On this module, you will gain a grounding in the historical background to contemporary UK politics. Together, we will interrogate a series of critical developments from the past to assess their impact on how things work today. We’ll begin by talking about the UK’s nature as an imperial state, both in its structure and its nature. We’ll then chart the development of recognizably modern democratic institutions and political parties, taking us up to the Second World War. From there, we’ll look at the postwar consensus around nationalization and the welfare state, and its collapse in the face of economic decline during the 1960s and 1970s. We’ll consider how Margaret Thatcher emerged as the dominant political figure of the 1980s, and how Tony Blair partially emulated her dominance at the turn of the twenty-first century. Finally, we’ll reflect on Brexit, the defining political issue of recent years.