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1959 United Kingdom general election

Overview

A general election was held in the United Kingdom on Thursday, 8 October 1959. The Conservative Party under the leadership of incumbent prime minister Harold Macmillan won a landslide victory with a majority of 100 seats. This was their third election victory in a row.

The Conservatives won the largest number of votes in Scotland, but narrowly failed to win the most seats in that country. They have not made either achievement ever since. Both Jeremy Thorpe, a future Liberal leader, and Margaret Thatcher, a future Conservative leader and eventually Prime Minister, first entered the House of Commons following this election.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

Related ideas

• National Health Service
• Labour Party (UK)
• Margaret Thatcher
• Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• Socialism
• Scotland
• Conservative Party (UK)
• Economic inequality
• Liberal Party (UK)

Place in the tradition

Part of Alan Bullock.

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