Britain in Transition: 1901–1929

Join us for a focused discussion on Britain from 1901 to 1929, a period that opened with the death of Queen Victoria and closed with the onset of the Great Depression. These decades saw the British Empire at its territorial height but also under mounting strain, while domestic politics shifted rapidly through war, suffrage movements, labour unrest, and constitutional change. The First World War fundamentally reshaped British society, accelerating social mobility, transforming gender roles, and weakening the old aristocratic order. By the late 1920s, Britain stood as both a victorious power and a nation grappling with economic readjustment, Irish partition, and a new mass-politics landscape.

Topics for Discussion

• The Edwardian Era and the Reign of Edward VII
• The Liberals’ 1906 Landslide and the Rise of New Liberalism
• The Parliament Act of 1911
• The Home Rule Crisis and the Road to Partition
• The Suffragette Campaign and Women’s Enfranchisement
• Britain’s Entry into the First World War
• The Western Front and Total War Mobilisation
• The 1916 Easter Rising and its Aftermath
• The 1918 Representation of the People Act
• The Treaty of Versailles and Post-War Adjustments
• The Anglo-Irish Treaty and the Birth of the Irish Free State
• The 1926 General Strike
• The Wall Street Crash and Early British Repercussions