3. Politics and the Political System

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we think about the impact of the First World War on British politics and the political system, focusing in particular on: (i) the Speaker's Conference on Electoral Reform 1916-17; (ii) the expansion of the franchise, adjustment of constituency boundaries, and the reduction in the costs of being a parliamentary candidate; (iii) the impact of the war on the political fortunes of each of the major parties; (iv) the result of the 1918 General Election; and (v) the shape of politics in the 1920s.

Course

In this course, Professor Matthew Cole (University of Birmingham) explores the impact of the First World War on British society between 1918-39. In the first module, we think about the ways in which the First World War was a 'total war', focusing in particular on the extent to which it impacted every aspect of life in Britain. In the second module, we think about the impact of the First World War on the British economy and society, before turning in the third module to consider the impact of the war on the British political system. Finally, in the fourth module, we think about the impact of the war on Britain's position in the world, and the extent to which Britain's unwillingness to prepare for the possibility of another European war allowed for the expansion of Nazi Germany and the outbreak of the Second World War.

Lecturer

Matthew Cole is Teaching Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Birmingham. He is a historian of modern Britain with a particular interest in twentieth century constitutional and party politics, and local history.