3rd marquess of Salisbury (3rd time) Conservative 1895–1902
(from 1922, 1st earl of Balfour) Conservative 1902–05
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Liberal
1905–08
(from 1925, 1st earl of Oxford and Asquith) Liberal 1908–16
(from 1945, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor) Liberal 1916–22
Bonar Law
Conservative
1922–23
(1st time) Conservative 1923–24
(1st time) Labour 1924
(2nd time) Conservative 1924–29
(2nd time) Labour 1929–35
(from 1937, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley) (3rd time) Conservative 1935–37
Neville Chamberlain
Conservative
1937–40
(1st time) Conservative 1940–45
(from 1955, 1st Earl Attlee) Labour 1945–51
(from 1953, Sir Winston Churchill) (2nd time) Conservative 1951–55
(from 1961, 1st earl of Avon) Conservative 1955–57
(from 1984, 1st earl of Stockton) Conservative 1957–63
(until 1963, Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, 14th earl of Home; from 1974, Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home) Conservative 1963–64
(1st time) Labour 1964–70
Edward Heath
Conservative
1970–74
(from 1976, Sir Harold Wilson) (2nd time) Labour 1974–76
James Callaghan
Labour
1976–79
Margaret Thatcher
Conservative
1979–90
John Major
Conservative
1990–97
Tony Blair
Labour
1997–2007
Gordon Brown
Labour
2007–10
David Cameron
Conservative
2010–16
Theresa May
Conservative
2016–19
Boris Johnson
Conservative
2019–
Citation Information
Article Title: United Kingdom
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 11 August 2019
URL: https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Kingdom
Access Date: August 12, 2019
Additional Reading Geography Land and people
The Ordnance Survey Motoring Atlas: Britain 2001 (2000) is an authoritative atlas of the United Kingdom. Tony Champion (A.G. Champion) et al., The Population of Britain in the 1990s: A Social and Economic Atlas (1996), provides a detailed social portrait of the nation in map form. Eric H. Brown and Keith Clayton (eds.), The Geomorphology of the British Isles (1976– ), a series arranged by region, explores the evolution of the country’s complex and varied landforms. Changes in the observable landscapes are detailed in several works in the series by Roy Millward and Adrian Robinson, Landscapes of Britain (1971–73). Classic illustrated works on physical geography include L. Dudley Stamp, Britain’s Structure and Scenery, 6th ed. (1967, reprinted 1984); and Gordon Manley, Climate and the British Scene (1952, reissued 1971). A.G. Tansley, The British Islands and Their Vegetation (1939, reissued in 2 vol., 1965), is a monumental classic on the ecology of the British Isles.
Useful sources on the human geography of the United Kingdom include J.W. House (ed.), The UK Space: Resources, Environment, and the Future, 3rd ed. (1982); and Vince Gardiner and Hugh Matthews (eds.), The Changing Geography of the United Kingdom, 3rd ed. (2000). Mohan Luthra, Britain’s Black Population: Social Change, Public Policy, and Agenda (1997), presents a study of the United Kingdom’s ethnic minorities. Information on recent developments in the country’s demography and social conditions appears in Britain (annual), published by the Central Office of Information. William Ravenhill Economy
Historical studies of economic development and growth include R.C.O. Matthews, C.H. Feinstein, and J.C. Odling-Smee, British Economic Growth, 1856–1973 (1982); Rex Pope, The British Economy Since 1914: A Study in Decline? (1998); Roger Middleton, The British Economy Since 1945: Engaging with the Debate (2000); Peter Browning, The Treasury and Economic Policy, 1964–1985 (1986); and Nick Gardner, Decade of Discontent: The Changing British Economy Since 1973 (1987). David Sinclair, The Pound: A Biography (2000), provides a popular history of Britain’s currency. General surveys of the economy by sector include M.H. Peston, The British Economy: An Elementary Macroeconomic Perspective, 2nd ed. (1984); and John Black, The Economics of Modern Britain: An Introduction to Macroeconomics, 4th ed. (1985). J.C.R. Dow and I.D. Saville, A Critique of Monetary Policy: Theory and British Experience (1988, reissued 1990); and C.A.E. Goodhart, Monetary Theory and Practice: The UK Experience (1984), explore monetary issues. Special studies of economic performance and economic conditions include Ben Fine and Laurence Harris, The Peculiarities of the British Economy (1985); John Kay, Colin Mayer, and David Thompson (eds.), Privatization and Regulation: The UK Experience (1986); and Rüdiger Dornbusch and Richard Layard (eds.), The Performance of the British Economy (1987). William Keegan, Mrs. Thatcher’s Economic Experiment (1984); Samuel Brittan, Capitalism with a Human Face (1995); and Will Hutton, The State We’re In, rev. ed. (1996), analyze the influence of government policy on the country’s economy. Hugo Young, This Blessed Plot: Britain and Europe from Churchill to Blair, rev. ed. (1999), provides an account of the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe during the second half of the 20th century. Historical and current economic developments are treated in OECD Economic Surveys: United Kingdom (annual), published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; National Institute Economic Review (quarterly); and Economic Outlook (monthly), published by the London Business School Centre for Economic Forecasting. Ulric M. Spencer Administration and social conditions