AD 1900-2000 Modern

During the 20th century, Britain experienced two world wars, lost a world empire and its status as a great power, and saw huge social and political changes. Both Scotland and Wales ended the century with forms of devolved governments and renewed national confidence. The south of Ireland achieved independence, but sectarian divisions in the north (under British rule) only began to be tackled in the 1990s.

Both world wars deeply affected the structure of British society. Women’s achievements helped to gain them the vote after World War I (1914-18), and they were active in every service during World War II (1939-45). The creation of the Welfare State after World War II improved life for millions. The war also accelerated demands for independence in the Empire, which peaked in the 1950s when the first immigrants from the new Commonwealth arrived in Britain. Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1973, but continues to be torn between Europe and its ‘special relationship’ with the United States of America.

British manufacturing declined, bringing hardship to industrial areas in Scotland, Wales, and north and central England, particularly between the wars. The exploitation of North Sea Oil from the mid-1970s helped the economy, as did the growth of new service industries and a huge expansion in communications and the use of new technology. The end of the century saw British people materially better off than at any time in history.