Socialism and the Labour Party
An alliance of socialist organisations formed the Labour Representation Committee in 1900, which led to the establishment of the Labour Party. The archives include some of these socialist organisations such as:
- (ILP) - including correspondence with Ramsay MacDonald and Keir Hardie.
- - including executive committee minutes and pamphlets are
- (SDF) - a Marxist political group founded by Henry Hyndman in 1881, and the breakaway .
As well as the archives of these organisations, there are also a large number of archives of cabinet ministers, MPs and Labour politicians, mostly focusing on post-1945. These include:
- (MP who campaigned for legalisation of homosexuality and abortion).
- (Leader of the Labour Party in the 1930s). Check out the .
- (first ever Minister for the Disabled).
- - .
- Others include: , , , , , , , and .
There are also campaigning groups affiliated to Labour Party such as , or politically independent organisations such as: the .
Neville Sandelson, Candidate for Labour Party, Chichester, 1970.
Liberals and Greens
As well as the archives of both the and the , and , there are also the archives of many individuals and organisations associated with them, such as:
- - leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 - 1988.
- - leader of the Liberal Democrats.
- - held a ministerial post under the Liberal Government in 1885.
- - continued as leader of the Liberal Party after its merger to become the Liberal Democrats.
- - nicknamed "Radical Dick" and great grandfather of Beatrice Webb, MP in the early 1800s, and founding member of the "Little Circle", which helped establish the Reform Act 1832.
- - both campaigners against war who founded the South Africa Conciliation Committee. Leonard was a Liberal Party MP (1875 - 1885) and Catherine was the sister of Beatrice Webb.
- - a youth wing of the Liberal and then Liberal Democrat Party.
- There are also papers of individuals associated with the Liberal Party such as the philosopher and ex-director of the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳, .
- , involved in the early days of the Green Party.
Liberal Party campaigning leaflet, 1960s.
Conservatives, UKIP and The Right
- UKIP - Explore the archives of , Emeritus Professor of International History at the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ and founder of the Anti-Federalist League which became UKIP. for details of what this archive covers.
- - a journalist who interviewed key political figures from 1958 to 1975, such as Thatcher, as well as other prime ministers and MPs
- - Conservative Party politician and one of the founding members of the "One Nation" group.
- promoting the values of "One Nation Conservatism", which includes the papers of Pressure for Economic and Social Toryism (PEST).
- (CPS) - a think-tank established by Margaret Thatcher.
- - famous for being the most senior Labour Party figure to defect to the Conservative Party.
- - Conservative MP for Hampstead and Highgate (1970 - 1989)
Alan Sked campaigning leaflet for the Anti-Federalist League, 1992.
Elections and referendums
We have a vast collection of campaigning material from general elections, local elections and referendums from the 19th century to the present day.
International politics
Although the archives focus on British politics, within these papers there is much material to discover that speaks about international politics.
- , that relate to the assassination of the Italian socialist MP Giacomo Matteotti.
- .
Visitors and research case studies
We love having visitors come to our archives and we learn a lot from them. Here's a growing list of some the people that have engaged with our politics collections.
Andrea came to research the Matteotti documents, and talks about their significance in this fascinating blog post.
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Video talks
How to search
This is just a snapshot of the material we hold that covers this subject. You can find these items and many more by using the following search tools:
- with keywords such as 'liberal party", "Harold Wilson", "UKIP". To search within a collection, e.g. within the Paddy Ashdown collection, type "Ashdown*" in the "Ref_No" field, and your keyword.
- for pamphlets published by political parties or conference reports from political parties eg or the .
How to access
Most of the material highlighted here is part of our special collections, which are open to all but must be consulted in our reading room. Find out how to book your place and order material on our access archives and special collections page.
Further help
ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ students and staff looking for other resources such as journal articles and current research may wish to consult the department subject guide for the Government department.
If you need specific help with any of the collections mentioned here get in touch with our Curator for Politics and International Relations, Daniel Brambilla-Payne.