Britain 1930-1997 Timeline

Churchill enters the House of Commons with the Conservatives

1900

Churchill crosses the floor of the House to join the Liberals 

1904

Churchill is appointed the First Lord of the Admiralty 

1911 25th October

World War One starts  

1914 28th July

The Gallipoli campaign promoted by Churchill is underway  

1915 April

The Gallipoli campaign ends as a complete failure  

1916 January

World War One ends as the armistice is signed  

1918 11th November

Churchill appointed Minister for War under Lloyd George 

1919 January

Churchill appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Baldwin 

1924 November

Labour is the largest party after general election, Churchill goes into opposition 

1929 May

First of three Round Table Conferences in India. Churchill opposes concessions 

1930 November

National Government formed under Ramsay MacDonald. Churchill was not included 

1931 August

Hitler comes to power 

1933 January

Germany reintroduces conscription 

1935 March

Baldwin becomes Prime Minister  

1935 June

Anglo-German naval agreement 

1935 June

Germany remilitarises Rhineland 

1936 March

The abdication crisis with Edward VIII and George VI 

1936 March

Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister 

1937 May

Germany annexes Austria

1938 March

Czech Crisis 

1938 September

Munich Conference/Agreement 

1938 30^th September

Germany invades Czechoslovakia 

1939 March

Germany declares war on Poland 

1939 1^st September

Britain declares war on Germany.  

1939 3^rd September

Churchill re-enters cabinet as first lord of the Admiralty 

1939 September

Norway Narvik campaign 

1940 April

German forces invade the Low Countries 

1940 May

Churchill is appointed as Prime Minister 

1940 10^th May

The Dunkirk evacuations bring over 300,000 Allied troops to Britain 

1940 26^th May-4^th June

France surrenders to Germany 

1940 22^nd June

The Battle of Britain begins 

1940 July

Britain wins the Battle of Britain 

1940 September

The 'Destroyers for Bases' Agreement between Britain and the US 

1940 September

Operation Barbarossa. Hitler declares war on the USSR 

1941 22^nd June

The Atlantic Charter is signed by Britain and the USA  

1941 14th August

The attack on Pearl Harbour 

1941 7^th December

The Senate votes unanimously to declare war on Japan 

1941 8^th December

Hitler declares war on the USA 

1941 11^th December

Singapore falls to Japan 

1942 February

The Battle of El Alamein is fought and won by General Montgomery 

1942 23^rd October- 4^th November

Operation Torch. The US lands in North Africa 

1942 November

The Beveridge Report 

1942 November

The Germans are defeated at Stalingrad 

1943 2^nd February

Allies invade Sicily 

1943 9^th July

Operation OVERLORD. The D-Day landings in Normandy 

1944 6^th June

The Yalta Conference 

1945 February

VE Day 

1945 8^th May

Churchill loses the election to Clement Attlee of Labour 

1945 July

The NHS is created 

1948

October: Winston Churchill wins the General Election and returns as Prime Minister 

1951

The denationalisation of steel 

1953

Churchill retires as Prime Minister and is replaced by Anthony Eden  

1955 April

Conservative election victory - 60 seat majority

1955 May

The Suez Crisis

1956 October

Macmillan becomes Prime Minister 

1957 January

The Rent Act. It removed controls on renting property in an effort to create a free market 

1957 July

Harold Macmillan’s ‘Never had it so good’ speech 

1957 July

Race riots in Notting Hill, Nottingham, Bristol and other parts of London 

1958-59

Conservative election victory - `100 seat majority

1959 October

Macmillan’s ‘Wind of Change’ speech 

1960 February

Macmillan’s major cabinet reshuffle known as the ‘Night of the Long Knives’  

1962 July

Cabinet minister John Profumo lies in the Commons over an affair and is forced to resign in June 

1963 March

MacMillan retires as prime minister 

1963 October

Alec Douglas-Home replaces Macmillan  

1963 October

Labour government under Harold Wilson takes office - 4 seat majority

1964 October

the National Plan published 

1965 September

The general election gives Labour a 96-seat majority 

1966 March

Government devalues the pound 

1967 November

President de Gaulle again vetoes British membership of the EEC 

1967 November

‘In Place of Strife’ abandoned in return for TUC pledge to monitor strikes 

1969 June

Equal pay enacted  

1970 May

Conservatives win the general election 

1970 June

The Industrial Relations Act becomes law 

1971 August

House of Commons votes in favour of British entry to the EEC 

1971 October

Miners’ strike begins (ends February)  

1972 January

Britain joins the EEC 

1973 January

Conservatives lose the general election, Labour takes office without a majority 

1974 February

Labour wins a small majority in the general election - 3 seat maj

1974 October

Referendum on Britain’s membership of the EEC 

1975 June

Wilson resigns as Prime Minister and is replaced by Callaghan  

1976 March

Britain accepts a loan from the IMF 

1976 December

Lib-Lab Pact: the Liberals agree to support the Labour government in parliament  

1977 March

The ‘winter of discontent’  

1979 January

Conservatives win a 43-seat majority in the general election 

1979 May

April-June: Falklands war 

1982

Inner city riots: Brixton, London (April) and Toxteth, Liverpool (July) 

1981

Conservatives win 144-seat majority 

1983 June

Miner's strike begins 

1984 March

Miner's strike ends 

1985 March

Resignation of Michael Heseltine in Westland affair 

1986 January

The 'Big Bang' in the City of London 

1986 October

Conservatives win 102-seat majority 

1987 June

Violence at anti poll tax demonstration in Trafalgar Square 

1990 March

Britain joins the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) 

1990 October

Thatcher resigns, replaced by John Major 

1990 November

Poll tax replaced by Council Tax 

1991 April

Maastricht treaty signed 

1992 February

Conservatives win 21-seat majority 

1992 April