History

By kita

  • Conservatives re-elected

    After benefitting from the Boer War and from splits in the liberal party. Lard Salisbury remained prime minister.

  • Victoria dies.

    she ruled almost a quarter of the worlds population. Died at 81. Although she was wilful and narrow minded in some respects, she established firm precedents for a hard working 'constitutional monarch'. Her death was the end of a era. Edward V11 succeeds thrown

  • Second Boer war ends

    British victory over the Boer republics after 3 years of war. Laid the foundations for the union of South Africa, although it still ignored the rights of the black population.

  • womens social and political union formed

    Founded by 6 women who were frustrated by the lack of progress on women's rights, their activities soon became confrontational and included prison hunger strikes.

  • Chancellor David Lloyd George (liberal politician) introduces the 'peoples budget'

    The introduction of the new 'dreadnought' class battleship and the subsequent naval arms race with Germany, prompted David Lloyd George, the chancellor of the exchequer to introduce a tax on land, to increase income tax and to propose a 'super-tax' on incomes over £5,000 per annum. He presented these increaces as designed to fund social reforms.

  • House of lords rejects 'peoples budget'

  • Liberals win the election.

    The election arrived because of the Lords rejection of the 'peoples budget'. Results; 275 seats for the liberals, 273 for conservatives and 40 for labour. The budget was then passed.

  • Edwards VII dies and is succeeded by George V

    Both Edward VII and his son George V ensured that the monarchy was more active than it had been in the latter years of Victorias reign, but they excerised their influences discreetly. Edwards funeral brought together the royalty of the Europe, many of which were his relations, for the last time befre the war broke out in 1914.

  • Liberals retain power in the second general election of 1910

    They and the conservatives each secured 272 seats

  • introduced ; paliament would be dissolved after 5 years, not 7 and pay for the memebers of paliament was introduced.

  • National insurance act provides cover against sickness and unemployment

    Chancellor of the Exchequer David lloyd George devised a contributory scheme of health insurance for those in employment, which provided payment for medical treatment. Grafter on to the act was a limited plan for unemployment benefit drawn up by Winston Churchill. With this legislation, the liberals laid the foundations of the welfare state.

  • Titanic sinks with the loss of 1,503 lives.

    It was the largest vessel in the world at the time of her launch and her builders and owners claimed that she was 'practically unsinkable' but on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York she collided with an iceberg and sank within hourse with the loss of 1,503 lives. Titanic could carry over 3,500 people, but was equipped with only enough lifeboats to save 1,178 people.

  • Austria declares war on Serbia

  • Germany declared war on Russia

  • Germany declared war on France and invaved Belgium.

  • Britain declared war on Germany

  • Royal Air Force (RAF) formed

  • Limited numbers of women are given the vote for the first time

    all men over 21 and women over 10, excluded working class women.

  • Massiva Flue epidemic reaches Britain.

    1918-1919 - the 'Spanish flu' killed more than 200,000 people in Britain and up to 50 million worldwide, the virus seems to have originated in the United States but quickly spread around the world, infecting up to 30% of the worlds population.

  • Official date of the end of the world war 1

  • David Lloyd George coalition wins the post-war election.

    The first election where women were aloud to vote. The results were conservatives and coalition liberals 509 seats, Labour 72 etc. 73 members of Sinn Fein were elected which included the first british woman member of parliament, although they refused to take their seats

  • Rally in Glasgow sparked fears of the beginning of a working class revolution.

    The world war 1 turned Glasgow into a centre for organised protest against poor working conditions. The liberal goverment feared that this mass rally was the beginning of a working class revolution along the lines of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The rally was broken up by police, troops and tanks. In reality, the protesters objectives were not that revolutionary - a 40 hour working week and a living wage.

  • Lady Astor becomes the first women to take her seat in Parliament

    Not the first British women member of parliament, but the first to take her seat.

  • Exclusion of women from meny jobs is made illegal.

    The sex disqualification removal act made it illegal for women to be excluded from most jobs and allowed them to hold judicial office and enter the professions. Women could now become magistrates, solicitors and barristers.

  • Women at Oxford university are allowed to receiev degress.

    Academic halls for women were first established at Oxford in the 19th Century,but although women had been able to attend degree level courses, they could not receive degrees until 1920

  • Unemployment reaches a post-war high of 2.5 million

    Priminister David lloyd George had promised 'a land fit for hereos' following world war one, but after a short post-war boon, soldiers found it increasingly difficult to get work. Deprivation was widespread and industrial relations deteriorated. There were war depts to the united stated and non payments of allies. War debts meant the goverment could not pay for many planned reforms. In 1922 there were reccommended heavy cuts in education, public health and workers benefits.

  • Irish Civil war breaks out

    The civil war was ignited by the Anglo- Irish peace treaty which created a partitioned Irish 'Free State' within the British Empire.
    The war ended in victory for the pro-treaty free state goverment but caused lasting bitterness.

  • Priminister David Lloyd George resigns as his wartime coalition breaks up.

    The wartime coalition of Conservatives and David lloyd George's liberals began to work on a national recovery after world war one. But in 1922, conservative backbenchers overruled their own party leader and voted to leave the coalition, resuming independence as conservatives. They were disgusted by Lloyd George's Anglo-Irish treaty and were fearfil he was about to go to war with Turkey. With this, Lloyd George resigned.

  • Conservative Andrew Bonar Law becomes prime minister.

    Andrew Bonar Law was invited by George V to form a goverment. Law called a general election on 15th November 1922. The conservatives won 344 seats, labour 142, national liberals (lloyd george party) 53 seats. however ill health forced Bonar Law to retire in 1923, he died six months later.

  • Ramsey Macdonald becomes first Labour prime minister

  • Chancellor Winston Churchill returns Britain to the 'Gold Standard'

    In his first budget as chancellor of the exchequer, Winston Churchil returned Britain to its pre 1914 monetary system. Massive deflation and overvaluing of the pound. This made British manufacturing industries uncompetitive, which in turn made Britains economic problems that were to be faced in 1930s even worser

  • John Logie Baird gives the first public demonstration of television

  • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) created

    it was set up in 1922 but in 1927 the company was granted a Royal Charter. the mission was to improve Britain through broadcasting and John Reith fomously instructed the corporation to 'inform, educate and entertain'

  • All women over the age of 21 get the vote

    The fith reform act brought in by the conservatice goverment altered the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which had only allowed women over 30 who owned a property to be able to vote. The new act gave women the vote on the same terms as men.

  • First 'talkie' (film with dialogue) is shown in Britain.

    Cinema going was very popular in the 1920's and 1930s and virtually every town, suburb and major housing development had at least one cinema.

  • Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

    It was not until world war two that it began to be mass produced.

  • Labour wins the general election with Ramsay MacDonald as Prime Minister.

    MacDonalds administration coincided with the Great Depression, a global economic slump triggered by the wall street crash. Unemployment jumped by 1 million in 1930

  • Wall street crash sparks the Great Depression

    The crash of the American Wall Street financial markets in 1929 crippled the economics of the US and Europe resulting in the great depression. In Britain unemployment peaked just below 3 million by 1932. It was only just before the outbreak of world war two that the worst of the Depression could be said to be over.

  • Prime minister Ramsay MacDonald resigns in a row ove the budget but was persuaded to lead a 'national goverment' coalition, which included conservatives and liberals but only 3 labour ministers.

  • Gresford Mine Disaster kills 266 in North Wales.

    This explosion, which killed 266 men, was one of the worst disasters in British Mining history. 200 children were left fatherless in an area of North Wales where a 40% unemployment rate had already caused widespread poverty.

  • First Penguin paperbacks go on sale, bringing literature to the masses.

    cost sixpence, the same price as a packet of cigarrettes.It was a revolution in publishing that massively widened public access to literature.

  • George V dies and is succeeded by Edward VIII

    As prince of Wales, Edward had visited many parts of the country hit by the prolonged economic depression. He was apparently genuinely concerned for the underprivileged and his official overseas tours on behalf of his fathre made him popular in Britain and Abroad. However he was in love with an american married woman.

  • Edward VIII formally resigns in order to marry the american divorce

  • George VI is crowned king

    Edward VIIIs younger brother was crowned George VI, he and his wife Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen mother) became inspirational figures for Britain duing world war two.

  • First refugee children of 'kindertransport' arrive in Britain.

    a total of 10,000 Jewish children between the ages of 5 and 17 were sent from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia to Britain between December 1938 and the outbreak of wat in September 1939. Many were given homes by British families or lived in hostels. Very few of them saw their parents again

  • World war two

    Britain was at war with Germany for the second time in 25 years

  • Whinston Churchill became priminister,

    Germany also invaved belgium on this day.

  • Heavy raids on Britain by German Luftwaffe

    In july 1940 german leader adolf hitler ordered the invasion of Britain. The Luftwaffe (german air force) first had to destroy the Royal Air Force, although outnumbered, the RAF still inflicted heavy losses on the Germans. 2 days after the luftwaffe sustained its heavist single day of losses, Hitler postpones the invasion.

  • The 'Blitz' begins with a massive daylight raid by the Luftwaffe

    German bombing raids had already targeted Liverpool and Birmingham during August but on the 7th September the 'blitz' intensified as 950 aircraft attacked London. It was the start of 57 consecutive nights of heavy bombing. The raid caused 300 civilian deaths and 1,300 serious injuries. By the end of the blitz around 30,000 Londoners had been killed & 50,000 injured.

  • Belfast blitz, 1000 killed

    180 german bombers attacked the city in a night raid.

  • The well known symbol of britain, the 'Hood' battlehip was sunk by the germans

  • American troops arrive to support britain

  • free secoundary education at the age of 15

    The Butler Act
    There were 3 types of schools; grammar, secondary modern and technical, entrance was determined by the 11 plus examination

  • Britain celebrates the end of the war on victory in Europe day

    German forces had been defeates by april 1945, Adolf Hitler commited suicide on 30th April.
    Britain came to an entire stant still as people celebrated the end of war

  • National Health Service is established

    established by the post-war labour goverment. The GP service was now paid by the goverment for every patient registered with a doctor.

  • Olympic Games open at Wembley in London

    Held in London while rationing was still in force in Britain. 59 nations took part. The first games since berlin in 1936, others were cancelled due to world war two.

  • labour in goverment

  • Festival Of Britain is opened by George VI

    the festival was to sustain a mood of post war optimism and confidence or at least interest in new solutions. Was held on the south bank of the thames. The dominant artistic mood of the festival was neo-romantic

  • Conservatives won the vote and Winston Churchill became priminister again at the age of 76.

    Focused on foreign affairs and remaining the special relationship with america.

  • George VI dies and Elizabeth II succeeds her father

    Elizabeth proved an experienced and skillfull advisor of successive priministers, she held strong opinions.

  • Watson and Crick publish the discovery of the structure of DNA

  • Winston Churchill retires as prime minister

  • Conservatives win general election

  • ITV broadcast started

    The BBC had competition and started broadcasting a second channel, BBC two in 1964.
    Channel 4 started broadcasting in 1982

  • Clean air act

    part of a general move towards a cleaner environment, directed in particular against the buring of coal in urban areas. The act was a response to the sevre london smog of 1952 which killed more than 4,000 people. Another clean air act followed in 1968

  • motorway system M6 is opened by prime minister Harold Macmillian

    The following year the M1 was punched through the midlandsa from watford to birmingham. This development of motorway systems encourages a major rise in lond-distance private and goods travel by road

  • Conservatives under Harold MacMillian win the general election

  • New universities open and students get state support.

    Goverment support was seen as necessary , not least in order to change the social composition of the student body. State paid fees and maintenance were designed to help increase the percentage of working class students.

  • Conservative - Sir Alex Douglas-Home becomes prime minister

  • Labour win election - Harold Wilson prime minister

  • comprehensive education system introduced.

    designed to replace the existing division between grammer and secoundary modern schools in order to create and all inclusice comprehensive schools. It was the first step towards treating all pupils on an equal basis.

  • Death penalty is abolished.

  • England won the football world cup

    england vs west germany 4-2

  • Abortion and homosexuality are legalised

    Sexual Offences Act - legalised homosexuality between men over 21
    Abortion act - legalised abortion under certain conditions
    Divorce reform act
    Equal Pay Act

  • Beatles release 'sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band'

    18th album and is widely recognised as one of the most influential records ever released. The album was influenced by the bands use of drugs and was a popular success at the start of the 'psychedelic era'

  • conservatives win general election - Edward Heath prime minister

  • pounds, shilling and pence replaced

    they were phased out over a period of 18 months and were replaced with decimal pounds and pennies.

  • James callaghan becomes priminister

  • Apple company founded by Steve Jobs

    The apple company have lived on to be very influential in terms of technology

  • strikes paralyse britain

    to 1979
    petrol tankers, lorry drivers, hospital staff, ambulance men and dustmen. Dead were left unburried and troops were called in to control rats swarming around heaps of uncollected rubbish. The large number of strikes, the violence and mean mindedness created a sense of alarm in the decline of British society

  • Margaret Thatchers becomes Britains first female prime minister.

    She came to power on the promise that the conservatives would cut income tax, reduce public expenditure, make it easier for people to buy their own homes and curb the power of the unions

  • racial tensions spark riots

    Brixton following the arrest of a local black man marked the start of the violent unrest accross england. Crowds rioted, looted and fought the police.

  • unemployment

    Reached the barrier of 3 million. Manufacturing was hard hit by a deep economic recession

  • irish republican army terrorists strike the conservative conference in Brighton

    bomb the hotel were the conservative party conference was taking place. This killed 5 and left 30 injures. Margaret Thatcher narrowly escaped the blast

  • Major national industries are privatised.

    e.g. british gas, british airways, rolls royce, british steel , telecom e.t.c. these sales cut goverment expenditure by bringing large sums of money and by reducing the need for state subsidies

  • Margaret thatchers re elected for a 3rd time

    longest serving prime minister for more than 150 years

  • world wide web invented

    a new way of using existing internet technology to share information. Tim Berners-Lee

  • introduction of poll tac sparked london riots.

    The conservatives plans for a 'poll tax' provoked anti poll tac rallies and acts of civil disobedience. A largely peaceful march in London attended by 70000 people generated into a serious riot. The unpopularity of the tax contributed to the downfall of margaret thatcher , her successor John Major replaced the poll tac with the council tax

  • Margaret thatcher resigns and john Makor becomes prime minister

  • Channel tunnel opens, linking london and paris by rail.

  • first women priests ordained by the church of england

  • Labour wins election - tony blair

  • Britain hands hong kong back to china.

  • Diana , princess of wales dies in a car crash in paris.

    provoked widespread public mourning, one million people lined the streets of london for her funeral. it was found the driver had more than the legal amount of alcohol in his blood and was driving over 100mph

  • widespread celebrations of the new millenium

  • islamic terrorists crash aircraft on targets in new york and washington.

    19 terrorists hijacked planes to destroy the twin towers of the world trade centre in New York and part of the pentagon building in washington. approx' 3000 killed

  • foot and mouth disease

    9 month epidemic of 'foot-and-mouth' disease resulted in the culling of millions of animals and devastated large sections of the rural economy. the crisis brought the countryside to a virtual standstill. The labour parliament was heavily criticised for its handling of the crisis/

  • Britain joins the US in an invasion of iraq.

  • kyoto protocol on measures to control climate change comes into force

  • suicide bombers kill 52 people on Londons transport system.

    Islamic terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility

  • Hurricane Katrine

    The costliest natural disaster as well as one of the 5 deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. The hurricane formed in the Bahamas and made its biggest impact in New Orleans LA

  • civil partnerships give same sex couples legal rights.

  • The Great reccesion started

    • The great recession affected the entire world economy, it was a global recession characterzied by various systemic imbalances and was sparked by the outbreak of the late 2000s financial crisis

  • Barack Obama's election

    This made history as he became the first African American president

  • DVD replaces VCR

    In the early 2000s DVD began to overtake VCR as the most popular consumer of prerecorded video. VCR stopped being sold on the 3rd december 2008

  • Micheal jackson Dies

    This had an impact on many as he made such an impact on the music industry and the media throughout his lifetime.

  • Fall of Myspace, rise of Twitter and google +

    • current day -
      Myspace fades but facebook and youtube still remain popular and news sites such as Twitter and Google+ emerge. Facebook is seen as the most popular media sharing site.

  • Haiti earthquake

    At least 230,000 were killed in the Haiti earthquake and 3,000,000 were left homeless.

  • Death of Alexander (Lee) McQueen

    This came to a shock to everyone as just 8 days before his mother had passed away. McQueen was names the British design or the year 4 times between 1996 and 2003. He started his career as an apprentice in Savile Row. His death came just days before London Fashion week as final preparations were being made for a spring collection.

  • BP Gulf oil spill

    The gulf oil spill was one of the worst environmental disasters in the united states history. Estimated to be as much as 100,00 barrels per day

  • university fees rise to 6,000-9,000 a year starting from 2012

    Universities can charge more than 6,000 a year if they take part in a programme to help those from poorer backgrounds.Students can take out a loan which funds all costs which will then have to be paid back once the student begins earning over £21,000

  • Prince William and Kate Middleton get married

    Her dress being designed under the Alexander McQueen Label

  • Osama Bin Laden killed

    Navy seal teams found and killed Bin Laden in Pakistan

  • Amy Winehouse dies due to drug overdose

  • Shutdown of 'News of the world'

    the shutdown of the largest Uk tabloid after 168 years in print due to the 2009 phone hacking scandal.

  • British Riots

    Following a peaceful march on the 6th August in relation to the police response to the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by Metropolitan police service fierarm officers a riot began in Tottenham, North London. in the following days rioting spread to several london boroughs and districts and to some other areas of England, the initial are believed to have been caused by the police reaction

  • Whitney Houston died