WISER Social Sciences, 25 th February 2008: Conservative Party Archive

1. WISER Social Sciences, 25th February 2008:Conservative Party Archive Modern Political Papers Section, Dept of Special Collections & Western Manuscripts

2. Introduction • Created at the Bodleian as a source for academic study in 1978 • Complements existing holdings of private papers of prominent Conservatives such as Disraeli and Macmillan • Also a worthy resource in its own right, and preserves the thinking behind the party’s policy-making

3. Contents of the Conservative Party Archive: 1

4. Contents of the Conservative Party Archive: 2 • Key departments of Conservative Central Office: • Chairman’s Office 1940-1997 • Local Government 1953-1992 • Conservative Political Centre 1947-1973 • Women’s Organisation 1928-1991 • Public Opinion Research 1948-1983 • Education 1944-1990 • Youth 1906-1985 • International Office 1945-1976 • Conservative Research Department 1918-present

5. Contents of the Conservative Party Archive: 3Sample subject-based files from Conservative Central Office & the Conservative Research Department Party matters Party Agents, 1920s-1966 Cinema vans, 1920s-1950 Party membership, 1956-1971 Party funding By-elections; Party colours, 1949-1967 Political education Honours 1930s-1954 Conservative trade unions, 1940s-1975 Propaganda, broadcasting & the Press, 1940s-1986 Political rumours, 1940s-1952 Recruitment campaigns, 1946-1966 Party reorganisation, 1946/7, 1966 Second World War and the Party truce Political partisanship of BBC, 1930s Domestic Affairs Post-War reconstruction Rationing, 1940s-1958 Equal pay for Women 1940s-1966 Communism in the UK, 1949-1974 Wales, 1949-1981 Scottish devolution, 1975-1981 Housing, 1919-1975 Electoral reform, 1948 Northern Ireland, 1971-1981 Industry & industrial policy, 1927-1970 Anti-semitism, 1940s-1961 Crime, 1961-1966 Terrorism, 1974-1979 Capital punishment, 1956-1969 Economics & Finance, 1930-1989 Health, 1930-1966 Nationalisation & de-nationalisation, 1940s-1966 Child welfare, 1940s-1954 Railways, 1955-1959 Protection and tariffs, 1923-1936 Education 1929-1986 Agriculture & agricultural policy, 1930-1989 Aviation, 1930-1964 Immigration, 1954-1984 New towns, 1950-1966 Unemployment, 1929-1966 Vivisection, 1954-1961 Planning & the environment, 1946-1964

6. Contents of the Conservative Party Archive: 4Sample subject-based files from Conservative Central Office & the Conservative Research Department Commonwealth Affairs Imperial & colonial policy, 1932-1966 New Zealand 1940s-1966 Guyana, 1957-1964 Lesotho, 1966-1968 Rhodesia, 1961-1973 India 1930s Aden & Yemen, 1967 Australia, 1940s-1961 Suez, 1956-1964 Canada 1940s-1961 Kenya, 1950-1964 South Africa 1940s-1970 Nigeria, 1968-1970 Tanzania, 1965-1969 Foreign Affairs League of Nations, 1930s United Nations, 1946-1966 Palestine and Israel, 1949 Foreign Affairs, 1937-1964 Suez, 1955-1958 West Germany, 1961-1966 Spain, 1938-1940 Guatemala, 1956-1958 Vietnam, 1965-1970 US Presidential elections, 1949-1958 Europe & NATO, 1959-1968 Hungary, 1956-1958 Greek elections, 1946 Portugal, 1970s Middle East, 1966-1973 EEC, 1946-1975 Central African Federation, 1960-1964 Latin America, 1972 Co-operation with right-wing parties, 1949-1961

7. Contents of the Conservative Party Archive: 5 • Library of Published & Printed Material: • printed Party literature • Manifestos • press releases • speech transcripts • Election posters: Conservative, Labour and Liberal, c1886-2007 • Photographs: Senior Party figures and events, c1903-2007 • Audio-visual material: Party election broadcasts and recordings of Party Conferences, c1980s-2007 • Podcasts: oral history interviews • Theses

8. Race relations policies in Britain, 1945-1970 Opposition to the Falklands War & its influence on the 1983 General Election Labour and Conservative Party organisational reform British relations with Europe, 1956-1963 Government policy towards road development and the promotion of cars British national identity and opposition to membership of Europe, 1961-1963 Decline of the Labour Party and rise of the Conservative Party in Wales c1960s-1970s and its opposition to devolution Conservative Party policy towards Germany 1933-1936 Political rhetoric of the 20th century Collaboration and resistance by local authorities over major changes in housing policy, 1971-1983 Anglo-American relations during the Rolls-Royce Lockheed crisis of 1970-1971 The rise of neo-liberal politics in the US & UK in the post-War period, using housing, economic strategy, social security as case studies Radical Right activism and the transformation of the Conservative Party, 1910-1924 The Campaign to abolish capital punishment in Britain, 1955-1969 Conservative Backbench pressure, the Macmillan Government and the Congo Crisis, 1960-1963 Perceptions of finance capital between 1918 and 1944: ideological criticisms of banking in the inter-war years Recent areas of postgraduate study:

9. Access restrictions • Material dated up to 31 December 1977 is available for research. • Material from 1 January 1978 to 31 December 1992 can be viewed only with permission from Conservative Campaign Headquarters • Material dated after 31 December 1992 is closed.

10. Using the Conservative Party Archive • Consulted in Room 108, Special Collections Reading Room in the New Bodleian • Online catalogue: • www.conservativepartyarchive.org • For advice and to request files in advance: Jeremy McIlwaine, Conservative Party Archivist Tel: (01865) 277 181 Email: jeremy.mcilwaine@bodley.ox.ac.uk

11. Conservative Party Archive