Welsh Politics Reading List
As Wales heads towards an historic election in May, major changes will be taking place due to the increased number of politicians in the Senedd. In the meantime, why not delve deeper into the complex history of Welsh politics with these books? From the history and ideology of wide ranging political parties to the legacy of political giants, this reading list will give you plenty to mull over before casting your vote.
The Impact of Devolution in Wales
Social Democracy with a Welsh Stripe?
Edited by Jane Williams and Aled Eirug
This volume reflects on two decades of Welsh devolution, and contributes to the debate on its significance and future course. It examines how, from a fragile beginning, distinct political institutions and ideological position have made their mark not only in Wales but also in the UK and wider world.
Emlyn Hooson and the Welsh Liberal Party, 1962-1979
Nicholas K. Alderton
This study presents an analysis of the Welsh Liberal Party under the leadership of Emlyn Hooson, and looks at the changes he oversaw to make it a federated and Welsh-centric political party. It comprises the first in-depth description of the Welsh Liberal Party during a tumultuous time in Welsh politics; recognising how current Welsh political historiography has sidelined the Welsh Liberals in favour of Plaid Cymru and Labour.
The Nationalist Party, 1925-1945
A Call to Nationhood
D. Hywel Davies
This work examines the nature of the Welsh Nationalist Party from its foundation in 1925 to 1945 – the philosophy and policies it embraced, the methods it used, and its organisational character. It remains a classic text on the foundation and early decades of Plaid Cymru.
Putting Wales First
The Political Thought of Plaid Cymru: Volume 1
Richard Wyn Jones
In this authoritative book, Richard Wyn Jones traces the development of the political thought of Plaid Cymru from its birth in the winter months of 1924-5 to the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales in the summer of 1999. Through a penetrating study of the political beliefs of its most important leaders – Saunders Lewis, Gwynfor Evans, Dafydd Elis-Thomas and Dafydd Wigley – we follow the party’s emergence from the political fringe to the threshold of a devolved Wales.
The Political Thought of Aneurin Bevan
Nye Davies
This book presents a new way of studying the British Labour politician Aneurin Bevan, founder of the National Health Service. Despite his contemporary legacy as an institutional pioneer, there remain fundamental disagreements concerning his politics. In response, this book takes a new approach by treating Bevan as a political thinker and reconstructing his political thought.
The Conservative Party in Wales, 1945-1997
Sam Blaxland
Wales is often considered to be one of the most anti-Conservative parts of Britain, with the party unable to connect with voters. The Conservative Party in Wales, 1945–1997 offers a more nuanced perspective as the first book-length study of Wales’s second political party in the decades after the Second World War. Adopting an holistic approach to the party, the book scrutinises activists and prominent Tories at the grassroots, asking what they reveal about understudied aspects of Welsh history, particularly the lives of the Anglicised and socially conservative middle class.
