MA 20th-Century British History by Research
From the Great War to the Fall of Margaret Thatcher
This London-based programme enables students to examine Britain’s history in the 20th century, focusing on the period from the start of the First World War in 1914 to Margaret Thatcher’s resignation in 1990. It is led by Simon Heffer, Professor of Modern British History in the University and a leading authority on the period.
The course includes a series of seminars (see below), given by a range of eminent guest speakers, to supplement students’ private research. These will provide a broad chronological survey of the period and an introduction to major themes in the political and social history of 20th century Britain. The seminars will take place at the elegant Reform Club in Pall Mall, and supervisory meetings will be held at the Humanities Research Institute offices at 51 Gower Street in Bloomsbury.
The programme’s major concentration will be on politics and society, but there will be a subsidiary focus on cultural history and historiography. Guest speakers will include the contemporary historians Sir David Cannadine, Lord Hennessy, David Kynaston and Michael Bentley.
Assessment is via a dissertation of approximately 25,000 words on a topic of the student’s choosing, which is completed under the guidance of a supervisor and submitted at the end of the academic year.
2020/2021 seminar programme
Because of delays caused by the Covid-19 crisis the seminar programme will run this academic year from January to May: as in previous years, there will still be 10 seminars addressed by leading historians, covering the period from 1914 to 1990 and other specialist topics. Speakers in the past have included Sir David Cannadine (on the decline of the British Empire), Professor Lord Hennessy (on the immediate post-war period), Professor David Dilks (on the 1930s), Dr David Kynaston (on the 1950s), Professor Michael Bentley (on historiography), Professor Simon Heffer (on the Great War) and Dr Robin Harris (on Thatcherism). It is expected most or all of these speakers will return in 2020/2021.
The academic year will begin as normal in September and Professor Heffer, as course director, will be available to all students during the autumn to discuss dissertation topics and independent research so that work can begin before the seminar programme gets under way. A full bibliography will be issued to all students in September so that the autumn can also be used for essential background reading.
Location for seminars: The Reform Club (104 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5EW). Click here for map and directions to the Reform Club.
Each guest speaker seminar begins at 18:30 and is followed by a dinner at 20:00 with the guest speaker. The cost of all post-seminar dinners is included in the tuition fees.
Seminar Subjects
1914-19
1919-29
‘The Impact of Labour’, the breaking of the Coalition and the first Baldwin administration. This seminar will look at the debate about economic and social policy in the decade between Versailles and the Wall Street Crash, highlighting the process that led to Churchill putting Britain back on the Gold Standard and the causes of the General Strike. It will also discuss why the Lloyd George coalition was sabotaged by the Conservative party; brief premiership of Andrew Bonar Law, the first Labour government and the end of the Liberal party as a political force: and the role of women, newly-enfranchised but many unable to have the lives their mothers took for granted because of the death and maiming of nearly two million men during the war. It will also discuss British participation in the League of Nations and international affairs during the decade after Versailles.
1929-39
1939-45
1945-55
1955-64
From Suez to Scandal – the Era of ‘Tory misrule’. Suez marks the beginning of the end not just of Empire, but of Britain’s self-estimation as a great world power: and the political rhetoric becomes that of ‘managing decline’. Yet the Tries win a second, and then an even more convincing third, term in office; Britain wallows in ‘never had it so good’ affluence. Social change, especially among the young, is in the air: this is the era of the ‘Kitchen Sink’ film, Beatniks, Teddy Boys and mods and rockers, but also the growth of television as a highly influential social medium. The Tories become out of touch – the ‘grouse moor image’ – and Macmillan’s isolation is exposed by the Profumo scandal, which effectively brings him down. Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with America makes it a major player in the Cold War – this is also the era of James Bond – and the country starts to modernise, with the closing of railways and the opening of motorways. But the post-war consensus holds until the party’s defeat in 1964: and given the growth in prosperity, how far was it a really an era of ‘Tory misrule’.
1964-79
From White Heat to the Winter of Discontent. Harold Wilson, unexpectedly catapulted to power after Gaitskell’s unexpected death in 1963, promises a technological revolution to transform Britain: but he also forms a pact with the trades unions, whose power grows throughout the period until it effectively brings down the Heath government in 1974 and in 1978-79 is seen to be challenging the democratic legitimacy of the Callaghan administration, thereby breaking the post-war consensus. Wilson has to manage those allies, such as Barbara Castle, who want to shackle union power; and a fissure grows in the Labour party throughout the 1970s between those who want hard-line socialism and those who are de facto social democrats. Heath has his own problems with a right-wing faction, led by Enoch Powell, who has important intellectual followers in Margaret Thatcher and Keith Joseph: and Thatcher’s ascent to the Tory leadership in 1975 undoes the statist, interventionist policy of Heath. Powell opens several lines of crucial intellectual debate; on immigration; on what becomes known as monetarism; on reform of the House of Lords; on withdrawal from east of Suez; and on membership of the Common Market. Parliament half-heartedly takes Britain into the European Economic community in 1973, laying the ground for decades of strife and internal division; essentially, the trente glorieueses from 1945 to 1975 have made Mrs Thatcher inevitable.
1979-90
The Historiography of 20th century British history. This seminar will review the nature of the writing of the history of the country between the Great War and the fall of Mrs Thatcher – both in terms of the methods and the motivations and aims of historians – and will highlight areas that would benefit from further research and exploration, or where existing accounts require revision.
Dismantling the British Empire, from Ireland to Rhodesia. Starting with the victory of Sinn Féin in Ireland at the 1918 General Election, when it became clear the country would soon come under Republican Rule, the seminar will look at how throughout the period from 1920 to 1980 Britain had to negotiate with its former possessions their independence. Sir David will look at the main driving forces of anti-imperialism in the British political class after the Great War, but also at those – such as Churchill – who wished to fight to retain Victoria’s empire into the second half of the 20th The seminar will consider the 1931 Statute of Westminster; the independence movement in India; the Imperial response to the Second World War, notably in the Far East but also in terms of Dominion and Colonial troops fighting for Britain; the rush to Indian independence between February and August 1947, and whether the bloody events of that process shaped attitudes to the African and West Indian decolonisations of the 1950s and 1960s; and, finally, why the independence of Rhodesia turned into a 15-year confrontation, and the role of Britain and the Commonwealth after the end of the Empire, notably in pressing South Africa to dismantle apartheid. But the seminar will also consider the idea of the ‘British’ world, mass immigration to the former mother country, and the wider legacy of empire.
Entry requirements
The minimum entry level required for this course is as follows:
- a first or upper second-class honours degree from a recognised university or,
- a recognised professional qualification with relevant work experience.
In cases where candidates are applying on the basis of work experience, they may be asked to complete a short written assignment and/or attend an interview as part of the applications process.
Mature students
Age is no barrier to learning and we welcome all applications from suitably qualified students. Due to their flexibility, our London-based MAs by research attract a wide variety of applicants from a range of backgrounds, including people in full-time employment and retirees. Our current students range in age from 21 to 75.
International students
We are happy to consider all international applications and if you are an international student, you may find it useful to visit our international pages for details of entry requirements from your home country.
The University is a UKVI Student Sponsor.
English levels
If English is not your first language, please check our postgraduate English language requirements. If your English levels don’t meet our minimum requirements, you may be interested in applying for our Pre-sessional English Language Foundation Programmes.
Selection process
Candidates apply online, sending in their supporting documents, and will be assessed on this basis by the Programme Director. The Programme Director or Admissions Assistant will be happy to answer any enquiries.
Terms and conditions for prospective students
When you are offered a place at the University you will be notified of the terms and conditions between the University and students on our courses of study. When you accept an offer of a place on the course at the University a legal contract is formed between you and the University on the basis of the terms and conditions outlined in your offer letter. Your offer letter and the terms and conditions contain important information which you should read carefully before accepting any offer. Read the admissions terms and conditions > >
The MA does not offer systematic instruction in the facts; instead, the emphasis is on independent thought and research.
At the heart of the Buckingham MA is the close working relationship between student and supervisor. While the final thesis must be an independent work, it is the supervisor who offers advice on refining the topic (if necessary), on primary sources, on secondary reading, on research techniques and on writing the final text (which should be not less than 25,000 words). Supervisors and students will meet frequently throughout the year, and not less than twice a term; and the supervisor shall always be the student’s primary contact for academic advice and support.
The University’s Course Directors, students’ supervisors, and the Research Officer and Tutor for Graduate Students are available to discuss students’ post-graduation plans and how they may utilise most effectively the skills acquired during their studies.
Start | Type | 1st Year | Total cost |
---|---|---|---|
Oct 2021 Full-time 1 Year | UK | £8,820 | £8,820 |
EU | £8,820 | £8,820 | |
INT | £15,435 | £15,435 | |
Oct 2021 Part-time 2 Years | UK | £4,410 | £8,820 |
EU | £4,410 | £8,820 | |
INT | £7,718 | £15,435 | |
Oct 2021 6 Months Associate | UK | £3,150 | £3,150 |
EU | £3,150 | £3,150 | |
INT | £3,150 | £3,150 |
** Please be aware that the 6 month option relates to the associate course only
Please note that the University of Buckingham has four terms per year. The tuition fees quoted are for the degree (e.g. if you start a degree at Buckingham in January 2018, you will pay the same termly fee for the duration of your degree – you will not be affected by the price increase in September 2018). Students will pay the same termly fee for the duration of their studies, unless studies are interrupted and resumed later. The tuition fee quoted is therefore the total cost of the degree.
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