A History of British Elections since 1689

A History of British Elections since 1689 represents a unique single-volume authoritative reference guide to British elections and electoral systems from the Glorious Revolution to the present day. The main focus is on general elections and associated by-elections, but Chris Cook and John Stevenson also cover national referenda, European parliament elections, municipal elections, and elections to the Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies and the Scottish parliament. The outcome and political significance of all these elections are looked at in detail, but the authors also discuss broader themes and debates in British electoral history, for example: the evolution of the electoral system, parliamentary reform, women's suffrage, constituency size and numbers, elimination of corrupt practices, and other important topics. The book also follows the fortunes not only of the major political parties but of fringe movements of the extreme right and left. Combining data, summary and analysis with thematic overviews and chronological outlines, this major new reference provides a definitive guide to the long and varied history of British elections and is essential reading for students of British political history.

Chris Cook is a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics. His publications include By-Elections in British Politics with John Ramsden (1973), the Dictionary of Historical Terms (1998) and, most recently, The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives (2006), The Slump: Society and Politics in the Depression with John Stevenson (2009) and The Routledge Guide to European Political Archives (2012). John Stevenson was formerly Reader in Modern History at Worcester College, Oxford. His publications include The Routledge Companion to Britain in the Eighteenth Century and he has most recently edited the final volume of the English Historical Documents series, covering the years 1914-1957.

1. The Background to British Elections a. The Origins: Parliament and the Early Franchise b. Widening the Franchise: the Parliamentary Reform Movement c. The Campaign for Women's Suffrage d. The Electoral Reform Debate: 1918-2011 e. The Constituencies f. The Electorate g. The Regulations of Elections: Cost, Conduct, Corrupt Practices etc 2. British General Elections: From the Glorious Revolution to the First World War a. The Earliest Elections (to 1714) b. The Ancien Regime Elections, 1714-1832 c. Elections in the Age of Reform, 1832-1885 d. Late Victorian and Edwardian Elections, 1886-1914 3. Modern British Elections, 1918-2010 a. Inter-War Elections, 1918-35 b. Elections in a Two-Party Era, 1945-74 c. Contemporary Elections, 1974-2010 4. By-Elections: The Barometer of Public Opinion a. Introduction: Nature and Significance b. Chronology and Outline c. Key By-Elections (30 Famous Contests) 5. Local Elections a. The Franchise b. The Victorian Era c. Elections and Party Politics, 1906-45 d. Modern Local Elections since 1945 6. European Elections 7. Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly 8. Referenda 9. Biographical Companion 10. Glossary of Key Terms 11. Maps Bibliographical note Index