The Evolution of the Labour Party from 1880s to 2007

Abstract

The present study examines the historical evolution of the British Labour Party from 1880s to 2007 and how far its intellectual and ideological vision as well as its organisational structure evolved, as it became a key player in British politics. The study is organised chronologically into four chapters. The first chapter will focus on the beginnings and the evolution of the Labour Party from 1880s until 1914, and the factors that led to its development as well as the different stages it passed through. Chapter Two covers the history of the Labour Party between the Wars. The third chapter discusses the defeat of the Labour Party in 1951 when it became split over the future direction of socialism, between a moderate social democratic position and radical socialist position. It deals with the Labour Party in opposition and then back to power with two governments led by Harold Wilson. The concluding chapter examines the framework of the Labour Party since 1979. It deals with the reasons behind the Labour Party’s successful recovery in the 1990s from the disasters of the 1980s.