scottish Question in the Shadow of the Oil Crisis, c. 1973-1975.
Ahead of next Tuesday’s Virtual IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Robbie Johnston of the University of Edinburgh.…
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Women Speakers and Deputy Speakers
As we have seen in some of our previous blogs, the role of Speaker of the House has a long…
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Speaking about Animal Rights in the History of Parliament Oral History Project
As two animal welfare Bills progress through the stages of debate in Parliament, in our latest blog Emme Ledgerwood looks…
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Postwar MPs’ Memories of Summer Holidays
This year we’ve been looking into the holiday habits of parliamentarians throughout history. In our latest blog Emme Ledgerwood has…
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Life as an MP: a recipe for marital bliss?
In today’s blog Dr Emma Peplow, coordinator of the History of Parliament’s Oral History Project, picks up our recent theme…
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‘Decided on by men’: International Women’s Day lecture
On 17 March Dr Emma Peplow and Dr Priscila Pivatto gave the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art’s 8th…
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First impressions of Westminster in the words of former MPs: back to school, into ‘Dracula’s castle’ or safe at home?
Ahead of Tuesday’s Virtual IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Emma Peplow & Priscila Pivatto, responsible for…