Major British Political and Social Events Since 1900
Part of the British Politics For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Britain’s political and social scene has changed dramatically over the course of a century, with the result that it’s barely recognisable today. Here are just a few of the important events that have shaped our lives today.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1907 | Legalisation of trade unions |
| 1908 | Introduction of the state pension |
| 1914 | Outbreak of world war one |
| 1918 | Votes for women over 30 |
| 1919 | Formation of League of Nations |
| 1924 | First Labour government |
| 1928 | Women given the vote on same terms as men |
| 1929 | Wall Street Crash |
| 1939 | Outbreak of world war two |
| 1945 | The United Nations is created |
| 1944 | Butler Education Act, creating publicly funded system of grammars, comprehensives and technical schools |
| 1948 | National Health Service is set up |
| 1957 | Suez crisis |
| 1962 | Cuban missile crisis |
| 1963 | Profumo affair |
| 1967 | Abortion is legalised; homosexuality is decriminalised |
| 1969 | The voting age is lowered to 18 |
| 1973 | Britain becomes a member of the European Economic Community (EEC) |
| 1984 | Start of the miners’ strike |
| 1989 | Fall of the Berlin Wall signals demise of Cold War |
| 1998 | Good Friday Agreement |
| 2003 | UK and USA invade Iraq |
| 2007 | July bombings in London |
