British Politics Since 1945
- Course Code
- PSCI 0240
- Course Type
- Tutorials
- Subject Credit
- Course Availability
Since the Second World War, British politics has been in some ways stable and in others subject to radical change. The norm of two-party politics in the House of Commons has been undermined electorally and challenged by Celtic nationalism, anti-immigration politics and disillusion with the political class. Management of the economy by the government has been contested from the beginning of the period, although some see evidence of a post-war consensus on the mixed economy and the welfare state. The formal British Empire is no more, but Britain still seeks a world role in parallel with its semi-detached membership of the European Union. Attlee, Thatcher, Blair and others have sought to fundamentally change the character of the British state, but some continuities remain remarkably enduring.