This is a brief guide to help you find records of 20th century political history. The National Archives holds many records for this period, including the correspondence and minutes of major government departments, such as the Home Office, the Foreign Office, the Treasury, the Cabinet Office and the Prime Minister's Office. We also hold the papers of successive Prime Ministers from 1916.
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What records can I see online?
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Cabinet Papers (1915-1980)
Search the Cabinet Papers 1915-1980 on The National Archives website to view and search a wide range of Cabinet Papers chosen for their historical significance.
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Parliamentary Papers (1715-present)
Search Parliamentary Papers (institutional subscription required) for digitised copies of official papers published by the House of Commons and House of Lords.
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Records of the Stormont administration in Northern Ireland (1921-1972)
Search Northern Ireland: A Divided Community, 1921-1972 (institutional subscription required).
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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Home Office records (1700-2006)
Browse or use a keyword search of Discovery, our cataloguea search tool with descriptions of tens of millions of documents from the UK central government, law courts, and other national bodies, in record series HO for records from the Home Office. These records cover a wide range of subjects including the criminal justice and penal systems, immigration, education, public improvement works, electoral administration, trade union relations and registered charities.
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Treasury records (1547-1996)
Browse our catalogue in T for Treasury correspondence, reports and minutes, about economic planning for public institutions and services.
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Records of the Foreign Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1567-2005)
Browse our catalogue in FO for records of the Foreign Office and FCO for records of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1968. These include correspondence about British government relations with foreign states.
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Records of the Prime Minister's Office (1844-2001)
Browse our catalogue in PREM for records of the Prime Minister's Office including correspondence and papers, recommendations for honours and awards, and papers relating to ministerial, civil and ecclesiastical appointments.
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To access these records you will either need to visit us, pay for research (£there will be a charge) or, where you can identify a specific record referencea unique set of letters and numbers identifying a document in The National Archives, order a copy (£there will be a charge).
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What records can I find in other archives and organisations?
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Records held locally
Search the Access to Archives (A2A) and National Register of Archives (NRA) databases to find records held in local archives. Search the NRA database with the names of politicians to find out where their papers are held.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Websites
Consult the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (institutional subscription required) for biographies of prominent people.
Visit The National Archives' online exhibition on Britain 1906-1918, which focuses on welfare reforms, women's suffrage and the impact of war.
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19th century political history
First World War
Second World War