The Liberal Democrat History Group promotes the discussion and research of topics relating to the histories of the British Liberal Democrats and its predecessor parties, the Liberal Party and the SDP, and of liberalism more broadly.

New from the History Group:
Peace, Reform and Liberation: A History of Liberal Politics in Britain, 1679-2011

The British Liberal Party, and, by extension, its successor, the Liberal Democrats, has a good claim to be regarded as the oldest political party in the world. This book is a comprehensive single-volume history of that party, its beliefs and its impact.

Written by academics and experts, drawing on the most recent scholarly research, Peace, Reform and Liberation is the most comprehensive and most up-to-date guide to the story of those who called themselves Liberals, what inspired them and what they achieved over the last 300 years and more.

An essential source for anyone interested in the contribution of Liberals and Liberalism to British politics. Available at a special discounted rate for Journal of Liberal History subscribers.

Activities

The Liberal Democrat History Group aims to appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of British Liberalism, whether academics, party activists or spare-time students of political history. We:

- Publish the quarterly Journal of Liberal History, containing articles, book reviews, biographies, and meeting reports

- Publish books, including Peace, Reform and Liberation: A History of Liberal Politics in Britain 1679-2011, Dictionary of Liberal Thought, and Great Liberal Speeches

- Publish shorter booklets as concise reference sources, including Liberal History (a concise history of the Liberal Democrats and its predecessor parties), Liberal Leaders 1828-1899 and Liberal Leaders of the Twentieth Century

- Organise discussion meetings, both in London and as fringe meetings at Liberal Democrat conferences

- Make resources available to students of Liberal history, including news of research in progress and guides to archive sources (see the items listed under 'Research resources' on the left-hand menu)

- Provide a concise history of the Liberal Democrats and its predecessor parties, along with a more extensive set of historical articles and biographies - the Liberal History Online project, available through the top menu bar.

How the site is organised

Use the left-hand menu to navigate to the various activities of the Group, and the menu bar at the top for Liberal History Online - pages on the history of the party sorted according to period, theme or person, together with relevant articles from the Journal of Liberal History.

Also use the top menu bar to send up queries about Liberal history, to subscribe to the Journal of Liberal History, and to join our email mailing list for news of our meetings and publications.