Harold Wilson
12 October 2026
2:00-3:30pm
Online or Rewley House 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA
Event status:
Applications being accepted
Location:
Online or Rewley House 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA
Dates:
12 October 2026
Study Format:
Online - live
Fees:
From £15.00 to £18.00
Contesting five general elections, Wilson won four, in the process realising his ambition of making Labour the 'natural party of government.' Under his leadership between 1964 and 1979, Labour was in power for twelve out of fifteen years. His governments presided over an era of significant social liberalisation, including reforms to laws on homosexuality, abortion, divorce, and the abolition of capital punishment. However, the extent of Wilson’s personal commitment to these measures remains disputed, not least because his memoirs largely omit them.
In economic policy, Wilson’s record was more troubled. He presided over the devaluation crisis of 1967 and, after returning to office in 1974, oversaw the resolution of the miners’ strike. As a proponent of the mixed economy within the post-war consensus, he was criticised by the Labour left for failing to pursue more extensive nationalisation.
Yet it may be that his greatest achievement lay in foreign policy: his decision to keep the United Kingdom out of the Vietnam War, a stance that many of his biographers regard as a defining success of his premiership.
This lecture is part of The Re-elected Prime Ministers: Their Reputations Revised? lecture series, taking place on Mondays from 5 October 2026 to 9 November 2026. You may either register for individual lectures or the entire lecture series at a reduced price.
This lecture will close to enrolments at 23:59 GMT on 7 October 2026.
Book this course
You can opt to attend this teaching event either online (via a livestream) or in person at Rewley House, Oxford. You will be given the option of how you wish to attend during the enrolment process. You can only pick one option. If your preferred attendance format is fully booked, you can email us to be put on the waiting list. For those who wish to attend online, please read the IT requirements below before enrolling.
Accommodation
If you wish to stay with us before and/or after the event, please contact our Residential Centre for availability and discounted rates.
Call +44 (0) 1865 270362 or email res-ctr@conted.ox.ac.uk
Our accommodation in Wellington Square has been rated as 4-Star Campus Accommodation under Visit England. All bedrooms are modern, comfortably furnished with tea/coffee making facilities, Freeview television, private bath/shower rooms and free WiFi. For more details see our accommodation information.
IT requirements
We will be using Zoom for the livestreaming of this lecture series. If you’re attending online, you’ll be able to see and hear the speakers, and to submit questions via the Zoom interface. Joining instructions will be sent out prior to the start date. We recommend that you join the session at least 10-15 minutes prior to the start time – just as you might arrive a bit early at our lecture theatre for an in-person event.
Please note that this lecture will not be recorded.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| In-person event fee (includes tea/coffee and a pastry) | £18.00 |
| Virtual event fee | £15.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses
Payment
Please see the terms and conditions for our open-access courses.
Module code: O26P103DSL
Please use the ‘Book’ button on this page. Alternatively, please contact us on events@conted.ox.ac.uk to obtain an application form.
You can opt to attend this teaching event either online (via a livestream) or in person at Rewley House, Oxford. You will be given the option of how you wish to attend during the enrolment process. You can only pick one option. If your preferred attendance format is fully booked, you can email us to be put on the waiting list. For those who wish to attend online, please read the IT requirements below before enrolling.
