Each timeline maps how a topic developed over time, so you can see the sequence of events and the turning points at a glance. Click any card to open it.
Political history
The constitution, devolution and the EU
Constitutional reform since 1997
1997 - 2024
The wave of reforms from New Labour onwards: devolution, the Human Rights Act, House of Lords changes, the Supreme Court and the Fixed-term Parliaments Act.
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Devolution, 1997 to 2024
1997 - 2024
How power was handed to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, from the 1997 referendums through to the further powers after the 2014 independence vote.
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House of Lords reform, 1911 to 2024
1911 - 2024
The long argument over the second chamber, from the Parliament Acts to the 1999 removal of most hereditary peers and the proposals still on the table.
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The UK and Europe, 1973 to 2016
1973 - 2016
The road into Europe: joining the EEC, the 1975 referendum, the single market, Maastricht and Lisbon, up to the 2016 vote to leave.
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Brexit and the constitution, 2016 to 2023
2016 - 2023
The constitutional impact of leaving the EU: the referendum, the Miller cases, prorogation, the Withdrawal Agreement and the return of powers to Westminster.
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The executive, the courts and rights
The power of the Prime Minister
1997 - today
From Blair's near-presidential dominance to PMs removed by their own MPs in days, with Brown, the coalition, May, Johnson, Truss and Starmer.
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The royal prerogative and its decline
2003 - 2022
How the executive's prerogative powers over war, treaties and dissolution were curbed by convention and the courts, then partly restored in 2022.
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Collective ministerial responsibility
1975 - today
How collective responsibility has held up and broken down across recent governments, with the suspensions and resignations that tested the convention.
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The UK Supreme Court: key rulings
2009 - 2024
From the Court's creation to the Miller cases and the Rwanda ruling, and Parliament overriding it in 2024 - the question of whether it is too powerful.
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Landmark UK rights milestones
1215 - today
From Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights to the Human Rights Act and the Equality Act, and the recent statutes narrowing rights.
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Paper 3: US politics
The US Supreme Court and rights
1896 - today
From Plessy and Brown through Roe to Dobbs and SFFA - how the Court has expanded and then restricted rights, and whether it is a political body.
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Presidential power over time
1868 - today
From the New Deal to the modern imperial presidency, with Youngstown, Watergate, the War Powers Resolution and the 2024 immunity ruling.
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US federalism over time
1787 - today
From the constitutional settlement and McCulloch to the New Deal, US v Lopez, the ACA and the 2020s state-federal fights - which way has power moved?
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US elections and the money race
2000 - today
From the Electoral College distortions to Citizens United and the 2024 spending record - do money and the system, not voters, decide?
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US Congress: power and gridlock
1868 - today
From the Voting Rights Act and War Powers Resolution to shutdowns, the Garland block and the 2026 knife-edge - effective check or paralysed?
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Paper 3: global politics
Globalisation
1944 - today
From Bretton Woods and the WTO to China's accession, then the 2008 crash, Brexit and America First - is globalisation in retreat?
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Global environmental governance
1988 - today
From the IPCC and Montreal Protocol to Kyoto, Copenhagen, Paris and COP29 - can the world cooperate on climate?
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Regionalism and the EU
1952 - today
From the ECSC to the euro and eastern enlargement, then Brexit and AUKUS - is regional integration deepening or stalling?
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Global governance
1945 - today
From the UN Charter and UDHR through Srebrenica and Libya to the Security Council paralysis over Ukraine - can it keep the peace?
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Global human rights
1948 - today
From the UDHR and Genocide Convention to the ICC, R2P and the recent arrest warrants - protected, or trumped by sovereignty?
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