Britain 1919 to the present

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EuroDocs > History of the United Kingdom: Primary Documents > 1919 to the present

History through 1919

Dealing mostly with the British Royal Navy in twentieth century combat.
(Pax Britannica through 20th century; principally lists, chronologies, images and descriptions)
A large collection with facsimiles of British historical events and classroom discussions of them.
(1066-today)
Picture archive containing nearly 18,000 digitised images of medieval stained glass in Great Britain.
(12th - 20th centuries; images and descriptions)
120.000 portraits of famous British men and women from the 16th Century to the present day.
Explore the collection in a variety of ways.
(16th century - Present; image facsimiles)
HIT REFRESH. 200,000 pages of census and registration material for the British Isles with a wealth of textual and statistical material.
(1801-1937; searchable data files, essays and analysis)
Digital version of the Hansard, the official printed transcripts of the debates that took place in the British Parliament from the 19th century onwards.
Search by keyword or browse by volume, just the Lords Sittings, Commons Sittings or Westminster Hall Sittings.
(1803-2005; transcriptions)
Digital collection of information about Britain's localities as they have changed over time.
Information comes from census reports, historical gazetteers, travellers' tales and historic maps.
(19th - 20th centuries; maps, reports, transcriptions)
(late 19th - early 20th century; facsimiles on PDF)
Over 3500 hours of newsreels (may require special software).
Preview files are free; higher resolution images require payment.
(1896-1970; video files)
  • Royal Footage Collections
House of Windsor
The Queen
Prince Philip
Prince Charles
British Royal Family
Compiled by British Pathe
(English; videos)
Online access to the texts of thousands of documents relating to the politics of Margaret Thatcher, prime minister of the UK from 1979 to 1990.
View speeches, interviews & other statements, browse the archive or see multimedia.
(20th century; facsimiles, transcriptions, images, audio and video)
Historical documentation displayed by various themes and date ranges.
(20th century; facsimiles, transcriptions and images)
Hundreds of sources relating to the history of manufacturing in Leicester and Leicestershire.
Providing social records of how life changed in British industrial cities during the second half of the twentieth century.
Browsable topics include: conservation and urban regeneration, de-industrialization, social life of the factory and the factory and the community.
(20th century; audio files, newspaper cuttings, maps, books, reports, plans, photographs, etc.)
Transcripts of the BDOHP interviews of former diplomats and other officials who have been significantly involved in international relations.
(Scroll down page to view transcripts; listed alphabetically)
The original material is conserved at the Churchill Archives Centre in Cambridge.
(20th century; transcripts)
The notebooks kept by the soldier-poet Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) during his service in the British Army in the First World War are among the most remarkable documents of their kind, and provide an extraordinary insight into his participation in one of the defining conflicts of European history.
From the Cambridge Digital Library
(1905-1959; English facsimiles)
(pre-1914 - post-1918; translations and transcriptions)
Major Resource!
A collection of primary documents from the Internet Modern History Sourcebook.
(1914-1918; transcriptions and translations)
Database of firsthand accounts
EyeWitness to History
(1914-1921; English transcription, photographs)
Searchable and browseable access to Cabinet papers from 1915-1977.
(1915-1977; facsimiles, commentary, images, maps)
Men aged 21 could vote regardless of property ownership, and women aged 30 with certain property qualifications could vote.
(1918; English facsimile)

Interwar Era (1918-1939)

A supplemental volume of Documents on Irish Foreign Policy (DIFP) with cooperation of the Royal Irish Academy, National Archives and Department of Foreign Affairs.
NOTE: Large file - may take some time to download.
(1920-1921; PDF document with transcriptions and facsimiles)
From a treaty exhibition of the National Archives of Ireland.
English transcription of the Anglo-Irish treaty also available here.
(December 6, 1921; document facsimiles, pictures and videos)
Five manuscripts, either by Churchill or including him in their subject matter
In cooperation with Shapell
(1921-1964; French and English facsimiles)
"Sir Winston Churchill dominated 20th century politics and in 2002 was named the greatest Briton of all time. During this time British Pathé’s cameras provided the world with a unique, visual insight into his character. In honour of the 50th anniversary of his death, we present a complete catalogue of his life on a single navigable page."
Compiled by British Pathe
(20th century; English; film)
Allowed women aged 21 to vote.
(1928; English transcription)
Famous speech delivered by Stanley Baldwin in parliament.
(November 10, 1932; English)
With contemporary film and direct links to sources on his life and deeds.
Compiled by Christopher Newport University at Primary Sources on the Kings and Queens of England
(1936; English)
This document declares the 'irrevocable determination' of Edward VIII to abdicate.
From the National Archives
(1936; English facsimile)
”The diary of Rose Kennedy reveals the excitement she and her husband experienced during their first introduction to the King and Queen of England.”
EyeWitness to History
(1938; English transcription, photographs)
  • Diplomatic books'
Great Britain Diplomatic Files
Original documents from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library & Museum.
(1933-1945; facsimiles)
The British War Blue Book of diplomatic documents.
"Documents concerning... the outbreak of hostilities between Great Britain and Germany
  on September 3, 1939."
(1934-1939; English transcriptions and translations)
The French Yellow Book of diplomatic documents.
"Papers relative to the events and negotiations which preceded the opening of hostilities
  between Germany on the one hand, and Poland, Great Britain and France on the other hand."
Electronic version by permission of the French Government.
(1938-1939; English translations)
Telegraph: World War II Articles
Collection of essays, video clips, photo galleries, and original articles from the fall of 1939.
(1939; articles and images)
The only English troops permitted to remain in Egypt were those protecting the Suez Canal.
(1936; English)
(11 December 1936; English transcription)
With contemporary film and direct links to sources on his life and deeds.
Compiled by Christopher Newport University at Primary Sources on the Kings and Queens of England
(1936-1952; English)
(1938-1942; English transcription)

World War II (1939-1945)

  • Chamberlain Speeches
Munich Pact
Concluded at Munich between Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy.
(29 September 1938; English translation)
Neville Chamberlain's "Peace For Our Time" speech
(30 September, 1938; transcription)
Chamberlain on the Nazi Invasion of Poland
(September 1, 1939; transcription)
Chamberlain declares war on Germany
Transcript of radio address in which Chamberlain declares war on Germany.
(3 September 1939; English transcription)
Experience British life on the brink of war through original news broadcasts, eyewitness accounts and commentaries on some of the key events, including the evacuation of children and the distribution of gas masks.
(1939; English audio)
(September 3, 1939; English facsimile)
Database of firsthand accounts
EyeWitness to History
(1939-1946; English transcription, photographs)
  • Voices of the 20th Century
Audio clips of WWII
Britain's declaration of war on Germany
D-Day
Iwo Jima
Surrender of Germany
In cooperation with EyeWitness to History
(1939-1945; audio)
Documenting the emergence of the Anglo-American alliance, including correspondence between FDR and Churchill.
(1939-1945; English facsimiles)
Anglo-Soviet Agreement, documenting the uneasy alliances between Britain and USSR during the war.
From the archives of the BBC.
(1939-1945; facsimiles, video and audio files)
Collection of documents regarding international relations during the years just following World War II.
Part of the Wilson Center's Digital Archive of the Cold War.
See especially:
Yalta Conference Agreement
Churchill's "Iron Curtain" Speech, "Sinews of Peace"
(1939-1957; English transcriptions and facsimiles)
A collection of primary documents from the Internet Modern History Sourcebook.
(1939-1945; transcriptions and translations)
Diary of one of the military strategists who planned the invasions of Normandy. Alanbrooke did not always agree with Winston Churchill. Exerts available via preview.
(1939-1945; English facsimile)
The two sets of extracts published on this site have been divided into those concerning Nella's more personal life, as it was affected by the war (part one), and those concerning more public events (part two - for link see 'Related Links' column, right).
(beginning 1939; English transcription)
A collection of documents related to WWII.
From the Avalon Project.
Official (mainly U.S.) government histories, source documents, and other primary references.
(1939-1945; English transcriptions and translations)
William Joyce, aka Lord Haw-Haw, was a notorious broadcaster of Nazi propaganda to the UK during World War II. His announcement 'Germany calling, Germany calling' was a familiar sound across the airwaves, introducing threats and misinformation that he broadcast from his Hamburg base.
(1939-1945; English audio)
British families [agreed] to “host” children from Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic through a program known as Kindertransport...An estimated 10,000 refugee children, most of them Jewish, were housed in the United Kingdom during the war.
From USC Shoah Foundation
(film)
Documents and commentary on Preparations for War, Evacuation, Bombing of Britain, Empire Home Front,
Everyday Life, Women at War, and Spies.
(1939-1945; facsimiles)
Online exploration of Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech at Fulton, Missouri.
(5 March 1946; audio, images and commentary)
  • Churchill Sources
WinstonChurchill.org
Remembering Winston Churchill - BBC Collection
Selected Speeches of Winston Churchill
(1940-1955; English)
This collection follows Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's journey from princess to monarch, from her first broadcast at the age of 14 to the announcement of her accession at 24.
(1940-1952; English audio)
News report from the time of the battle
(1940; transcription and photos)
EXPLORE THE LONDON BLITZ during 7th October 1940 to 6th June 1941 via an interactive map.
(1940-1941; English)
Includes personal accounts from some of those who took part in the mass evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo, that exemplify the 'Dunkirk spirit' and documents showing the government's control over which stories reached the airwaves.
(May 1940; English audio)
In this collection of programmes and documents, we hear from some of the battle's heroes, see the Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane fighter planes in action and discover why the Battle of Britain should always be remembered.
(1940; English audio)
Britain and the US ally against Germany.
(14 August 1941; English transcription)
From recruitment to resignation, this collection of documents reveals the high regard in which Orwell was held by his colleagues and superiors and his own uncompromising integrity and honesty.
(1941-1943; English facsimiles)
This collection reveals some of the pressures on the BBC as it sought to balance the wartime need for propaganda with unrestricted reporting of the news.
(1941; English audio)
Encyclopaedia Britannica's guide to the Normandy invasion of 1944.
(1943-1944; transcriptions, audio, video, images, commentaries)
Documents of the Eisenhower Library.
(scroll down the page).
(1943-1944; facsimiles & photos)
Photographic collection of documents relating to D-Day.
(1944; images and French-language descriptions)
The heartfelt diary of a captain written during the 1944 Normandy invasion has just been published.
From History Extra
(1944; photos, English transcription)
(1944; photos and English transcriptions)
On June 6, 1944, allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France to fight Nazi Germany
From the Smithsonian
(1944; English; video)
A collection of primary documents from the Internet Modern History Sourcebook.
(1945 to the present; transcriptions and translations)
Contemporary sources on the question of whether or not Churchill was involved in the bombing of Dresden
(1945; English facsimiles)

Postwar (1945-1973)

  • Foreign relations between the UK and the US
Documents from US State Department and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
1945
Davies mission to London, 1945
UK-US nuclear relations, 1945
UK-US cooperation on Proclaimed and Statutory Lists in the Eastern Hemisphere, 1945
UK-US negotiations about civilian supplies in liberated areas, 1945
US moves to restore trade to private channels, especially in the UK and Canada; 1946
The US, UK, and Canada and post-war commodity policy, 1946
US foreign oil policy involving the UK, 1946
The US, UK and civil aviation policy especially related to Bermuda Conference developments, 1946
US Antarctic policy and other countries' claims, 1946
1946
1947
1948
US concerns about air agreements departing from the principles of the Bermuda Agreement of 1946; 1949
1949
1950
US discussions with UK and Canada about using their bases in the event of general was with the USSR, 1951
1951
UK-Japan relations, 1952
US-UK discussions on UN policy, 26 February 1952-24 September 1952
British questions about US atomic policy, 25 February 1954
UK's concerns about US Elf-lord McCarthy, 4 March 1954
1955-1957
1958-1960
1961-1963
1964-1968
1969-1972
(1945-1972; English transcriptions)
Official agreement by the United States, France, Great Britain and the Soviet Union for the establishment of an International Military Tribunal
for the "punishment and prosecution of the major war criminals of the European axis".
(1946; transcription)
  • INFORMATION & PRIMARY DOCUMENTS FROM ANTI-REVISIONIST MOVEMENTS, ORGANIZATIONS & PARTIES
Post World War II Antecedents
The First Wave of Anti-Revisionism: The Early 1960s
The Second Wave: the Radical Youth Wants a Party: The Late 1960s
High Tide: The Consolidation of Maoism by the Late 1970’s
Ebbing Tide: decline and dissolution
From The Encyclopedia of anti-Revisionism On-Line
(1947-present; English)
(2 June 1953; transcription)
Item #4. "This letter is one of the first written accounts of how Crick and James Watson unraveled the double-helix structure of DNA that makes it possible for life to copy itself."
(1953; English facsimile)
Cold War era speech by Aneurin Bevan.
(December 5, 1956; English)
Speech of Queen Elizabeth to the U.N.
(October 21, 1957; English)
Metadata from British Election Study (BES/GES) series. Surveys for this data have been conducted in every general election since 1964.
There are also subsets for "ethnic minority groups, country-specific studies of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and several inter-election longitudinal panel studies."
Record from UK Data Service.
(1964 - present; English interface)

Common Market & EU (1973-1999)

Treaty and other documents concerning The United Kingdom's admission to the European Union. Part of EUR-Lex, a service of the European Union.
(1972; mainly English)
Archives from Fitzrovia neighborhood newspaper. Fitzrovia is a neighborhood located in central London, and the first edition of the newspaper from 1973 can be found here.
Search by date, year, or word to find newspapers.
(1 March 1973 - Present; English facsimiles and transcriptions)
Metadata from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
Information about "employment and unemployment and economic inactivity,... occupation, training, hours of work and personal characteristics of household members aged 16 years and over."
Quarterly data available after March 1992 as part of the "Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS)."
Also included are "several sub-sample and derived datasets are also produced, including longitudinal series and a Eurostat version of the dataset."
From UK Data Service.
(1975 - present; English interface)
This collection shows some of the leaflets that were handed out and delivered to households during the weeks and months leading up to the day of the referendum.
(1975; facsimiles)
Offering free access to thousands of historical documents relating to the Thatcher period.
(1979-1990)
Pamphlets from both pro- and anti-nuclear organizations published during the 1980 period of rising tensions and the decline of déténte.
From the [Wilson Digital Archive]
(1979-1988; English; facsimiles)
"Evil Empire Speech".
(8 June 1982; English transcription)
Metadata from the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey series.
Includes information from "large-scale government surveys that deal largely with facts and behaviour patterns" and "party political attitudes data produced by the polls."
Surveys examine social attitudes.
From UK Data Service.
(1983 - present; English interface)
Agreement against German unification, encouragement on economic reform, and argument over nuclear abolition.
(1987-1989; English PDFs)
Full text of Public Acts and Local Acts as originally passed by Parliament.
(1988-present; English transcriptions)
Collected primary documents from the end of the Cold War.
(1980s; English)
Speech to the House of Commons.
(November 13, 1990; English)
Large selection of publications from The Stationery Office, Parliament and elsewhere.
(1993 - present; English transcriptions)
(1996 - present; English transcriptions)
On the Death of Princess Diana and on the Opening of Parliament.
(1997 - present; transcripts)
(1998; transcription)
(1998; transcription)
Official documentation available by sections, parts, provisions, schedules and amendments.
(1998; transcripts)
  • A Day that Shook the World
Historical Footage: ”A Day That Shook the World recalls the days of the 20th century that proved to be era-defining and pivotal in the course of modern history. These are the days on which political revolutions, technological breakthroughs, and sporting triumphs took place, and whose effects were felt the world-over.”
Queen Victoria’s Funeral 1901
Emily Davison Throws Herself Under The King’s Horse 1913
Battle of the Somme 1916
Start of UK General Strike 1926
Edward VIII Abdicates 1936
London Blitz Begins on Civilian Targets 1940
Battle Of El Alamein Begins 1942
D-Day Landings 1944
Big 3 Meet at Yalta to Carve Up Post-War World 1945
VE Day Celebrations 1945
Britain Explodes First Atomic Bomb 1952
A Day That Shook the World : Manchester United Players Die In Munich Air Crash 1958
Beatles Return From States In Triumph 1964
Coproduction of British Pathe and BBC
(20th century; English interface; videos)
Discover a wealth of original sources from the 20th century, including manuscripts, first editions, newspapers, diaries, letters, photographs and maps.
From the British Library
(facsimiles)

21st Century

UK official data files and documents, including country files, parents' occupation, and sample data.
Files available for download
(2002-2016; English)
Metadata from Annual Population Survey (APS).
Survey covers topics including "education, employment, health and ethnicity."
Data from UK Data Service.
(2004 - present; English interface)
Footage and news reports of unrest in the UK
Compiled by AP Archive
(2011; English videos)
Free access to research, data and analysis, provided by Elsevier.
(2011-2016; data, social media statistics and commentary)
Assessment on British EU membership created by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to inform the June 2016 Brexit vote in the United Kingdom.
(3 September 2013; English transcription)
Official parliamentary documents related to the Brexit vote.
(2015-2016; English transcriptions)
Timeline of key EU events after Brexit decision.
Includes transcripts of negotiations, EU statements, meeting records, letters.
(25 June 2015 - 19 October 2017; English transcriptions)
In the weeks leading up to the referendum, a number of organisations, political parties and individuals produced campaigning leaflets which sought to persuade the electorate to vote either "Leave" or "Remain".
(2016; facsimiles)
Links to letters, speeches, proposals, op-eds, and similar writings key to the campaign's push for Britain to leave the EU.
(22 January 2016 - 16 June 2016; English transcriptions)
EU briefing related to Brexit vote, which took place in June 2016.
(February 2016; English transcription)
Research "[p]resented to Parliament pursuant to section 7 of the European Union Referendum Act 2015."
Document to inform Brexit vote in Parliament.
(March 2016; English transcription)
HM Treasury Analysis to inform the Brexit vote that would occur in June 2016, two months after this document's publication.
(April 2016; English transcription)
Archives of "the most important Remain and Leave campaign websites, from environmental and academic grassroots organizations to trade unions and business groups. Also included were the main official websites about the referendum by the United Kingdom government."
From UCLA collections.
Collection of related websites archived before the Brexit decision. Ability to access the websites and read a description of them.
Ability to search the text of the webpages from this UCLA page. Advanced search option on the left-hand side of the page.
(11 May 2016 - 20 June 2016; English interface)
HM Treasury Analysis to inform the Brexit vote that would occur in June 2016, one month after this document's publication.
(May 2016; English transcription)
Document published by the House of Lords European Union Committee, from 11th Report of Session 2015-16.
Assessment to inform the Brexit vote that occurred in June 2016, a month after the document's publication.
(4 May 2016; English transcription)
Archive of voteleavetakecontrol.org, which was the official website for the Brexit Vote Leave Campaign. Upon the Campaign's victory when the UK voted to leave the EU, most of the website's content was taken down. This archived website capture shows the Vote Leave website before the Brexit vote took place.
Also browse old webpages through the Google search found here.
(20 May 2016; English interface)
Statement from EU leaders from UK decision to leave the European Union. Titled: "Joint Statement by Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, Mark Rutte, Holder of the Presidency of the Council of the EU, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission."
(24 June 2016; English transcription)
Includes search capabilities by political party, event, or speaker.
"... not an official parliamentary site of the Houses of Parliament"
(current; video)
Over 20,000 images of objects, books, letters, aerial photographs and other items from museums, libraries and record offices in Wales.
(Medieval to 20th century; facsimiles and photographs)
A documentation project of Powys County, Wales.
(Medieval to present; facsimiles, Latin and Welsh transcriptions and English transcriptions and translations)

EuroDocs > History of the United Kingdom: Primary Documents > 1919 to the present


EuroDocs Creator: Richard Hacken, European Studies Librarian,
Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
Feel free to get in touch: Hacken @ byu.edu

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